Sumida City, Tokyo, Japan｜Kappou Yoshiba

Eat like a sumo wrestler, great vibes, good food chanko-nabe and even better atmosphere. It's not cheap but definitely worth it.

10 minute walk from Ryogoku station, a very nice place to go with family, friends, and your business partners. Very nice food, the dishes come up pretty fast. The chanko-nabe (ちゃんこ鍋) is famous as one of the ex-sumo wrestlers founded the restaurant.:) Every dish was delicious!! The staff are friendly and helpful. The fish is straight from the fish market so it’s very fresh! Not over priced. There are occasional performances happening in the center and when I went, there was a 15-20min performance;) Saw some foreigners around as well! A great cultural experience and also a very different experience from a normal restaurant as well! Super cozy:)

1. Go in the evening when the sumo-themed entertainment is there-- it makes for a memorable experience, and is half the point of the restaurant. The walk to the place from the nearby Ryogoku Station is scenic as well as you pass through the Sumida River and even through a beautiful garden by the Sword Museum. 2. We were a group of 4. We ordered agedashi tofu, a sashimi set, the tuna extravaganza set (with chuutoro and otoro!), and miso chanko. Servings were generally good (the sushi and sashimi could easily have fed us), and sometimes overwhelming (the chanko-- they say it serves 2, but it can serve more than that unless you want to split the toppings evenly). They didn't scrimp on the quality and quantity of the ingredients. Prices were also reasonable, with us averaging around 2000 yen each, and this was with chuutoro and otoro and their flagship chanko. 3. The staff were attentive, friendly, and patient. Some speak English as well (which is good, as I was the only one who could speak Japanese in the group). 4. They have a debit/credit card swiper, but it failed during the time we came. It's probably the swiper / bank itself so I won't dock points for that.