Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena

Where to Find Yakitori at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Japan’s Popular Sumo Arena | Eater

"A packed, atmospheric sumo arena where fans in nosebleed seats cheer their favorites—sometimes waving half-eaten yakitori skewers as a good-luck charm—during the biannual tournaments. Wide, two-tiered corridors ring the venue and are filled with souvenir stalls (from keychains to full-size rubber wrestler masks), kiosks selling beer, sake, sushi, bentos, and soft-serve, and a dedicated basement kitchen that produces the arena’s wildly popular yakitori. The chicken is typically sold in pre-packaged boxes (three grilled thigh sticks and two tsukune meatballs), not piping hot but well-marinated in a soy-sugar-sake glaze that highlights the umami; information booths can provide maps to the vendors for faster access, and the overall experience is a bucket-list combination of sport, ritual, and street-food flavors." - Mari Taketa