Sumo and New Year in Tokyo 2026–27: Meiji Jingu Yokozuna Ceremony, Ryogoku in Winter and Chanko

If you are in Tokyo between Christmas and the January tournament, the best sumo you can see is free: the yokozuna ring-entering ceremony at Meiji Jingu. It is expected in early January 2027 (in 2026 it was held on Tuesday, January 6), and the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) announces the date in mid-December. If the pattern of recent years holds, it falls on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, five days before the Hatsu Basho opens on January 10. Add the free ring blessing at Ryogoku Kokugikan the day before the tournament and a chanko nabe dinner in Ryogoku, avoiding January 1–3, when most restaurants close.

Checked October 20–28, 2026. Dates marked “expected” follow the pattern of recent years and will be updated when the JSA publishes its January 2027 schedule, usually in mid-December.

The other sumo you can see that week is morning practice, which resumes in the first days of January. The Tokyo: Sumo Watching with journalist and walks tour (from $101, 4.9/5 from 308 reviews) takes you into a stable by special permission with a sumo journalist and an interpreter. Operators often pause tours around December 29 to January 3, so check the January 4–9 dates below.

New Year sumo dates at a glance

Tickets for the tournament itself go on sale on December 5; our January 2027 ticket guide has the sale-day plan and seat prices, and the sold-out guide covers what to do if you miss out.

Other sumo to book in Tokyo this winter

Between the ceremonies, Tokyo has sumo you can book on any day outside the New Year break: sumo shows with chanko nabe in Shinjuku and Asakusa, morning practice at a stable in Ryogoku, and Ryogoku walking tours with a chanko lunch near the Ryogoku Kokugikan. If you are deciding whether a guided tournament seat is worth it, our tour vs ticket cost breakdown puts the 2027 prices side by side.

Your sumo calendar: Dec 20, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027

If you arrive earlier in December, our guide to the December 2026 regional tour lists the jungyo events around Japan.

The yokozuna ceremony at Meiji Jingu

Every January before the Hatsu Basho, each active yokozuna performs a hono dohyo-iri, an offertory ring-entering ceremony, in front of the main hall at Meiji Jingu, the shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji. It is a Shinto offering, so there is no ticket, no seat charge and no commentary. You can see the highest-ranked wrestlers in sumo in full ceremonial dress at close range, for free.

What happened in 2026

On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, yokozuna Hoshoryu and Onosato performed together, “drawing a crowd of around 2,000 spectators under clear skies” (News On Japan, January 7, 2026, citing Kyodo). It was the first time in six years that two yokozuna had appeared together, the last being Hakuho and Kakuryu in 2020. Both performed the Unryu style (Jiji Press). Onosato wore a new three-piece kesho-mawashi bearing the name of Kunozan Toshogu, the Shizuoka shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu (Nikkei/Kyodo).

When it will be in 2027

The JSA has not announced the 2027 date. The pattern of recent years is consistent:

When the JSA released its January 2026 schedule on December 12, 2025, the Meiji Jingu ceremony appeared alongside the keiko soken and other fixed events (Jiji Press). Expect the 2027 schedule around mid-December 2026, and keep January 5 free until then.

What time it starts

Local guide Tokyojin.info recorded the ceremony starting at 15:00 in 2019 and 2020, while some Japanese guides give 13:00–14:00, so the time is not fixed. Plan to be at the shrine from early afternoon and confirm on the day. The stablemasters and wrestlers pray first, then the yokozuna enter through the South Shrine Gate. Each yokozuna’s performance lasts only a few minutes, and the full ritual, from the procession to the second yokozuna’s exit, takes well under an hour.

