Not a Crying Shame

Visitors to Japan will never be short of some unusual customs and traditions to experience, but when it comes to the word Sumo, visitors to the city of Hirado - near Nagasaki - on February 3rd might expect to see two huge men wrestling away in a manner now familiar to western eyes.

The reality is somewhat different – the Sumo wrestlers in action are babies.

Named Konaki, or crybaby, the festival is based on the traditional view that a crying baby will thrive and grow up strong, thus two babies are placed together in a Shinto temple and shouted at by the priest until one starts crying.

The first baby to cry is the winner.

Visitors staying in cheap hotels in the area may not only marvel at this spectacle, but will also find plenty more to see and do in the area.

Nagasaki, of course, is a must see for the historically minded, with the Atomic Bomb Museum providing a deep insight into the events of August 1945, when the city was blasted into infamy.

This article is provided by Hotels Hotels Hotels suppliers of cheap hotels in Japan

Updated: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00

Related Links:
Japan Tourist Board