Tokyo events for Monday, February 19 to Sunday, February 25, 2024.
This week is filled with holidays and celebrations. Check out the parade and lantern festival in Yokohama’s Chinatown, plus enjoy Cat Day — held on February 22 because two in Japanese is ni and so 2-22 sounds like nyaa nyaa nyaa, the sound a cat makes in Japan.
There’s another holiday this week on Friday, February 23 — the Emperor’s Birthday. This is when the gates of the Imperial Palace open up to the public.
Samurai Festival
Swords, snacks, and songs await at the Samurai Fes in Ueno. Held to demonstrate the spirit of the warriors in Feudal Japan, this is a must-see for fans of Japanese culture. There will be several stage events held over four days, from musical performances to reenactments of famous moments in history.
Mimosa Festa 2024
Come join this special event celebrating the brilliant yellow mimosa flower on Saturday, March 2, and Sunday, March 3 in Kawasaki. There will be flowers, of course, but also great music, food, a marche, shops, photo content and more. Plus, visitors will receive a free mini-bouquet when they use one of the participating shops.
Sakana and Japan Festival
Load up your plate at this year’s Sakana and Japan Festival. Happening over the course of four days, this is a chance to sample some of Japan’s best sakana (fish). There will be around 80 booths selling seafood delicacies, such as tuna, salmon, sea urchin, and crab, but not everyone will be making purely Japanese dishes; there will also be seafood paella along with ramen and rice.
Chinatown Celebration Parade
The Chinese Spring Festival — will celebrate the birthday of the Jade Emperor, King of the Heavens, with a parade through Yokohama’s Chukagai, or Chinatown. The parade will feature traditional costumes, lion dances, and dragon dances.
Lantern Festival
Also happening this week in Yokohama’s Chinatown as part of the Spring Festival is the Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival is held on the final day of the festival. There will be a display of paper lanterns on which people’s hopes and dreams for the year ahead will be written and performances of lion dances.
Some no Komichi (Fabric-Dyeing Festival)
Some no Komichi is a festival highlighting the art of dyeing and screen printing in the Nakai/Ochiai area of Shinjuku Ward. Long pieces of kimono cloth will be draped on wires above the river as a “River Gallery.” The shopping area will also be decorated with 95 specially produced noren, the dyed curtain-like fabric that you often see hanging in front of the entrances to restaurants, onsen, and shops selling traditional wares.
Cat Holiday Exhibition Winter
Did you know that Cat Day in Japan is celebrated on February 22? So why not honour the cute fur balls with this joint photo exhibition featuring Instagram stars, craft stalls, and more! Popular cat creators will gather together to sell handmade goods and show of their amateur and professional photography. The stalls include shops with feline pottery, miniature displays, postcards, and stickers.
| At the door: ¥700 | ||
Plum blossom festivals
- Koubai Red Plum Blossom Festival: Every year, the Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine puts on a wonderful plum blossom festival during February that celebrates red plum blossoms (until Feb. 25).
- Odawara Plum Blossom Festival: This famous festival gives visitors the chance to see Mt. Fuji framed by plum blossoms in full bloom (until Feb. 29).
- Mukōjima-Hyakkaen Garden Plum Festival: This festival comes not only with flowers but also with traditional dancing, shows, and ceremonies (until Mar. 3)
- Setagaya Plum Blossom Festival: On weekends during this festival, vendors sell plum-themed food such as madeleines and jelly (until Mar. 3).
- Yushima Tenjin Plum Blossom Festival: Yushima Tenjin has been a popular spot for blossom-viewing since the Edo era (parade on Feb. 25) (until Mar. 8).
Early blooming cherry blossom festivals
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