What you’ll see, step by step

1. Shrine worship. Stablemasters and wrestlers make a formal visit to the main hall.
2. The procession. Each yokozuna enters with two attendants. The tsuyuharai (“dew-sweeper”) walks ahead and the tachimochi (sword-bearer) carries a ceremonial sword. In 2026 Onosato’s tachimochi was Ichiyamamoto and his tsuyuharai was Takanosho; Hoshoryu’s were Hiradoumi and Gonoyama (Jiji Press).
3. The kesho-mawashi. All three men wear matching embroidered ceremonial aprons, a three-piece set called a mitsuzoroi. The yokozuna also wears the thick white rope (the tsuna, the origin of the word “yokozuna”) with folded paper shide hanging from it.
4. The dohyo-iri. The yokozuna claps, spreads his arms to show he carries no weapon, stamps (shiko) to drive away evil spirits, and performs the slow rising seriagari. In the Unryu style, one hand folds against the side of the chest during the rise, said to represent both attack and defense; in the Shiranui style, both arms spread wide. Both current yokozuna use Unryu. Hoshoryu chose it in January 2025 and learned it from Musashimaru (Nikkei). Onosato uses Unryu like his stablemaster, the former Kisenosato.
5. Applause and exit. Then the second yokozuna follows.

Where to stand

Folding chairs are set out in front of the hall of worship (haiden), and they fill up roughly an hour before the start (Tokyojin.info). Japanese viewing guides recommend arriving two to three hours early for the front rows; arriving an hour before usually means standing several rows back. Enter via the Harajuku (south) approach. The yokozuna come in through the South Shrine Gate, so the left-hand side of the inner courtyard, as you face the hall, gives you the procession. Stand in the center for a clean front-on view of the seriagari.

Crowds

Expect about 2,000 people in a normal two-yokozuna year. A brand-new yokozuna draws far more. Reports of the crowd at Kisenosato’s promotion ceremony on January 27, 2017 vary: 18,000 according to the Tsukublog blog, and “a crowd estimated to be over 20,000” according to Tachiai.org. Admission limits started around 11:00, and the East and South Gates were closed by 14:30 (Tokyojin.info). If a new yokozuna is crowned, arrive in the morning.

Rain

The ceremony is not cancelled for rain. It moves inside the shrine building, where very few members of the public can see it. That happened in January 2020, and again on October 5, 2026, when the decision to go indoors came only 30 minutes before the start (Nikkan Sports). Check the weather and the JSA’s social media that morning.

Will there be a third yokozuna?

Probably not in January 2027. Ozeki Aonishiki went 11–4 in September 2026. On September 27, 2026, JSA judging department director Asakayama (the former ozeki Kaio) told Nikkan Sports: “With 11 wins it will likely be quite tough. Even if considered ’equivalent,’ we have to closely evaluate both the quality of sumo and the record.” He indicated that the Kyushu Basho (November 8–22, Fukuoka Kokusai Center) would not be a yokozuna run. We will update this page after the Kyushu Basho. A surprise promotion would mean a separate promotion ceremony and a much bigger crowd.

Practical tips

• Getting there: JR Harajuku Station or Meiji-jingumae (Tokyo Metro). It is about a 15-minute walk to the main hall. Meiji Jingu’s January hours are roughly 6:40–16:20.
• Cold: the courtyard is mostly in shade by mid-afternoon. Wear a coat that covers your hips if you plan to sit for an hour or more. Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu near the Harajuku entrance has hot food and restrooms.
• Etiquette: this is a religious offering. Don’t shout wrestlers’ names during the ritual, keep tripods and selfie sticks down, and clap when the crowd claps.
• Hatsumode crowds: Meiji Jingu receives Japan’s largest number of New Year visitors; Wikipedia’s Hatsumōde article records 3.2 million people in the first three days of January 2010. By the shrine’s own notice, the busiest times are 22:00 on December 31 to 3:00 on January 1, and after 10:00 on January 1–3. By January 5 the crowds have thinned.

