Written by Patrick Balfe
Tokyo events for Monday, September 15, to Sunday, September 21, 2025.
This week, you can get arty, sporty, and/or dancy in any order you wish with events to suit most proclivities. The fun kicks off with free entry at Tokyo National Museum to celebrate Respect for the Aged Day and closes with two days of music at Rock in Japan Festival. In between, you can catch the World Athletics Championship, comedy, traditional dance festivals, or just relax with a beer at Shiba Park’s Oktoberfest.
Tokyo National Museum – Free Admission Day
Tokyo National Museum’s regular exhibitions are free to the public on the third Monday of September, the Respect for the Aged Day national holiday. This is one of only two days of the year that you can get in for free — the other being International Museum Day — so it’s worth noting in your cheapo calendar.
Chōfu City Fireworks Festival
Chōfu City Fireworks Festival happens on the grassy banks of the Tama River. 10,000 fireworks will soar into the sky in front of an estimated audience of 350,000 people.
Nakanobu Yosakoi Festival
The Nakanobu Yosakoi Festival brings together traditional dance troops from around the country for a biannual celebration of regional dance performances, food, and fun.
World Athletics Championship
At the World Athletics Championship, over 2000 athletes from 200 countries come to represent their turf at this enormous event. From 100-meter sprints to javelin and shot put, dozens of different disciplines are on show.
Tokyo International Comedy Festival
Tokyo International Comedy Festival is back for 11 days of laughs. This year’s event brings together Japanese and international comedians performing across the city in all manner of solo shows, improv, roast battles, stand-up competitions, and live podcast recordings.
Rock In Japan Festival
Rock in Japan is five days of different artists from around Asia. You’ll have the chance to jam to everything from K-pop to J-rock, featuring established artists like Vaundy and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, as well as up-and-coming artists like Awich, J-pop band Lucky Kilimanjaro, and Gunma’s punk rock band FOMARE.
| Advance sales: ¥16,000 | ||
Nezu Shrine Festival
This festival has been held continuously since the time when Tokyo was known as Edo, being one of the more well-known festivals from that period. As is typical, there will be processions with energetically paraded mikoshi (portable shrines) on Sunday as well as yatai (food stalls), taiko drumming, and dancing around the shrine on both days.
Daradara Festival
‘Daradara’ means ‘endless’ — a name earned due to the extraordinary length of this traditional festival. While most shrine festivals go for two or three days, this one goes for 11 days — the longest of any traditional matsuri (festival) in Japan.
Akasaka Hikawa Festival
The festival features restored dashi, which are traditional wheeled floats. Although it’s not one of the major festivals, the Akasaka Hikawa Matsuri is an easily accessible community festival with lots of activities and events.
Mashiko Pottery Fair in Tokyo
The pottery town of Mashiko in Tochigi Prefecture hosts a ceramics fair that draws over half a million visitors each spring and autumn. This event is its Tokyo edition.
Shiba Park Oktoberfest Autumn
Across two weeks, you’ll be able to hang out in Shiba Park and get a taste of German culture. There will be a mix of imported and local beer and wine, along with drinking, snacks, and some live performances to get you in the mood.
| Advance sales: ¥500 | At the door: ¥500 | |
Van Gogh Exhibition in Tokyo
Van Gogh’s Home: The Painter’s Legacy, the Family Collection, the Ongoing Story brings traces of how the iconic artist’s works passed through the hands of those who loved him most.
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