Tokyo events for Monday, June 3 to Sunday, June 9, 2024.
Hydrangeas are the flower of the week as festivals pop up across Tokyo and major traditional festivals cross their fingers to avoid the worst of the rainy season.
Sanno Festival and Torigoe Matsuri are the big ones, with thousands taking to the streets to see the festivities and load up at the food stalls.
Sanno Festival
The Sanno Festival, also known as Sanno Matsuri, is one of “the three great festivals” of Tokyo. There are plenty of things to see and do throughout the festival, with performances at Hie Shrine almost every day, but the biggest event is the parade that takes place on June 7.
Downtown Drinks #47: Don’t Rain on Our Parade
Join us, Tokyo Cheapo, for our 47th Downtown Drinks in June and get to networking, meeting new people, and enjoying a few hard-earned drinks. This event is meant for everyone — from readers to travelers to mysterious strangers. Whether you’re looking to network, meet new people, or just get outside into the open air.
Torigoe Matsuri
Like the Sanja Festival, this matsuri also involves smaller shrines from the neighborhood associations, but what everybody wants to see (and if possible, carry) is the huge mikoshi. The streets surrounding the shrine are filled with yatai stalls selling the usual matsuri fare such as chocolate dipped bananas, yakisoba, takoyaki, grilled fish, and copious amounts of beer.
Kugayama Firefly Festival
This is a chance to see fireflies in an unlikely urban setting: in the “wilds” of Kugayama in Suginami Ward. While there won’t be clouds of glowing bugs, you will be able to spot a few. There will be two main venues to catch (not literally) sight of the fireflies — Kanda River and Tamagawa Aqueduct near Kugayama Station — but there will be other opportunities to see them at Kugayama Inari Shrine, too.
Hibiya Music Festival
Sounds of more than 50 artists will cover the area of Hibiya Park and Tokyo Hibiya Midtown for free. There will be a range of genres for the whole family and music that lasts the whole day. While all the concerts will be free to view, some — especially the ones in the largest of Hibiya Parks’s open-air concert halls — will require a ticket to enter.
Early Jun 2025FreeFussa Firefly Festival
This is the 59th year of the Fussa Firefly Festival, where 500 fireflies are released into Hotaru Park on the banks of the Tamagawa. As well as the shiny little bugs, there are also street stalls and food kiosks, and also various stage performances featuring eisa taiko and yosakoi suran.
Early Jun 2025FreePhilippine Expo
Experience a bit of Manila in Japan this June when the Philippine Expo celebrates the country’s independence with a three-day festival in Ueno Park. There are food stalls, dance performances, traditional arts from Japan and the Philippines, pop, hip-hop, and jazz shows (with some big names in Filipino and Japanese pop alike making an appearance), comedians, and cosplay.
Early Jun 2025FreeTsukiji Lion Dance Festival
The roads will be closed and the whole town of Tsukiji will take to the streets to celebrate the annual Tsukiji Lion Dance Festival at Namiyoke Shrine. What makes this festival different from all the other mikoshi (portable shrine) processions is the giant lion heads that are carried beside the shrines.
Early Jun 2025FreeOdawara Castle Hydrangea and Iris Festival
A mix of two beautiful flowers — hydrangeas and irises — in the same color scheme turns Odawara Castle into a pastel paradise. The grounds of Odawara Castle will be sprinkled with more than 10,000 irises and 2,500 hydrangeas. Every day the flowers will be lit from sunset (around 7 p.m.) till 8:30 p.m.
Suggested Activity
Official Street Go-Kart in Shibuya
Dress up in costume and drive through the famous Shibuya Crossing, Harajuku and Omotesando. You'll get a whole new view of the city. This is one of the most popular activities in Tokyo!
Early ~ Mid Jun 2025FreeBunkyo Hydrangea Festival
Some of the major seasonal festivals during the rainy season are based around the hydrangea flower (called ajisai in Japanese), and Bunkyo puts on one of the best at Hakusan Shrine. 3,000 hydrangeas will be in bloom around Hakusan Shrine and nearby Hakusan Park. Entry is free and there will be a lot of festivities, including a concert, mikoshi (portable shrine) procession, stalls every weekend, free toothbrushes — really — and sketching meetups.
