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Brazilian Day Japan 2018

Photo by tata_aka_T used under CC

Celebrate Brazilian culture, cuisine and art at this event at Yoyogi Park. There will be samba, capoeira, and musical performances throughout the weekend, plus lots of Brazilian street food, drinks and market stalls.

Tokyo Cheapo Downtown Drinks

Suggested Activity
A Fun Day Out Discovering Kamakura
Enjoy Kamakura's four main tourist sites, with focus on the history and heritage of the Kamakura Period. 4 hour tour, accompanied by a professional photographer guide.

Join the TC gang and fellow cheapos for a drink (or few) and casual mingling on the roof of Ryozan Park. This is our 28th casual meet-up and all are welcome—from readers to travelers to mysterious strangers.

Yokohama Sparkling Twilight

Photo by Ken FUNAKOSHI used under CC

Ready for hanabi, but don’t want to wait a few more weeks for Tokyo’s fireworks season to begin? Then head to Yokohama for the Sparkling Twilight event. Festivities start in the early afternoon with parades and food stalls, but come 7:30pm and the Yokohama skyline will light up with 3,000 fireworks.

Marine Day Lantern Festival

Photo by Manish Prabhune used under CC

This magnificent festival is held on Marine Day, also known as Ocean Day or Sea Day. This day is a Japanese national holiday and lands on the third Monday in July (although the event takes place over two days this year). Over 50,000 candles will be lit and places in paper lanterns.

Mitama Matsuri

free things to do in tokyo
Photo by Takashi Ueki used under CC

This festival is quite a sight—honoring the spirits of the dead with 30,000 lanterns lining the walkway up to Yasukuni Shrine.

Oedo Beer Festival Summer 2018

Photo by Gregory Lane

Craft beer festival with free entry (unlike most other beer festivals in Tokyo). There will be a selection of international and domestic beer with glasses starting at ¥300 a pop.

Ueno Summer Festival

Photo by takuma mori used under CC

A five-week summer festival around Ueno Park with different events each day, which in the past have included a paper lantern floating festival, an antiques market and an ice sculpture display. The main parade, however, will be held on July 21.

Mi Casa Es Su Casa Exhibition and Workshop

There’s still some time to check out this interactive, umbrella-centric art exhibition at the Design Festa Gallery.

Forest Beer Garden

forest beer garden shinjuku
Photo by Junya Ogura used under CC

Kick back with a cold one in the Outer Garden of Meiji Jingu Shrine.

Takao Beer Mount

Photo by Jean-Marc Bolfing used under CC

Or head a little higher up for a brew with a view.

Suggested Activity
Get Tickets To the Samurai Restaurant in Shinjuku (Up to 30% Off)
Experience one of the craziest, most colorful places in Tokyo — the all-new Samurai Restaurant, from the creators of the Robot Restaurant. Get your tickets and sit back for a wild show of lasers, lights, samurai, dancers and other uniquely Japanese weirdness. ...

For more top Tokyo events happening this month, see our July recommendations.

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