Written by Alexandra Ziminski
Tokyo events for Monday, April 21 to Sunday, April 27, 2025.
Lots of long-running events commence this weekend for the Golden Week holidays — a string of four public holidays which local workers typically extend by taking days off around them. The events will last a week and a half or so.
Eating will be the activity of choice for many as food festivals — from shaved ice to gyoza — erect their stalls around Tokyo.
Nakizumo Crying Baby Sumo Festival
Watching sumo wrestlers trying to make babies cry might seem like an odd pastime, but in Asakusa’s Sensoji it’s an age-old tradition. If they cry at the same time, the winner is determined by who cries the loudest and if a baby laughs, an ogre-mask-clad priest will often step in to encourage some tears.
Yokohama Sumo Tournament Spring Tour
No trip is complete without seeing sumo, one of Japan’s most well-known cultural offerings. These traveling sumo tours make their way around Japan in between the larger sumo tournaments but are just as exciting.
Hachioji Sumo Tournament Spring Tour
The Hachioji Sumo Spring Tour is an easy way to see the sport up close, especially if you aren’t around for the big Tokyo sumo tournaments. 1:30 p.m. is when the big fights start, with well-known wrestlers taking the stage.
Nico Nico Chokaigi 2025
Nico Nico Chokaigi is a mega party that celebrates all kinds of internet content. It has events and performances — some of which blend tradition with the latest technology.
Ryōgoku Nigiwai Festival
Ryōgoku is a neighborhood with a long history as the center of Japan’s national sport of sumo. The event was started to highlight the many points of interest in the area (nigiwai is a word that means prosperity or flourishing).
Kon-Kon Kutsu Ichi (“Shoe Festival”)
Every year, local shoemakers gather at Tamahime Inari Shrine for the Kon-Kon Kutsu Ichi (“Shoe Festival”). In a gesture of customer appreciation, these companies sell their goods (men’s shoes, women’s shoes, sneakers, sandals, bags, belts, leather accessories and material, etc.) for between 60 and 90 percent off their retail value.
Akabane Baka Festival
Originally conceived in 1956 as an April Fool’s festival (“Baka” is the Japanese word for fool or idiot) the festival now happens closer to May 1 and isn’t all monkey business. The fool part involves some participants dressing in comedic costumes and a parade.
The Meat Yokohama
Come hungry, leave happy. This outdoor food event is all about pairing wine and meat. The Meat Yokohama is a food festival focused on — you guessed it — meat.
Craft Gyoza Fes 2025
Who doesn’t love gyoza? Meaty, juicy parcels of goodness. You can choose from a range of flavors and ingredients, including wasabi, cheese, green onion, shrimp, walnuts with coriander, and more.
Meat Festival (Niku Fes)
Choose from aged wagyu beef in a rich egg-yolk sauce to tender spare ribs or even Korean-style hot chicken with cheese fondue — the Meat Festival will have enough meat to satiate you for a whole year. There will be craft beers to wash your dinner down with.
Odaiba Kakigori Festival
If you’ve ever needed to cool off on a sweltering Japanese summer, you’ll be familiar with kakigori. This shaved ice treat is the perfect guilt-free chill — and you can try as many as you like at the Odaiba Kakigori Festival.
Koyo Ishizaki Exhibition
The art of Koyo Ishizaki shows a unique perspective on nature. Inspired by his travels through India, his paintings have bright reds and oranges flecked through, along with more muted blues and whites. The paintings are on loan from this museum, and the curator is an expert on Ishizaki’s life and art.
| Advance sales: ¥1,000 | At the door: ¥1,200 | |
| Advance sales: ¥800 | At the door: ¥1,000 | |
Odaiba Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest in April? Sure, why not? From the same people who put on the popular Hibiya Oktoberfest (held in May), this is another excuse to drink outdoors while sampling German-style eats and lively music.
| Advance sales: ¥500 | ||
No Unchi, No Life Poop Exhibition
For an experience you’ve probably never had before, head over to No Unchi, No Life. Unchi means poo in Japanese. No Unchi, No Life is an exhibit dedicated to poop — everything there is to know about how it’s made and more.
| Advance sales: ¥1,700 | At the door: ¥1,700 | |
| Advance sales: ¥800 | At the door: ¥800 | |
| Advance sales: ¥1,700 | At the door: ¥1,700 | |
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