Summer Flowers Archives

Rainy and humid June is the calm before summer's event storm. Tokyo is relatively quiet compared to May's slew of blooming flowers and July's fireworks season. Still, that doesn't mean that June doesn't have its share of events, the best of which we've compiled here. For the top events in Tokyo throughout the year, check out our complete guide -- organized by month. 1. Torigoe Festival June 7–9 Torikoe Shrine, Taitō Featuring the largest portable shrine in Tokyo The Torigoe (also spelled Torikoe) Festival is a Shinto festival that involves a procession. It's much smaller in scale than the major festivals, but rowdy and crowded nonetheless. What sets it apart is that it features the largest mikoshi (portable shrine) in Tokyo -- the four-ton Senkan-Mikoshi. On Sunday (the main day of festivities), processions start as early as 6:30 a.m. and last well into the night (to around 9 p.m.). You'd be mistaken to think that the festivities taper off in the evening, because that's actually when the festival becomes even more spectacular. Lanterns are illuminated and hung on the Senkan-Mikoshi for the miya-iri, the return ceremony. 2. Hydrangea festivals Throughout June All over Tokyo Hydrangeas are beautiful, especially in light rain Rainy season may be a mood-killer for many, but it also welcomes some of the most famous flowers on Japan's calendar: ajisai (hydrangeas). There are many festivals in and around Tokyo. Here are some highlights: Bunkyō Hydrangea Festival (June 7–15): 3,000 hydrangeas will be in bloom around Hakusan Shrine and nearby Hakusan Park. Find concerts, a procession, stalls every weekend, sketching meetups, and free toothbrushes -- yes, really. Takahata Fudōson Hydrangea Festival (June 1–30): Gander at 7,500 flowers as you walk through expansive temple grounds in Hino. Kamakura Hasedera Temple Hydrangea Path (June, exact date TBD): See a path filled with colorful blooms on a day trip from Tokyo. Odawara Castle Hydrangea and Iris Festival (May 31–June 15): Combine two flowers in one on another trip. Hakone Hydrangea Train (June 14–30): One more journey from Tokyo will take you to Hakone to experience hydrangeas on a railway. 3. Tsukiji Lion Dance Festival June 10–15 Namiyoke Inari Shrine, Tsukiji See a parade of giant lion heads What makes this festival different from all the other mikoshi (portable shrine) processions is the giant lion heads that are carried beside the shrines. The main event takes place on the Sunday. Street stalls will be buzzing throughout the weekend, and there will be a small festival on Friday too. See our event listing below for the full schedule. 4. Firefly festivals June–July All over and around Tokyo Family fun with extra special lights Light up the start of your summer. June is mating season for fireflies, so this is the time to see the little bugs aglow. We've got a compilation of Tokyo firefly festivals, but note that some of the locations are not in central Tokyo. After all, you can't really expect to see too many fireflies in this urban jungle. Here are some highlights: Adachi Firefly Night (May 29–June 1) Hotel Chinzanso (May 16–June 30) Setagaya Firefly Festival 5. Candle Night for 1 Million People June 20 Zōjōji Temple, Shibakoen Switch off the lights and turn on the candles During the summer solstice each year, the lights of Tokyo Tower and buildings close to Zōjōji Temple are switched off for two hours and hundreds of candles are lit. This is to encourage thoughts about how we can best protect the earth and the people in it. Stalls and kitchen cars will be open at the temple on the day, but the lighting of the candles won't start till around 6 p.m. and the lights won't go off till 8 p.m. 6. Vietnam Festival May 31–June 1 Yoyogi Park, Harajuku Sample the very best phở in Tokyo There are a lot of international festivals this month in Tokyo -- see the Philippine Expo and Taiwan Festival for more -- but the Vietnam Festival will be one of the biggest. Around 200,000 visitors attend each year to try the food (expect phở and bánh mì) and see the artists on stage at Yoyogi Park. 7. Tokyo Pride June 7–8 Yoyogi Park, Harajuku Expressing what it means to be LGBTQ+ in Tokyo For 2025, Tokyo Pride has been moved to June to coincide with Pride Month -- but you can still expect the parades and vibrant festivities we've come to love. The main festival will take place on both days in Yoyogi Park Events Square, and the fabulous parade will commence on Sunday at noon from the same spot before heading around Shibuya. 8. Oku Asakusa Bon Odori Festival June 28 Sumida Park, Asakusa Get in the mood for summer Bon Odori are traditional dance events that take place in Japan every summer. You'll see a lot of festivals popping up around July and August, but this is one of the earliest in the city. Created to celebrate the area of Oku Asakusa, the festival involves anyone and everyone forming a dance circle around a yagura (a decorated scaffold), which usually holds a taiko drum on the top. While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. Post first published in May 2016. Last updated in May 2025 by Alex Ziminski.

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