Chanko Kirishima

Two minutes from the Kokugikan's gates, Chanko Kirishima is the real thing: a chanko-nabe restaurant opened by former ozeki Kirishima, whose old bouts play on loop over the dining room's flat-screens between framed tournament photos and a colorful run of noren.

The house pot is a soy-and-miso broth built on chicken and pork bones and finished with a shot of yuzu pepper, loaded with chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables, and hand-formed chicken-and-octopus dumplings — the stable-cook version rather than a sweetened, tourist-friendly one. It's served as part of Sekiwake, Ozeki, or Yokozuna set menus, each simply a bigger pot with more sides as the name (and price) climbs. Don't skip the chicken wing karaage or the seasonal sashimi plate if it's offered; both come up often in local reviews as what regulars order alongside the nabe.

Seating runs from tatami rooms with sunken kotatsu to private rooms for two up to thirty, with the whole floor bookable for groups as large as sixty — this is built for parties, and solo diners will feel it. English menus and English-speaking staff are on hand, credit cards and Suica/PayPay are all accepted, and reservations run through Tabelog, Hot Pepper, or the restaurant's own booking page rather than a phone call — though changes or cancellations still need one, to the front desk directly.

One practical note: the restaurant closes Mondays and takes a longer break in mid-to-late August, but stays open straight through Tokyo tournament (honbasho) weeks at the Kokugikan next door, which is worth knowing if timing a visit around sumo.