Written by Alexandra Ziminski
Tokyo events for Monday, May 26 to Sunday, June 1, 2025.
Evenings are warming up, signaling the time for glittery glowing objects to light up the night sky — fireworks and fireflies.
The list of things to do this week is almost endless. Choose from a bevy of big international festivals, local markets, film premieres, and pop-culture exhibitions.
Yu Sakai Tour 2025 in Osaka: PASADENA
Yu Sakai is making a name for himself after showing off his smooth vocals and vibrant energy on NPR’s famous Tiny Desk Concert. Look forward to his honey-sweet voice and unique performance style as he presents tracks from his latest album as well as old and new favorites.
| Advance sales: ¥6,500 | ||
National Orchestra of Canada Tour in Tokyo
Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra makes a triumphant return to Japan, visiting Tokyo, Osaka, and Tsu (Mie). The Orchestra brings together world-class artistry and powerful musical storytelling, led by Music Director Alexander Shelley, and featuring pianist Olga Scheps and Concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki.
Adachi Fireworks Festival
The annual Adachi Fireworks Festival usually has around 13,000 fireworks scheduled to go off. Pack a picnic and find a spot on the river banks — the display is visible from a variety of vantage points. The show lasts for an hour.
Akita Kanto Asakusa Festival
The Akita Kanto is a festival from Akita Prefecture in Northern Japan. Expect a train of traditionally dressed performers to parade through the west side of Asakusa with dozens of lanterns between them.
Ikebukuro Okinawa Festival
Head to the Ikebukuro Okinawa Festival and experience the fun, food, and flair of Okinawa’s beaches. Start your weekend at Sunshine City’s Exhibition Hall A, where there’s an enormous selection of Okinawan food and drinks.
Ueno Korean Festival
A slice of Seoul comes to Ueno Park as summer begins. Head to the Ueno Korean Festival for food, fun, and plenty of K-pop flair. Come hungry, because a fleet of food trucks will be serving Korean classics like tteokbokki (rice cakes in a spicy sauce) and bibimbap (rice with lots of tasty toppings).
Adachi Firefly Night
Tokyo’s summer nights are known for their pops of light — the firefly. You’ll wander through the waterways, and learn more about the life and breeding of the fireflies.
| Advance sales: ¥700 | ||
| Advance sales: ¥350 | ||
Yokohama Dragon Boat Race
A high-energy race with roots in ancient China, the Yokohama Dragon Boat Race brings teams together for a thrilling competition on the city’s historic waterfront. Teams of up to 20 paddlers synchronize their strokes, racing against time and each other.
Vietnam Festival
The Vietnam Festival is back with all the trimmings. Up to 200,000 visitors are expected to attend over the weekend — join them in perusing over 120 stalls offering Vietnamese food, drink, and merch.
Shimokita Railway Festival
Grab a beer and bite to eat, and listen to great music from local bands at the Shimokita Railway Festival. Once a railway line, now a stitched-together street of quirky shops and open sky, Shimokita Senrogai stretches from Higashi-Kitazawa to Setagaya-Daita, and for two days in early summer, this festival celebrates what makes it unique.
Hibiya Music Festival
There will be many free concerts in Hibiya, including in the open-air concert halls at Hibiya Park (Yaon, Ongakudo, and Kadan), Hibiya Step Square, Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, and more. The festival’s goal is simple: bring people together through music and make culture accessible to all.
Tokyo Port Festival
The Tokyo Port Festival is your chance to connect with Tokyo’s harbor. Taking place at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, there will be lots of family-oriented activities. Along with seeing rare ships, there will be special exhibits, a quiz, food trucks, and more.
Tokyo Coffee Festival
If your kitchen smells like a roastery and your idea of a good time is debating pour-over ratios, head to the Tokyo Coffee Festival. There’ll be everything from clean, third-wave cups to more full-bodied offerings, plus sweets, crafts, and a few wildcard stalls for good measure, all in the courtyard of the United Nations University.
Aloha Festival Tokyo
Aloha is a three-day festival of all things Hawaiian with a veritable host of musicians and hula dancers performing. There will be booths selling all manner of Hawaiian goods and, of course, Hawaiian food and beer.
Yokohama Port Festival
The Yokohama Port Opening Festival is Yokohama’s largest public event of the year and celebrates when Yokohama Port first opened. There is a variety of community events taking place across the days — all with the aim of further promoting Yokohama and its culture.
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
Created in Japan, the event has become one of the largest film festivals in Asia since beginning in 1999 with six short films. It’s Japan’s only film festival accredited by the Academy Awards — which means a film here that gets a nod qualifies for an Oscar nomination.
Pompompurin Pop-Up at Miyashita Park
If you haven’t heard the sad news, the much-loved Pompompurin Café in Takeshita Street recently closed its doors. For a limited time only, Pompompurin will get his own pop-up store on the second floor of Miyashita Park.
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. They contrast beautifully with the brilliant red bridge in Odawara Castle Ruins Park.
Ghibli 3D Sculptures Exhibition
The Ghibli 3D Sculptures Exhibition showcases two main things — the creativity of their designs, and the challenge of getting Ghibli onto the world stage. With a collection of 3D sculptures showing the most well-known moments from the films, visitors can experience the nostalgic emotions they felt when watching. Each scene is accompanied by music and lighting, and the limited entry ensures a personal, deep moment.
| Advance sales: ¥1,900 | ||
| Advance sales: ¥1,200 | ||
| Advance sales: ¥1,600 | ||
Fussa Firefly Festival
Head out to Fussa, an outlying suburb one hour west of Tokyo, to see one of Japan’s classic summer sights: a field of fireflies. This is the 60th year of this hotaru festival, where 500 fireflies are released into Hotaru Park on the banks of the Tamagawa.
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