Tokyo events for Monday, March 4 to Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Find a bargain this week or consider warming up your feet with fiery coals in Mt. Takao.
Travel to festivals from around Japan without leaving Tokyo by heading to Tokyo Dome City this week. Or take it easy with a good anime film.
Furusato Festival Tokyo
If you don’t have the time or money to go to awesome but far-flung regional matsuri (festivals), this is the event for you. The Furusato Weekend promises to gather all the unique entertainment, best local delicacies, and finest beverages from around Japan and hand them to you in the convenience of Tokyo Dome City.
Mt. Takao Hiwatari Festival
You can see — and even participate in — fire walking at the Mt. Takao Hiwatari Festival. The sacred act of walking on hot coals and embers is regarded as an act of cleansing and purification, which, as well as being good for cold feet, also apparently promotes plenty of good stuff including world peace, longevity and health, prevention of disaster, and protection from road accidents.
Yoshino Baigō Plum Blossom Festival
The plum blossoms found at Ōme Ume (Plum) Park are beautiful to behold — and come with a side of traditional festivities. Ōme is the place to be if you want both a view of plum blossoms and a fun-filled event that includes tours, dances, performances, and marches. The best day to go is on Sunday, March 10 when there will be stage events and parades throughout the park.
Tokyo Anime Award Festival
March is the month for anime. Along with Anime Japan, the Tokyo Anime Award Festival is another great event to celebrate international and local animated films. Some films, such as those in the Feature Animation Competition program, will include subtitles in Japanese and English.
Nakano Running Festa
Nakano Running Festa is an annual sports event that is fun for the whole family. This isn’t for extreme runners, but there will be plenty of fun to be had. If you aren’t there to run, the Festa offers plenty of other things to keep you busy while you watch competitors lope past (some of them in pretty funny outfits, so take your camera!).
Yoyogi Park Flea Market
One of Tokyo’s biggest — and most irregular — flea markets. If it happens to well, happen, while you’re here, you might be lucky enough to find hundreds of vendors, peddling everything from clothes to pottery and other crafts, antiques, and tasty snacks.
Sakura Pop-Up Sale
If you love local, handmade artisanal goodies, the Sakura Pop-Up Sale is the place to go. A small fundraiser run by the Saint Maur International School, 20% of all proceeds go to charity.