Best time to go to Japan

Naki-Zumo 2024

This Baby Crying Festival that has been making children cry for over 300 years!

Dates: late April or early May

Naki-Zumo

It all started as a simple shrine ritual, but has turned into a national event full of excitement in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Hanamaki, Iwate, and other locations around Japan.

Imagine a sumo ring where instead of big guys there are two tiny one-year old babies held in the arms of oyakata or the Master. The Master then keeps calling to the babies until one of them cries. The baby who cries the loudest and the longest wins the match. A truly interesting event, right?

One of the most famous baby-crying contests is usually held either in late April or early May in Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.

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