A Chinese tourist, wearing a disaster prevention hood, takes cover under a desk during an evacuation drill as part of a Japanese high school cultural exchange program in Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on April 23, 2025.(Photo by Manami Yamada/Reuters)
Attendees wave Danish flags during the official opening ceremony of Denmark’s National Day at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
Yosuke Fukuda, owner of U.S. car dealership Y-Tech, sits inside his company’s showroom in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, on April 25, 2025. The classic cars at his repair yard—with their gleaming chrome and iconic tail fins—radiate Californian nostalgia. Yet, modern American vehicles remain a rare sight on Japanese roads, a fact that has long frustrated former President Donald Trump. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
Amateur sumo wrestlers cradle babies during Nakizumo, a traditional baby-crying contest at Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple in Asakusa on April 26, 2025. About 160 babies born in 2024 participated in this spring ritual, believed to ensure their health and vitality. According to Japanese tradition, the first baby to cry loudly is declared the winner, as a crying baby is said to grow strong and healthy. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA)
A mother (right) comforts her child before the ‘Nakizumo’ baby-crying ritual at Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple on April 26, 2025. In this traditional Japanese ceremony, sumo wrestlers attempt to make babies cry – believed to ensure the infants’ healthy growth and vitality. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
A mother holds her infant before the traditional ‘Nakizumo’ baby-crying ceremony at Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple on April 26, 2025.(Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
A father cradles his baby before the traditional ‘Nakizumo’ sumo ceremony at Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple, April 26, 2025. The annual ritual, where sumo wrestlers encourage infants to cry for good health, dates back over 400 years.(Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
A sumo wrestler lifts an infant during the traditional ‘Nakizumo’ ceremony at Tokyo’s Sensōji Temple, April 26, 2025. The 400-year-old ritual, believed to ensure children’s healthy growth, challenges sumo wrestlers to make babies cry.
Parents prepare their infants for the traditional ‘Nakizumo’ ceremony at Tokyo’s Sensōji Temple, April 26, 2025. The annual ‘crying sumo’ ritual, dating back to the Edo period, is believed to ensure babies’ healthy growth through their cries.(Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
A parent cradles his infant before the traditional ‘Nakizumo’ ceremony at Tokyo’s Sensōji Temple, 26 April 2025. In this 400-year-old Japanese ritual, sumo wrestlers compete to make babies cry first – believed to ensure healthy growth. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
During Tokyo’s annual Nakizumo ceremony at Sensō-ji Temple (April 26, 2025), a ring assistant uses a mask to startle a baby held by an amateur sumo wrestler. In this traditional contest, wrestlers compete to make infants cry first – believed to ensure healthy growth and ward off evil spirits. The loudest crier wins.(Photo by Manami Yamada/Reuters)
Visitors photograph the breathtaking wisteria blossoms at Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on April 27, 2025. The park’s iconic floral tunnels, featuring century-old wisteria vines, peak in late April with their spectacular purple cascades. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
Zangief 1 battles Yamato Nadeshiko in a special Street Fighter-themed match at Tokyo’s Sumo Arena during Lucha Fiesta, April 27, 2025. The event featured Japanese professional wrestlers competing against international opponents (primarily from Mexico) across nine high-energy bouts, celebrating the iconic video game franchise.(Photo by Rodrigo Reyes Marin/ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy Live News)
Tokyo Tower showcases 333 colorful carp streamers (koinobori) to celebrate Children’s Day in Tokyo, Japan, on May 5, 2025. The traditional display symbolizes parents’ hopes for their children’s strength and success, as the koinobori represent carp swimming upstream against life’s currents.(Photo by Chris Whiteoak/The National)
Silhouettes of visitors pass by the immersive 3D display enveloping the South Korean Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, on May 7, 2025. The cutting-edge screen, covering the entire façade of the pavilion, showcases South Korea’s technological prowess through a series of stunning visual sequences. The six-month World Expo in Osaka features participation from 158 countries.(Photo by David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Festival-goers carry a vibrantly decorated mikoshi (portable shrine) through the streets during Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri on 18 May 2025. This three-day annual celebration – one of the city’s most iconic Shinto festivals – attracts nearly two million visitors who come to witness its energetic processions and traditional performances. (Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA)
Participants in traditional loincloths display intricate Japanese irezumi tattoos during Tokyo’s Sanja Matsuri festival, 18 May 2025. The vibrant three-day celebration at Asakusa Shrine – attracting two million visitors annually – showcases Japan’s rich cultural heritage through dynamic processions and these striking bodily art exhibitions.(Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA/EFE)
Pedestrians pass ‘The Briefcase’ – French artist James Colomina’s striking installation at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing, 20 May 2025. The surreal sculpture depicts a red briefcase (symbolizing corporate conformity) with protruding limbs and a tie, representing a salaryman consumed by work routines.(Photo by Richard A. Brooks/AFP Photo)
Geiko (geishas) of Tokyo’s Shinbashi district rehearse at the Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre on May 20, 2025, preparing for the 100th Azuma Odori festival. These rare custodians of traditional Japanese arts move with precise elegance across the wooden stage, preserving a centuries-old cultural practice often misunderstood by the modern world. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)
