July 2026 events in Tokyo

One of Tokyo's biggest annual festivals is celebrating its 75th edition this year. Held at its namesake park, Ueno Summer Festival is a month-long programme packed with a diverse array of traditional events, live performances and seasonal festivities. These include a traditional lantern-floating event on July 17 at 7pm, as well as Japanese taiko drum street performances on July 20 and 25 (from 1pm and 3pm) at Ueno Park’s Shinobazu Pond Bentendo Temple.

That said, the festival offers more than just classic Japanese celebrations. The antique market, which will run every day from July 10 to August 11 (from 2pm to 8pm) at the gates of Shinobazu Pond Bentendo Temple, for instance, is a great place to look for small treasures and summer mementoes.

For a picture-perfect spot to capture your summer memories, don’t miss the nearby Hasumi Deck lookout, adorned with more than 4,000 wind chimes that create a soothing summer soundtrack.

As always, there will be plenty of food and drink stalls encircling Ueno Park's Shinobazu Pond (from 3pm to 9pm daily), selling popular street eats like yakisoba and kakigori shaved ice – a staple summer treat.

Check the event website for the full programme (in Japanese only).

Featuring 100,000 bright yellow himawari, the Kiyose Sunflower Festival is the closest a Tokyoite can get to frolicking through a flower field in July. Located an express train ride from Ikebukuro, the festival is known for its colourful flowers that contrast with the bright post-rainy season blue sky.

This large-scale sunflower field, roughly 24,000 square meters in size, is used every summer by local farmers to grow sunflowers as a natural fertiliser for agricultural produce. Take in the spectacular scenery of towering sunflowers while supporting local farmers by purchasing fresh local vegetables and cut flowers sold at the venue.

Free shuttle bus services connecting Kiyose Station and the venue depart from Kiyose Station North exit bus stop, in front of the Drug Seims pharmacy. Parking spaces are limited to those who have reserved in advance.

For details, check the event website.

Get ready to get your groove on this summer at Daibon on Saturday July 18, a modern rendition of the traditional Bon Odori festival held at Hachiman Shrine in Yamatocho. Here, the traditional Bon Odori festivities are fused with a line-up of DJs and contemporary artists, merging the timeless customs with the energetic pulse of new-wave beats.

Watch as the festival comes alive with live DJ sets, which have in the past featured eclectic talents like Chinbantei Goraku Shisho and the invigorating performances of Korean percussionists. Daibon takes the typical Bon Odori experience a step further, creating a fusion of sounds that strikes a chord with revellers of all ages.

The event will be postponed to July 19 in the case of rain.

Celebrate Tanabata (Star Festival) this summer by simultaneously launching up to 3,500 sky lanterns beside Saitama Stadium 2002. 

Tanabata is a traditional Japanese festival where people write their wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo branches. This seven-day event, however, puts a modern spin on the custom. The sky lanterns are illuminated with LEDs instead of candles, making them safer and more family-friendly. At 8.30pm, the lanterns are released into the night sky, but unlike traditional floating lanterns, they remain tethered with strings, allowing them to be easily controlled and retrieved afterwards.

While artist line-up details for 2026 are unannounced, expect to see music performances each day by artists such as Chris Hart and Chay on the entertainment front, as well as festival favourites such as shateki shooting games and food stalls serving traditional matsuri grub. While you’re there, don’t miss the chance to write and hang your wish on a tansaku paper slip. 

Lanterns are handed out every day until 8pm. Tickets are available for purchase on the official website.

Expect a colourful, caipirinha-fuelled, energy-packed weekend as the Brazil Festival takes over Yoyogi Park's event square on July 18 and July 19. There will be plenty of dancing and live music, featuring samba percussion ensemble Grupo Misto Quente, Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and singer Davi Zew's, Brazilian band Via Brasil, samba dancers, as well as capoeira performers. The abundant food stalls will be serving plenty of grilled meat, churros and fruity beverages.

Listen to the soft, soothing sounds of wind chimes at Kawasaki Daishi Temple’s annual wind chime market, happening from July 17 to 21. The 31st event this year will feature over 800 types of wind chimes collected from all over the country. The chimes, made of a variety of materials such as ceramics, glass or metal, each produce their own unique sound. While you’re there, don’t forget to purchase the temple’s very own version – the ‘Daruma wind chime for warding off evil’ – which promises to do just that.

Tokyo's biggest fireworks display is returning this summer on Saturday July 25. The Sumida River Fireworks Festival is also Japan's oldest fireworks event, dating back to 1733, when it was staged as part of a ceremony to pray for victims of a severe famine the previous year. It turned into an annual event in 1978 and attracts close to a million people every year.

This year, the Sumida River Fireworks Festival starts at 7pm and will run for around 90 minutes, with a staggering 20,000 shells of fireworks. The fireworks are launched from two sites on the Sumida River around Asakusa Station: one between Umaya Bridge and Komagata Bridge and the other between Kototoi Bridge and Sakurabashi Bridge. You can check out the locations on the festival website.

Eisa is a dance from Okinawa usually performed to mark the end of the Obon period (an annual Buddhist event to honour one’s ancestors). Like most things Okinawan, it's been enthusiastically embraced by the rest of the country, as demonstrated by this Shinjuku parade.

A total of 23 Eisa dance troupes are expected to take to the streets around Shinjuku Station. Performances during the day (2pm-5pm) will take place near the station's east exit on the pedestrianised Shinjuku Avenue, while evening performances (6pm-8pm) will be held near Yodobashi Camera, Odakyu Halc, Shinjuku Mitsui building and Moa 4th Street.

