Capsule-toy machines and custom name stickers are scheduled at Ryogoku Kokugikan on all 15 days of the September 2026 tournament. Both cost ¥500 and require five ¥100 coins. Capsule machines are listed on the front side of the first and second floors and the rear side of the second floor; name stickers are on the second-floor front side. If a wrestler you do not know appears, use him to choose one bout to watch.
“Front side” here means the shomen side of the arena, while “rear” means mukojomen, opposite shomen. Those labels matter inside Kokugikan, where east and west are also used as directions. Check the floor signs or ask staff rather than wandering during a bout.
Hours, price and coins
The official September page lists capsule machines from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends and public holidays and from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. On the final day, they close at about 3:30 p.m. One play costs ¥500, and the machine requires five ¥100 coins.
The announced series include magnets, mirror keyrings, acrylic stands, miniature cushion keyrings and many other designs. Wrestler line-ups can change without notice as products sell. A favourite wrestler is therefore not guaranteed. Decide your spending limit before joining a queue and carry the exact coins; this guide does not treat repeated plays as necessary to enjoy the tournament.
The name-sticker machine is not random in the same way
The name-sticker activity is listed on the front side of the second floor, with the same weekday and weekend hours and the same ¥500 price. Visitors can enter a name or other short text and select from twelve wrestler designs plus the Association mascots Hiyonoyama and Ankoyama. It also requires five ¥100 coins.
The page says that activities may change or be cancelled without notice. Use the current arena sign as the final word. If Japanese on-screen instructions are difficult, ask staff before paying rather than guessing through a purchase.
Turn an unfamiliar name into a fifteen-minute discovery
Opening a capsule and recognising nobody is not a failed draw. Look up four small things:
- the wrestler’s stable and hometown;
- his rank for the September tournament;
- one preferred grip or frequent winning technique;
- his bout and approximate appearance time that day.
You do not need to memorise a biography. Take one fact back to your seat. If the profile says he prefers pushing attacks, watch whether his hands reach the opponent’s chest before a belt grip forms. If it names a favourite belt position, see whether he can get there.
The bout may last only a few seconds, and your accidental wrestler may lose. The object has still done something useful: a stranger in a list has become the person whose bow and walk down the hanamichi you noticed. Check his result once the next day, and a random capsule has quietly created a thread through the tournament.
The same game can be free
Buying is optional. Close your eyes and point at the banzuke, choose one ceremonial apron during the ring entrance, or search the name that stays in your ear after the announcer calls it. The important action is not turning the machine. It is giving one unfamiliar wrestler a complete bout of attention.
Sumo knowledge does not have to arrive in rank order. Sometimes the side door—a tiny keyring, an odd name or a hometown you recognise—leads directly to the ring.
Sources
- Japan Sumo Association, September 2026 arena activities (checked 2 September 2026)
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Article verified:
- Japan Sumo Association September 2026 arena activitiesPrimary source (as checked for this article)