Chinese Spring Festival 2023

The Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is more commonly referred to as the Spring Festival in China and celebrations take place over 15 days. There’s a variety of customs and celebrations throughout China and among the global Chinese diaspora, but each of the days has a special significance which you can read more about here. Of course, festivities in Hong Kong or elsewhere in China are just a short airplane ride away, but you can celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival in Tokyo’s own Chukagai (Chinatown) in Yokohama — the largest Chinese community in Japan.

Schedule 2023

• January 21/22: There will be a countdown event (incl. a lion dance) at midnight to usher in the Lunar New Year.
• January 22 (2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.): On Lunar New Year’s Day, there will be the Chinatown Lion Dance where five lions will perform dances all around Chinatown to the tune of firecrackers and drums.
• January 28 to 29 (from 1 p.m.): At Yamashitacho Park, there will be a wide range of traditional performances that include lion and dragon dances and acrobatics.
• February 4 (from 4 p.m.): There will be an extravagant celebratory parade that loops around Chinatown and, as expected, there will be plenty of dancing and performers dressed in emperor costumes.
• February 5 (5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.): The Lantern Festival will take place.