Tokyo events for Monday, November 18 to Sunday, November 24, 2024.
Almost a month before Christmas and the market stalls are setting up. Autumn is also approaching in Tokyo — the official forecast says that the best date to see yellow leaves is November 29 and red leaves is December 5 — so some spots are already celebrating.
Also on the cards are dance shows, floats, and an electronic music three-day festival.
Mutek Japan
MUTEK Japan is a three-day music festival that combines electronic music, art, and technology. The festival features a mix of international and local artists along with chances to see and experience the latest technology. There are tickets available for evening events as low as ¥3,000.
Traditional Crafts Experience with Dinner in Mie
Delve into color and find out more about the costumes of the imperial princesses, plus make charms used in purification ceremonies. You’ll learn about the significance of the junihitoe (ceremonial layered kimono) worn by the Saio princesses and about the hemp used in purification rights. This event takes place in Mie, around two hours from Osaka.
| Advance sales: ¥11,000 | ||
Shibuya Street Dance Week
Enjoy a festival where dancers and audiences of all ages, nationalities, and disabilities can enjoy dancing. Shibuya Street Dance Week takes place in Shibuya, where a diverse range of people from Japan and abroad gather, and Yoyogi Park, the center of dance and street culture in Japan.
102nd Gaigosai Festival
The Tokyo Foreign Studies University (Tokyo Gaigo Daigaku) in Fuchu have their Gaigosai festival each year from mid- to late November. The student organizers promise “a tour around the world without the need for a passport”. Although if you like to drink, they’ve also issued an ‘alcohol passport’ in the past — definitely sounds like more fun than a trip to immigration in Shinagawa.
Ena de Silva: Crafting Sri Lankan Heritage
This exhibition will feature the works of modern Sri Lankan artist Ena de Silva, who worked alongside architect Geoffrey Bawa. The focus will be on featuring and selling newly handcrafted batik pieces produced in collaboration with the Ena de Silva Foundation and Aluwihare Heritage Centre in Sri Lanka.
| At the door: ¥500 | ||
World Character Summit in Hanyu
This is a once-a-year chance to meet mascots from all over Japan — and the world. If you’ve encountered any cultural news from Japan, you’re almost certainly familiar with the concept of yuru-chara, the kawaii mascots used to promote things like regions, companies, and organizations.
Hirosaki Neputa Asakusa Festival
If you want a taste of a traditional Neputa festival without leaving Tokyo, then the Hirosaki Neputa Asakusa Festival is an ideal introduction. Hirosaki Neputa features mainly large fan-shaped floats covered in paper painted with scenes from kabuki tales. The floats are lit up from the inside like giant lanterns, so they’re best appreciated after dark.
Meiji Jingu Gaien Autumn Leaves Illumination
At the end of fall each year, the leaves on the ginkgo trees that line the Ichō Namiki avenue of Meiji Jingū Shrine’s outer gardens turn a brilliant yellow, and there will be illuminations in the evening. The leaves will be lit up from November 23 to December 1 from around 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day.
Autumn Evening Illumination at Rikugien Gardens
Built by a feudal lord during the Edo period, Rikugien Gardens is one of the most famous gardens from the time still extant. Designed to reflect famous scenes from waka poems, this Tsukiyama-Sensui style stroll garden has also been designated as a national scenic beauty spot since 1953. The gardens are known as one of the best spots for autumn foliage viewing.
| Advance sales: ¥1,000 | ||
Kamakura Hasedera Temple Autumn Illuminations
Bursts of red, orange, and yellow leaves highlight Japan’s autumn. But add in some illumination to really see the fall trees glow. At the Kamakura Hasedera Temple Autumn Illuminations, experience the beauty of the season. The event has no set start time, with the illuminations starting at ‘sunset.’
| At the door: ¥400 | ||
| At the door: ¥200 | ||
Yamanote Bonsai: Erica Ward Solo Exhibition
Erica Ward’s solo exhibition, Yamanote Bonsai, will display 30 brand-new illustrations for the 30 stations along the Yamanote Line. Using watercolor and ink, Ward has crafted imaginative pieces that fuse bonsai with these much-loved Tokyo areas.
Azabudai Hills Christmas Market
The new Azabudai Hills complex gets a sprinkle of Christmas cheer come December. There are around 17 food and drink stalls (incl. vegan options), a 12-meter-tall Christmas tree shining with 20,000 LED lights, and shops stocking wreaths and other festive trinkets.
Roppongi Hills Christmas Market
The market is intended to reproduce the Christmas market of Stuttgart. There will be a variety of stalls with traditional decorations, gifts, and plenty of food options like German sausages, stew and stollen. It isn’t the largest of the markets, so don’t expect a full day of things to do.
Tokyo Christmas Market
One of the most Christmassy Christmas markets out there, this event is the real deal. For 2024, it will be held at Meiji Jingu Gaien. Sponsored by the German Embassy and the German Tourism Association, you can expect plenty of delicious food and German-themed gift ideas, as well as some warming wines.
Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market
Stretching along the beautiful red-brick warehouses, the market features an ice-skating rink, stalls, and an impressive Christmas tree display. The food has a definitely German flavor with stollen, sausages, and spiced wine, as well as plenty of snow globes, traditional toys, and even toffees to take home as gifts.
| At the door: ¥500 | ||
Winter Enoshima Illumination
The Enoshima Illuminations are so beautiful that they’re also called The Jewels of Shonan. Every winter, the entire island of Enoshima comes alive with dazzling patterns of illuminations. The main attraction is the Samuel Cocking Garden, which includes the gently glowing trees of Hoseki Forest.
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