Dohyo-matsuri: the free ring blessing (Sat Jan 9, 2027)

On the day before every tournament, a referee (gyoji) dressed as a Shinto priest consecrates the newly built clay ring. He invites the gods of sumo into the dohyo and buries offerings such as rice, chestnuts and kelp in its center. The JSA chairman, the judges and the referees attend. For the January 2025 ceremony, the JSA’s official account listed doors at 9:20, entry required by 9:50, a 10:00 start and free admission; check the January 2027 notice for this year’s times. The ceremony runs about 30 minutes. Recent ceremonies have had no active wrestlers present, and the public enters through the South Gate, not the main entrance. It is quiet, solemn and photogenic, and it is the only free way to sit inside Kokugikan in January. Seating is first come, first served: arrive by about 9:15 for a good spot, and don’t talk during the rite.

Sumo stables also make their own small dohyo and hold their own dohyo-matsuri. Those are private. Our Ryogoku Kokugikan guide covers the arena and its museum.

Morning practice windows over New Year

Stables train in the morning, roughly 7:00–10:00, until the year-end break. Most go quiet from around December 28 to January 3, then resume in the first week of January ahead of the basho. For a December 20 – January 9 trip, the best windows are December 20–27 and January 4 or 5 to 9. Expect plenty of serious sparring between top-division wrestlers in the final days before January 10. Arashio-beya in Nihonbashi-Hamacho is the classic free option: you watch through its street-side windows, and it sometimes posts its practice schedule, so check its notices. Our winter morning practice calendar has stable-by-stable details.

Two guided options on GetYourGuide run in this window, outside the New Year break:

• The journalist-led morning practice tour ($101, 4.9/5 from 308 reviews), run by Japan Shine Tour, adds a sumo journalist and an interpreter who answer your questions after the session.
• Tokyo: Watch sumo! with English Guide (from £71, 4.7/5 from 453 reviews) costs less and has more reviews; choose it if price matters more to you than the journalist’s commentary.

Operators often pause these tours from around December 29 to January 3, so book a January 4–9 date.

Ryogoku in winter: two walking routes

Half day (3–4 hours, a weekday from Dec 21–28 or Jan 5–8)

1. JR Ryogoku Station / Ryogoku Edo Noren: the old station building is now a food hall with a full-size dohyo replica in the middle. Chanko Kirishima has a branch here.
2. Ryogoku Kokugikan exterior and Sumo Museum (free; weekdays 10:00–16:30; closed weekends, public holidays and over New Year). The autumn 2026 exhibition, “Centenary of Chiyonoyama and His Disciples,” ends December 17, 2026, so expect closures for the exhibition change and New Year. Visit the museum on December 21–25 or January 5–8 only after checking the JSA museum calendar.
3. Kyu-Yasuda Garden: a small Edo-style stroll garden next to Kokugikan.
4. Edo-Tokyo Museum: closed in April 2022 and reopened on March 31, 2026 after four years of renovation, with a redesign led by Shohei Shigematsu of OMA (Nippon.com, May 8, 2026). It has a new walk-in Nakamura-za theater and a full-scale model of the Hattori clock shop. Closed Mondays and over New Year.
5. Eko-in Temple: the site of Edo-era sumo tournaments for decades, with the Chikarazuka memorial to deceased wrestlers.
6. Chanko lunch (see the restaurant table below).

If you prefer a guide for this route, the Tokyo: Sumo History Tour with Chanko-Nabe Lunch ($103, 4.9/5 from 6 reviews) covers Eko-in, the Kokugikan area and the Sumo Museum on non-tournament days, with a chanko lunch. It is a new listing with only six reviews, so read them before you book.

