An evening event in which candle-lit lanterns are floated down the Sumida River.
What happens?
Tōrō nagashi is a tradition in which lanterns illuminated with candles are set afloat on rivers to guide the spirits of the ancestors back to the other side during the Obon holiday.
2,500 lanterns with handwritten messages are glided down a slope into the waters on the east side of the Sumida River (the Asakusa Station side — not the Skytree side) between Azuma-bashi bridge and Kototoi-bashi bridge. You need to pre-buy your lantern before the festival and it will be shipped to you (Japan only). On the day, you’ll receive a candle.
Suggested Activity
Find a Creative Job in Japan
Hand-picked creative jobs and jobs at creative companies in Tokyo & Japan. We find employers who have flexible work conditions, don't neccessarily have Japanese language requirements and are open to applications from outside of Japan. Updated every week!
Aug 16, 2025
Add to Calendar
6:45pm – 8:00pm
浅草とうろう流し
Free
Official site
⚠️ Link in Japanese
Rain or shine
- 436 m from Honjo-azumabashi Station Asakusa Line (A19)
- 0.5 km from Tokyo Skytree Station Tobu Skytree Line (TS2)
- 0.8 km from Asakusa Station Ginza Line (G19)Asakusa Line (A18)Tobu Skytree Line (TS1)
Typical weather at this time:
High: 32 ºC
Low: 26 ºC