Expect to see dancers twirling their way through the crowds to the beat of portable taiko drums. This will surely be a boisterous and colourful event to brighten your Saturday. Slap on some sunscreen, grab a handheld fan and get there early: it's guaranteed to be crowded.

Check the event website for event schedules.

While it’s usually one of Tokyo’s more peaceful neighbourhoods, Kagurazaka gets a little frenetic each July, as hordes of yukata wearers and Awa Odori dancers flood the streets for four days of traditional festivities. Taking place every summer for over 50 years, this neighbourhood festival is split into two parts.

The festival kicks off on Wednesday July 22 with a hozuki (ground cherry) lantern plant market. Food stalls will be open from 5pm to 9pm on both July 22 and 23. Children can take part in traditional festival games, such as fishing for colourful water-balloon yo-yos, while adults can join a guided tour of Kagurazaka’s back alleys (¥1,000) in yukata or pick up a Chinese lantern plant at the market held at Bishamonten (Zenkokuji) Temple.

The main festivities take place over the weekend, with a two-hour Awa Odori procession scheduled for 7pm on both Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, there will also be a children’s Awa Odori procession from 6pm to 7pm along the main street.

Immerse yourself in a sake-tasting adventure this summer at one of Tokyo's premier sake festivals. Held three times a year, Washu Fes celebrates the culture and tradition of sake-making. For the festival's 31st edition, 53 breweries from around Japan will set up shop in Nakameguro, where you can sample over 250 varieties of sake. Some of the participating sake makers such as Asahara Brewery and Iwase Sake Brewing are based around the Kanto region, while others hail from faraway prefectures like Aomori or Kumamoto.

The theme of the 31st edition is 'Beat the summer heat with a refreshing cup of ice-cold sake', so expect a curated selection of summer sake and crisp sparkling varieties perfect for the warmer months – including everything from fruity ginjo-shu to unpasteurised namazake, plum wine and cloudy nigori sake. If you find something you like, you’ll be able to purchase full bottles of your favourite sake on-site.

Besides sake tasting, the programme will feature stage performances including a traditional chindon-ya street advertising band and a unique shamisen and Okinawan kachashi folk dance duet. Tasting tickets for residents of Japan are ¥3,600 on Rakuten Travel Experiences and ¥4,500 for tourists with foreign credit cards via Stripe. The ticket includes a tasting cup, a sake textbook, an original fan, a bottle of water and a pouch to carry the cup home. With limited space available, it's wise to arrive early (reception starts 20 minutes before opening).

It may not be the biggest of Tokyo's many fireworks events, but Tachikawa's hanabi is certainly one of the more comfortable ones. Held at the spacious Showa Kinen Park, the festival always draws massive crowds, so make sure to arrive early to secure the best viewing spot.

This year’s event on July 25 will see around 5,000 shells of fireworks launched during the hour-long show from 7.15pm. Paid seating with the best views will be sold online on a first-come, first-served basis (2026 reservation details have not been released yet). 

On the day of the fireworks display, the park will open to the public free of charge.

The event is subject to cancellation in severe weather conditions.

The Bon Odori festival in hip Shimokitazawa returns this summer on July 25 and 26. On both days, you can dance to the neighbourhood’s original Bon Odori song, ‘Shimokita Ondo’. There's an official practice video up on YouTube, so make sure to learn the steps before heading over.

At the far end of Shimokitazawa Station's east exit square, you’ll find over two dozen stalls offering crowd-pleasing street food like taco rice, karaage fried chicken, hamburgers, yakisoba noodles and crepes. The stalls open at 1pm, but the Bon Odori festivities run from 4pm to 8pm. In the meantime, head to the yagura turret stage area for live stage performances and a free samba show from 2pm on both days. 

Held every year for more than half a century along the Edogawa River, Katsushika's popular fireworks festival, taking place on July 28, is known for the unusually short distance between the launch site and the spectator area. This allows visitors to watch, hear and feel the impact of the around 20,000 fireworks up close.

It also features the spectacular 'Niagara Falls' and 'Digital Star Mine' crackers, both supposedly representing the latest in firework technology. On your way to the river, take a stroll along the picturesque street leading from Taishakuten Temple for a glimpse of what summer in Edo – the former name of Tokyo – might have felt like.

Summer in Tokyo is defined by festivals, and one of the most spectacular is Bon Odori, a traditional dance celebration held in neighbourhoods across the city. Originally a way to honour the spirits of the dead, Bon Odori has evolved into a lively, family-friendly event.

The celebration at Tsukiji Hongwanji from July 29 to August 1 is one of Tokyo’s most popular Bon Odori festivals. Don a yukata and join the crowds dancing around the yagura stage from 7pm to 9pm (6pm to 8.30pm on Saturday).

Not to worry if you don’t know the steps – just mimic the dance moves of the locals next to you. The festival is also famous for its delectable food selection from nearby Tsukiji Market, so go early and dance up an appetite for a feast.

Join in and dance to the infectious rhythm of taiko drums at the Ebisu Bon Odori Festival on July 31 and August 1. This summer tradition, which is being held for the 71st time in 2026, always commands a large crowd, as the event is held right in front of Ebisu Station, occupying a fairly spacious area outside the West gate.

For two days, a towering yagura stage will take over the taxi and bus drop-off zone while the entire area is closed off to traffic, allowing the public to move and dance around freely. Festival food stalls are set up near Shake Shack, and are joined by a kids' arcade and a kakigori shaved ice stand. Expect all the classic summer matsuri treats, from crispy fried dumplings and cucumber on a stick to refreshing shaved ice desserts.