When are the sumo tournaments held at Ryōgoku in Tokyo?

Ryōgoku Kokugikan hosts three of the six annual Grand Sumo Tournaments, in January, May and September. It is a minute from the JR station's west exit, and general admission tickets go on sale at its box office from 07:45 on match days.

Why are there old row houses in Kyōjima, Tokyo?

Kyōjima filled with wooden row houses after the 1923 earthquake, when displaced residents moved to what had been rice paddies and fish ponds. It escaped the wartime fires, so many of those buildings remain. Since a 1998 design workshop, some empty ones have become galleries, cafés and guesthouses.

Cafés in Oshiage & Ryōgoku, Tokyo: Hours and Map

Q: What is Single O in Ryōgoku, Tokyo?

Single O is a coffee roaster founded in Sydney that set up in Ryōgoku in 2014. In 2024 it moved its roastery into a 200 m² space at 3-21-5 Kamezawa. Four coffees are self-service on tap, and it opens 10:00–18:00, Wednesday to Sunday.

East of the Sumida River, this stretch runs from the sumo arena at Ryōgoku north past Kinshichō and Oshiage to the old row-house lanes of Kyōjima and Higashi-Mukōjima. Most people come for the Skytree or the sumo; the coffee is a reason to walk a few blocks past either.

An Australian roaster set up here in 2014, and independent coffee bars sit in Narihira, close to the tower's character cafés. Further north, a café in a 1927 pharmacy shows what the older streets are like.

Local tip: On tournament days, general admission goes on sale at the Kokugikan from 07:45. Single O doesn't open until 10:00 and closes Mondays and Tuesdays, so ニューストン, open from 09:00, comes first.²

At a glance

208Cafés listed

14With opening hours

07:00Earliest opening

00:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: 両国テラス, from 07:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–22:00).

Closes latest: ニューストン, until 00:00 (Daily 09:00–00:00).

Most common features: specialty (3%), open late (2%), outdoor seating (1%).

Ryōgoku: sumo and Hokusai

Ryōgoku Kokugikan, a minute from the JR station's west exit, hosts three of the six annual Grand Sumo Tournaments, in January, May and September.¹ General admission tickets go on sale at its box office from 07:45 on match days.² The former station building of 1929 is now Ryōgoku Edo Noren, a restaurant complex directly connected to the JR west exit.¹³

The Sumida Hokusai Museum, designed by Kazuyo Sejima, opened in November 2016 at 2-7-2 Kamezawa; Hokusai spent most of his life in this area.¹³ 北斎茶房 (Hokusai Sabō) opens daily 11:30–22:00, and ニューストン at 3-26-11 Ryōgoku runs from 09:00 to midnight every day. 両国テラス (Ryōgoku Terrace), at 1-12-21 Yokoami, was noted by Time Out in 2017 for terrace dining and a winter kotatsu option.³

Kamezawa and Midori: Single O and the roasters

Single O, founded in Sydney and in coffee since 2003, set up its Ryōgoku outpost in 2014, and in 2024 it moved its roastery into a 200 m² space at 3-21-5 Kamezawa to mark ten years in Japan.⁴ Four coffees are available self-service on tap, and the house blend, Reservoir, mixes Costa Rican and Ethiopian beans.⁴ It opens 10:00–18:00, Wednesday to Sunday.

マキネスティコーヒー at 3-11-5 Midori serves specialty coffee and opens daily 10:00–21:00. Samuel Roasters is at 2-14-8 Midori, and Chill Out Coffee & Records at 2-17-8. Toward Kinshichō, クラウドコーヒーロースターズ is at 2-3-2 Kinshi and Berth Coffee Roastery Haru at 2-7-2 Yokokawa. SASAYA CAFE, at 1-1-10 Yokokawa, has vegan options and opens at 08:30, Tuesday to Sunday.

Oshiage and Narihira, below the Skytree

UNLIMITED COFFEE BAR, at 1-18-2 Narihira, began as a barista training space. Time Out reported in 2021 that it serves over a dozen coffee cocktails, from an espresso martini to a black gimlet, as well as a signature cold brew tonic with orange slices.⁵ Nearby, Shigeno Coffee Craft at 2-11-4 Narihira is run by Minegishi, who has over 30 years in the coffee trade; its Shigeno Blend is strong and bitter, and herbal teas are on the menu too.⁶

NOMAD COFFEE TOKYO opens 11:00–20:00 on weekdays. Inside Skytree Town, at 1-1-2 Oshiage, the choices lean toward character cafés: Kirby Café opens daily 10:00–22:00 and ムーミンカフェ (Moomin Café) 10:00–21:30.

Kyōjima and Higashi-Mukōjima: the row-house lanes

Kyōjima was rice paddies and fish ponds until the 1923 earthquake, when displaced residents moved in and carpenters from Niigata built wooden row houses on leased land. The area escaped the wartime fires that destroyed most of its surroundings, so many buildings about 90 years old were still standing in 2021, although redevelopment spreading from Hikifune has been replacing some. Since a 1998 design workshop, empty row houses have also become galleries, cafés and guesthouses.⁷ muumuu coffee is at 3-48-3 Kyōjima, and 不死鳥喫茶 at 1-53-11.

こぐま (Koguma) opened in 2006 at 1-23-14 Higashi-Mukōjima, in the end unit of a 1927 row house that was a pharmacy for about 60 years. It stands on Hato no Machi-dōri, a shopping street that keeps its prewar width of about 3 m.⁸

Cafés in Oshiage & Ryōgoku

At a glance

CAPPINESS Oshiage Capybara Cafe

Kirby Café

NOMAD COFFEE TOKYO

SASAYA CAFE

Single O

だっこファミリーパティオ

ニューストン

マキネスティコーヒー

ムーミンカフェ

両国テラス

1010 Cafe

Adagio cafe

And Ryogoku

And Tei

Araliya Tea stand & Spice Lab - アラリヤ

Be A Good Neighbor Coffee Kiosk Skytree Solamachi

Berth Coffee Roastery Haru

burrow coffee

Butter 錦糸町PARCO店

cafe & bar SUU

Cafe Accha

Cafe and Bar Sakura

Cafe and Kitchen Cowappers

Cafe Artemis

cafe bar Gossip

Café Capybara

cafe cocona

Café de Poko

Cafe Kohana

Cafe Koume

Cafe Le Monde

Café Norakuro

Cafe Prosto

Cafe Restaurant Nakaichi

Cafe Sucre

cafe tokyo

Coffee chains in Oshiage & Ryōgoku

Doutor Coffee

Starbucks

Tully's Coffee

Caffè Veloce

PRONTO

Saint Marc Café

Excelsior Caffé

Café de Crié

Kohikan

Komeda's Coffee

Hoshino Coffee

Yanaka Coffee

Coffee Colorado

OSLO COFFEE

Café La Mill

Espresso Americano

Ryōgoku: sumo and Hokusai

Kamezawa and Midori: Single O and the roasters

Oshiage and Narihira, below the Skytree

Kyōjima and Higashi-Mukōjima: the row-house lanes

Sources

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Asakusa & Kuramae

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Jiyūgaoka & Gakugei-daigaku

Kōenji & Nakano

Oshiage & Ryōgoku cafés: questions

When are the sumo tournaments held at Ryōgoku in Tokyo?

What is Single O in Ryōgoku, Tokyo?

Why are there old row houses in Kyōjima, Tokyo?