Tokyo events for Monday, April 22 to Sunday, April 28, 2024
This weekend kicks off the start of Golden Week and many food and cultural events will commence before the influx next week.
There’s a wide range of things to see and do — from pop-up cafés to horror art exhibitions and everything in between. Now is also the key time to visit a flower park or two for the spring festivals. Consider going on a day trip to see the Ashikaga Great Wisteria Festival for the wisteria in full bloom.
Haisai Okinawa Festival 2024
Celebrate Okinawan culture — cuisine, live music, Okinawan traditional art performances, and souvenirs — next week (May 3 to 6) at La Cittadella Kawasaki. A major draw is the over 100 and drink stalls serving up local specialties (like a famed bowl of soba and awamori — an alcoholic beverage unique to Okinawa).
Detective Conan Pop-Up Café
Take the chance to see Detective Conan in a themed café for a limited period. The cafe will be in several locations in Tokyo (Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Ikebukuro), as well as in other places around the country (Yokohama, Nagoya, Umeda in Osaka, Fukuoka, Miyagi, and Hokkaido)
| Advance sales: ¥715 | ||
Junji Ito Exhibition: Enchantment
If you love Junji Ito’s macabre manga, the Junji Ito exhibition is a must-see. This is Ito’s first major exhibition in Japan and is a showcase of his skills in creating unnerving art. Expect large displays of iconic scenes, as well as some unseen work.
| At the door: ¥1,000 | ||
| At the door: ¥300 | ||
| At the door: ¥600 | ||
| At the door: ¥600 | ||
Kon-Kon Kutsu Ichi (“Shoe Festival”)
Every year, local shoemakers gather at Tamahime Inari Shrine for the Kon-Kon Kutsu Ichi (“Shoe Festival”). There’s also a parade featuring floats in the shape of men’s and women’s shoes. A part of the proceeds from purchases will go to the Japan Red Cross.
Akabane Baka Festival
Originally conceived in 1956 as an April Fool’s festival (“Baka” is the Japanese word for fool or idiot) the festival now happens closer to May 1 and isn’t all monkey business. The fool part involves some participants dressing in comedic costumes and a parade.
Nyan Fes
In Japanese, nyan is the sound a cat makes, but this festival (for cat lovers, by cat lovers) will get plenty of humans purring, too. There will be 400 booths filled with cat-inspired products: posters, paintings, mugs, mittens with kittens — you name it.
| Advance sales: ¥600 | At the door: ¥500 | |
Nico Nico Chokaigi Game Party
Nico Nico Chokaigi is a mega gaming party taking place at the Makuhari Messe convention center. There’s also a choreographed dance party, a parody Nobel prize award (for silly inventions), a collectors’ fair, a creators’ market, tons of original goods for purchase, and, of course, cosplay.
Edo Firemen’s Annual Memorial
Watch as local construction workers perform acrobatics on bamboo ladders.As the spiritual descendants of the firemen of Edo (aka hikeshi they perform as a memorial to the 120 firefighters (including those in the metropolitan police) who died in the Edo – Showa period.
Ryōgoku Nigiwai Festival
Ryōgoku is a neighborhood with a long history as the center of Japan’s national sport of sumo. It’s also the home to some major museums. So naturally the festival takes place on the main Kokugikan Street near the sumo stadium and station, as well as at the local Ekōin Temple.
Spring Rose Festival
The Spring Rose Festival at Kyu-Furukawa Gardens takes place between the end of April to the end of June each year. Along with the 200 roses and 100 varieties to view, there will also be a Spring Rose Concert on weekends and holidays, as well as a shop selling rose-related items — including ice cream.
| At the door: ¥150 | ||
| At the door: ¥70 | ||
Craft Gyoza Fes
Who doesn’t love Gyoza? Meaty, juicy parcels of goodness. Sample from the very best of Japan’s dumplings — be they steamed, fried, boiled, or grilled — at this year’s Craft Gyoza Festival in Komazawa Olympic Park Central Square. There will be a range of gyoza on offer from several stalls. You can choose from a range of flavors and ingredients, including wasabi, cheese, green onion, shrimp, walnuts with coriander, and more.
Odaiba Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest in April? Sure, why not? From the same people who put on the popular Hibiya Oktoberfest (held in May), this is another excuse to drink outdoors while sampling German-style eats and lively music.
| Advance sales: ¥500 | ||
Ongoing flower festivals
Wisteria is the star of this week, so make sure to head to Kameido Tenjin or Ashikaga Great Wisteria Festival for the best festivals in and around Tokyo. Or consider local gardens like Koishikawa Korakuen Garden for a flash of purple.
- Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival (Mar. 30 to Apr. 30)
- Spring Flowers at Showa Kinen Park (Mar. 16 to May 26)
- Flowering at Hitachi Seaside Park (Apr. 1 to May 31)
- Chichibu Shibazakura Festival (Apr. 12 to May 6)
- Kameido Tenjin Wisteria Festival (Apr. 6 to Apr. 30)
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