Tomoegata Chanko

In sumo town Ryogoku, you should eat as sumo wrestlers do. And that means you gotta try Chankonabe!

Chankonabe is a kind of protein-rich stew that sumo wrestlers eat in vast quantities in order to quickly bulk up in size. They usually contain an assortment of vegetables and various kinds of protein. It is therefore essentially a hotpot/shabu-shabu sort of meal and can therefore be considered relatively healthy, as long as you are not eating it in vast quantities, I suppose😂

Ryogoku is full of Chankonabe restaurants opened by retired sumo wrestlers, each with their own unique recipe and ingredients for that perfect broth.

But perhaps one of the best places to try this traditional sumo dish is at Tomoegata Chanko. Despite the rather "Minas Morgul-ish" lighting of the entrance (lol), you will find that the interior is nice, warm and cozy.

You can choose from 4 different Chankonabe broth styles which differ in broth base and ingredients (and thus correspondingly price as well). Seeing as I only had a short time in Japan, I tried the most expensive option (Tachiyama w Prime Japanese Beef) and was very impressed. The beef came in clean, large sheets and when cooked tasted very nice with a good amount of marbling. The other ingredients were great to complement the entire dish as well, especially the daikon radish and konjac.

Overall, made for a very hearty and satisfying meal👌🏻