Full day (add these)

7. Nomi no Sukune Shrine (Kamezawa 2-8-10): founded in 1885 by stablemaster Takasago Uragoro and sumo officials on the old Tsugaru domain residence site. Its stone tablets list every yokozuna, and new yokozuna perform here once, at their first Tokyo tournament. The shrine has no staff. Its charms (¥1,000) are sold at the Sumo Museum, and its goshuin and omikuji are available only during Tokyo tournaments (JSA). Blog reports say the grounds open briefly on New Year’s Day, which we could not confirm.
8. Sumida Hokusai Museum: a few minutes’ walk from the shrine.
9. Stable street walk: walk past the stables in Ryogoku and Kiyosumi early in the morning (Dec 20–27 or Jan 5–9) and look, but don’t knock.
10. Tomioka Hachimangu (Monzen-nakacho, about 15 minutes on the Oedo Line): the birthplace of Edo kanjin-zumo, authorized by the shogunate in 1684. The Yokozuna Rikishi-hi, erected in 1900 at the instigation of the 12th yokozuna Jinmaku Kyugoro, is 3.5 m tall, weighs 20 tonnes and lists every yokozuna. There is also an Ozeki monument. New Year visitors pack the shrine on January 1–3.
11. Asakusa Sensoji: 20 minutes away for evening hatsumode atmosphere, though it is extremely crowded on January 1–3.

The stops in order: Ryogoku Station (JR) → Edo Noren → Ryogoku Kokugikan / Sumo Museum → Kyu-Yasuda Garden → Edo-Tokyo Museum → Eko-in → Nomi no Sukune Shrine → Sumida Hokusai Museum → (Oedo Line) Monzen-nakacho / Tomioka Hachimangu.

Chanko nabe in Ryogoku this winter

Chanko is the protein-and-vegetable hot pot that wrestlers eat in the stables. Chicken-based soppu broths are traditional, because a chicken stands on two legs and a wrestler wants to stay on his. Most Ryogoku restaurants serve it by the portion, often with a two-portion minimum, and finish with rice or noodles cooked in the leftover broth: ask for shime.

Two famous names have closed. Chanko Tomoegata closed for good on May 25, 2025, and Kappo Yoshiba, inside the old Miyagino stable with its practice dohyo, closed at the end of May 2024. Many English guides still list both.

Kirishima has the clearest published holiday schedule, is a minute from JR Ryogoku’s west exit, takes online bookings and has a branch inside Edo Noren, which makes it the easiest choice for first-timers and solo diners. Kawasaki is the old-Tokyo choice: a wooden house, a strict cash-only policy and a short menu, so book ahead and bring yen. On January 1–3 most of Ryogoku is shut; Edosawa has opened in past years, but confirm on its site in late December.

At Kirishima, order the house Kirishima-aji chanko. At Kawasaki, order the nadai chanko plus yakitori. Anywhere, finish with zosui (rice porridge in the leftover broth). Budget about ¥1,000–2,000 at lunch and ¥4,000–7,000 at dinner with drinks.

If you would like chanko with a show, the SUMO show at Yokozuna Tonkatsu Dosukoi Tanaka on Viator (from about US$83, 4.9/5 from 2,574 reviews) pairs a sumo performance with tonkatsu and chanko. Our sumo dinner shows and chanko guide compares it with the other shows.

New Year closures checklist (Dec 29 – Jan 3)

• Sumo Museum: closed over New Year and on weekends and holidays. Open daily during the basho, but only to ticket holders.
• Edo-Tokyo Museum: closed over New Year and on Mondays.
• Chanko restaurants: most close around January 1–3. Kirishima’s main shop reopened on January 4 last season. Kawasaki and Tomoji close for “New Year” without published dates.
• Stables: little or no practice from around December 28 to January 3.
• Monday, January 11, 2027 is Coming of Age Day (a public holiday). Weekday-only venues such as the Sumo Museum will be closed, and it is Day 2 of the basho.
• Banks and post offices close December 31 – January 3. 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs generally still work with foreign cards.
• Transport: some major lines run extra trains overnight on December 31 for hatsumode. Schedules are published in December.
• Fukubukuro (lucky-bag) sales start January 1–2 at department stores, with long lines.

