Shibuya Bon Dance Festival

Shibuya shuts down the roads around Shibuya 109 for a traditional summer dance party.

What to expect

Bon Odori (Bon Dance) festivals take place all over Tokyo in summer in order to celebrate one’s ancestors. Attendees gather around a yagura (festival tower) to dance in — mostly — synchronized movements.

Shibuya’s festivities are fairly recent, but they still welcome large crowds. The yagura is erected just outside the Shibuya 109 shopping mall and both Dogenzaka and Bunkamura-dori Street are closed to cars, instead filling with stalls and food trucks. Original songs, including the Shibuya Ondo, are performed, as well as the classics — if you are well versed in Bon Odori music.

A unique Hachiko-themed motif is scattered around the event, and you can pick up a t-shirt with the design from a nearby stall.