Early ~ Mid Jun 2025FreeTakahata Fudōson Hydrangea Festival
Get that shot of hydrangeas framing a pagoda while enjoying some typical matsuri (festival) food and events. Every year the temple grounds of Takahata Fudōson come alive with pinks, purples, and blues for June. The grounds have more than 7500 flowers and hundreds of types.
1st Jun–30th Jun, 2025FreeKatsushika Iris Festival
Head to Katsushika Ward in Tokyo for the yearly iris festival taking place at Horikiri Shobuen Garden and Mizumoto Park. The Horikiri Shobuen Garden boasts 6,000 iris plants and 200 varieties, while Mizumoto Park is home to 14,000 flowers and 80 varieties.
Late May ~ Mid Jun 2025FreeShort Shorts Film Festival & Asia
A festival celebrating all things film, SSFF & Asia will be screening around 200 short films from around the world as they compete in a series of competitions. Choosing to screen films with a running time of under 25 minutes, the festival accepts fiction, animation, and non-fiction and also has a sponsored section. The quality is good and this prestigious event draws good audiences.
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Fussa Firefly Festival
This is the 59th year of the Fussa Firefly Festival, where 500 fireflies are released into Hotaru Park on the banks of the Tamagawa. As well as the shiny little bugs, there are also street stalls and food kiosks, and also various stage performances featuring eisa taiko and yosakoi suran.
Philippine Expo
Experience a bit of Manila in Japan this June when the Philippine Expo celebrates the country’s independence with a three-day festival in Ueno Park. There are food stalls, dance performances, traditional arts from Japan and the Philippines, pop, hip-hop, and jazz shows (with some big names in Filipino and Japanese pop alike making an appearance), comedians, and cosplay.
Tsukiji Lion Dance Festival
The roads will be closed and the whole town of Tsukiji will take to the streets to celebrate the annual Tsukiji Lion Dance Festival at Namiyoke Shrine. What makes this festival different from all the other mikoshi (portable shrine) processions is the giant lion heads that are carried beside the shrines.
Odawara Castle Hydrangea and Iris Festival
A mix of two beautiful flowers — hydrangeas and irises — in the same color scheme turns Odawara Castle into a pastel paradise. The grounds of Odawara Castle will be sprinkled with more than 10,000 irises and 2,500 hydrangeas. Every day the flowers will be lit from sunset (around 7 p.m.) till 8:30 p.m.
Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival
Some of the major seasonal festivals during the rainy season are based around the hydrangea flower (called ajisai in Japanese), and Bunkyo puts on one of the best at Hakusan Shrine. 3,000 hydrangeas will be in bloom around Hakusan Shrine and nearby Hakusan Park. Entry is free and there will be a lot of festivities, including a concert, mikoshi (portable shrine) procession, stalls every weekend, free toothbrushes — really — and sketching meetups.
Takahata Fudōson Hydrangea Festival
Get that shot of hydrangeas framing a pagoda while enjoying some typical matsuri (festival) food and events. Every year the temple grounds of Takahata Fudōson come alive with pinks, purples, and blues for June. The grounds have more than 7500 flowers and hundreds of types.
Katsushika Iris Festival
Head to Katsushika Ward in Tokyo for the yearly iris festival taking place at Horikiri Shobuen Garden and Mizumoto Park. The Horikiri Shobuen Garden boasts 6,000 iris plants and 200 varieties, while Mizumoto Park is home to 14,000 flowers and 80 varieties.
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
A festival celebrating all things film, SSFF & Asia will be screening around 200 short films from around the world as they compete in a series of competitions. Choosing to screen films with a running time of under 25 minutes, the festival accepts fiction, animation, and non-fiction and also has a sponsored section. The quality is good and this prestigious event draws good audiences.
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