Tokyo Events This Week: Lion Dance Festival, Drag, and More Hydrangeas

This Tokyo events weekly round-up is out of date! The latest one is here.

Tokyo events for Monday, June 9 to Sunday, June 15, 2025.

All aboard this week’s event train as we look out the window at blossoming hydrangeas, geisha, and giant lion heads.

See more spots to see hydrangeas this week in our dedicated article.

Get Tickets To the Samurai Restaurant in Shinjuku (Up to 30% Off)

Experience one of the craziest, most colorful places in Tokyo — the all-new Samurai Restaurant, from the creators of the Robot Restaurant. Get your tickets and sit back for a wild show of lasers, lights, samurai, dancers and other uniquely Japanese weirdness.

Click here for details

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.

Tsukiji Lion Dance Festival

Dates:

Early

Mid

Jun

2026

Entry:Free

Venue:

Namiyoke Inari Shrine

Hakone Hydrangea Train

Take a trip into the mountains by moonlight and see Hakone’s famed hydrangeas in full bloom. During the peak, you can hop on the Night Hydrangea Train — a special evening ride aboard the Allegra car with reserved seats and no stops along the way. There are photo stops at Miyanoshita and Tonosawa stations, and each passenger receives a limited-edition hydrangea fan as a keepsake.

Hakone Hydrangea Train

Hydrangea and mountain climbing train hakone

Dates:Jun 14–Jun 30, 2025

Price:

Adults:
Advance sales: ¥500
Children:
Advance sales: ¥250

Venue:

Hakone-Yumoto Station

Summer Night Museums

As the temperature gets to ridiculous highs, it’s the perfect time to hide out at an air-conditioned museum — at night. Many museums in Tokyo will open their doors after hours on Friday nights from 5 p.m. to either 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.

Summer Night Museums

Dates:Jun 7–Nov 24, 2025

Venues:

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum

Turkey (Türkiye) Festival

The Turkey Festival is a celebration of Turkic culture from Mesopotamia, all the way into central Asia. In addition to food stalls offering dishes from one of the world’s great cuisines, the main stage will play host to folk dance performances and musical concerts.

Turkey (Türkiye) Festival

Dates:Jun 14–Jun 15, 2025

Entry:Free

Venues:

Yoyogi Park Events Square, Yoyogi Park Zelkova Trees

Nekomachi: Erica Ward Solo Exhibition

The brilliant artist Erica Ward is once again treating us to another exhibition. This time the art will feature two of her (and our) favorite things — cats and cityscapes. See charming cats personify and watch over the nostalgic buildings of the ever-changing Tokyo.

Nekomachi: Erica Ward Solo Exhibition

Dates:Jun 6–Jun 15, 2025

Entry:Free

Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival

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.

Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival

Dates:

Early

Mid

Jun

2026

Entry:Free

Venue:

Hakusan Shrine

Free Geisha Dances (Ozashiki Odori) in Asakusa

Geisha aren’t easy to find in Tokyo, so take this opportunity to see a free geisha dance performance in Tokyo’s traditional heart, Asakusa. At this event, you’ll get a chance to see them up close, as well as take part in games. If you’re good, you can even win prizes, like photographs with the geisha.

Free Geisha Dances (Ozashiki Odori) in Asakusa

Dates:Jul 5, 2025

Entry:Free

Venue:

Asakusa Culture and Tourism Center

Succubus Hideout Drag Show

See the tantalizing new project Succubus Hideout from Tokyo drag queen collective Haus von Schwarz. Expect an adult-themed show celebrating Tokyo’s LGBTQIA folks — and goths. A great way to kick off Pride Month, this performance showcases some of alternative drag’s finest queens and kings.