What to wear

Tokyo’s January normals are a 9.8°C average high and a 1.2°C low (JMA 1991–2020); December’s are 12.0°C and 3.8°C. Days are usually dry, bright and calm, and the shade feels much colder than the forecast suggests. Wear layers, a warm coat that covers your hips for an hour of standing at Meiji Jingu, gloves for photography, and shoes you can slip off quickly for tatami restaurants.

FAQ

When is the Meiji Jingu yokozuna ceremony in 2027?

It is expected in early January; in 2026 it was held on Tuesday, January 6. If the pattern of 2019, 2020, 2025 and 2026 holds, it falls on Tuesday, January 5, 2027, five days before the January 10 opening. The JSA announces the date in mid-December.

Is the Meiji Shrine sumo ceremony free?

Yes. It is an offering held in the shrine grounds, with no ticket or reservation.

What time does the Meiji Jingu dohyo-iri start?

It started at 15:00 in 2019 and 2020, and some years have been earlier in the afternoon. Arrive one to three hours early.

How many people attend?

About 2,000 in 2026. A brand-new yokozuna’s promotion ceremony can draw far more: reports for Kisenosato in 2017 range from 18,000 to over 20,000.

What happens if it rains?

The ceremony moves indoors into the shrine building, and public viewing becomes very limited.

Which yokozuna will perform?

As of October 2026, Hoshoryu and Onosato. Both perform the Unryu style. A new yokozuna before January is unlikely.

Can the public watch the dohyo-matsuri?

Yes. It is free on the day before the basho (Saturday, January 9, 2027), expected at 10:00 at Ryogoku Kokugikan. In January 2025, doors opened at 9:20 and closed at 9:50.

Can I watch sumo practice over New Year?

Not from around December 28 to January 3. Practice resumes in early January, and January 5–9 is a good window.

Is the January keiko soken open to the public?

No. The Yokozuna Deliberation Council’s practice review is open to the public only before the May tournament.

Are chanko restaurants open on New Year’s Day?

Mostly not. Kirishima was closed January 1–3 last season. Edosawa has opened on January 1 in past years, so check its site in late December.

What’s the best chanko restaurant in Ryogoku?

Chanko Kirishima is our pick overall, Chanko Kawasaki is the most atmospheric, and Chanko Dojo’s ¥1,000 lunch is the cheapest good meal.

Is Chanko Tomoegata still open?

No. It closed permanently on May 25, 2025. Kappo Yoshiba closed at the end of May 2024.

When do January 2027 tournament tickets go on sale?

On December 5, 2026. Good seats usually sell out quickly; our sold-out guide covers the alternatives.

Is the Sumo Museum open in late December?

On weekdays until the year-end closure, but check the JSA calendar, because exhibition changeovers also close it.

Where else in Tokyo is sumo history on show at New Year?

Tomioka Hachimangu (the Yokozuna monument), Nomi no Sukune Shrine and Eko-in in Ryogoku.

How we checked this guide

Tournament, sale and banzuke dates come from the JSA’s 2027 schedule. The 2027 Meiji Jingu date and time are inferences from four recent years (2019, 2020, 2025, 2026); the time is the least certain detail, because sources disagree. The dohyo-matsuri times come from the JSA’s January 2025 notice. The 2026 ceremony details come from Kyodo, Jiji Press and Nikkei. The closures of Chanko Tomoegata (May 25, 2025) and Kappo Yoshiba (end of May 2024) were confirmed in local news site Goguynet Sumida’s closure reports. Restaurant New Year schedules are from 2025–26 (Kirishima) and 2024–25 (Edosawa); none had published 2026–27 dates. The hatsumode figure comes from Wikipedia’s Hatsumōde article, and the Nomi no Sukune New Year opening only from personal blogs. Tour prices and ratings were read from the listings on October 27–28, 2026.

Ready to Book?

See our morning practice page for stable visits in the first week of January, or the January 2027 tournament guide if you want a seat at the Hatsu Basho. After January, the February 2027 exhibition tournaments are the next live sumo in Tokyo.