The best things to do in Tokyo this weekend

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.

Bon Odori is a traditional summer dance festival held during Obon, a Buddhist custom to commemorate one's ancestors. This particular festival, one of the biggest in Tokyo, will be held right outside Nakano Station. 

Unlike most Bon Odori festivities in Tokyo which take place in the early evening, this Nakano event has an early start at around 10am with a series of music and dance performances. However, the main attraction only begins at 4.40pm, featuring celebrity guests (including the popular super sento idols Junretsu) and DJs playing J-pop tunes.

You can expect a good workout dancing to invigorating tracks from spinners including DJ Koo and DJ Celly. But what we are really looking forward to is matching Bon Odori dance steps to classic hits from Bon Jovi, who have endorsed the use of their songs at the festival.

Everyone is welcome to join in the Nakano Bon Odori Festival, and it’s free.

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.

Put on a yukata and head over to Sunshine City’s 47th annual Bon Odori dance festival. The lively outdoor event, which is accompanied by invigorating taiko drum beats, takes place around a six metre-tall yagura turret decorated with colourful festive lanterns. 

Inexperienced participants can simply copy the moves of the professionals who’re dancing at the top of the turret. The night will feature various traditional dances, including the Tokyo Ondo and Otsuka Monogatari Ondo, offering a glimpse into local dance traditions.

There will be ten food stalls and a children's matsuri game area where you can enjoy traditional Japanese festival grub and activities like shateki shooting and superball fishing for free. The event takes place every day from 7pm to 9.15pm at Sunshine Hiroba, which is on the rooftop of Sunshine City's Alpa shopping mall.

In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled.

Set against the backdrop of Chuo-dori Street, Ginza’s famous pedestrianised main boulevard, Yukata de Ginbura returns this summer, running from late afternoon to evening on August 1. Roughly translating to ‘strolling through Ginza in yukata’, this neighbourhood-wide event features multiple festivals along Chuo-dori.

The programme includes a massive bon odori festival near Matsuya Ginza from 4pm to 8pm, outdoor food stalls by renowned Ginza retailers serving up gourmet Japanese and Western dishes near Ginza Six, and a water-sprinkling event (at 4pm, 4.30pm and 5pm) where festivalgoers pour water on the ground to the sound of taiko drums – a Japanese summer tradition to enjoy the cool evening summer breeze. Don a yukata and experience an elegant Japanese summer evening firsthand.

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is staying open until 9.30pm for just two days on August 1 and 2. You’ll get to experience a Showa-style summer festival at this nostalgic attraction filled with historical and heritage buildings. 

Kids can expect fun games like target shooting and rubber duck fishing, as well as a dedicated mikoshi (portable shrine) parade for them to participate in on both days at 6pm. Adults, on the other hand, would enjoy the 15-minute Awa Odori dance performances put on by the Koganei Awa Odori Promotion Council, happening two times a day at the main entrance plaza and Yamanote street (times TBA). There will also be demonstrations on the making of Edo Kiriko glass, Edo-style folding fans and shinobu hanging fern decorations on both days from 6pm to 9pm, which will also be sold on-site.

Parts of the museum grounds – including the spooky illuminations at Murakami Seikado cosmetics store heritage building will be lit up, with a few of the buildings operating as shops selling drinks, retro stationery and flowers. You'll also find plenty of food trucks to keep you satiated throughout the night, including a dagashi vendor offering old-school Japanese snacks.

From 2026, advance online reservations are required to help prevent overcrowding. Although admission is free for junior high school students and younger, a free timed-entry numbered ticket must still be obtained online. Date and time-specific tickets will be available for purchase starting at 11am on July 17. Tickets will not be sold on-site, and the event may be cancelled in the event of thunderstorms. Be sure to check the official event website before your visit.

Nakameguro is celebrating summer with lively Awa Odori and Yosakoi performances over the August 1-2 weekend. The annual festival is bigger than ever, with more than 65 participating teams performing on August 1 and 2, respectively, from 6pm to 8.30pm along the Nakameguro Ginza shopping arcade.

Many restaurants and cafés in the area will have stalls set up outside offering takeout food and drinks for you to enjoy while watching the performances. Free soft drinks will be handed out to the first 7,000 visitors on both days.

This fireworks festival at Fujimori Park in Hachioji is returning this year on August 1 from 7pm. It’s a relatively small affair compared to other similar festivals in Tokyo, with around 4,000 rockets expected to be launched. However, what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for with an interesting array of explosions – including regular and wide starmines. The hour-long pyrotechnic show is free and you can watch the fireworks from several areas in the park – including the Fujimori Gymnasium parking lot and Hachioji Veterans Memorial Tower Square.

More details on the event website.

From this year, premium seating with the best views will also be available through private donations. Further details will be announced in June.

Taking advantage of a serendipitous schedule clash, Itabashi's annual fireworks display takes place at the same time as the one in Toda City (Saitama prefecture), just across the Arakawa River. 

You can expect a combined 15,000 shells of fireworks at this 90-minute event. On show are various styles of pyrotechnics, including an enormous star mine and the spectacular ‘Niagara Falls’, a 700-metre chain of explosions that always draws the biggest cheers of the night. As a special treat this year, there will be giant Poké Ball and Captain Pikachu-themed fireworks, too.

While the fireworks are free to watch, you may want to secure access to a paid viewing area or reserve a seat for the best views this year, as the free viewing zones have been significantly reduced for safety reasons. New for 2026, a spacious paid general admission area directly east of the Arakawa Biology and Ecology Park will be available for ¥2,000 per person through Ticket Pia, with each ticket including a picnic blanket and cushions. Reserved seating, meanwhile, ranges from ¥4,500 to ¥6,000 for individual tickets and from ¥18,000 to ¥48,000 for groups of four to eight people. Tickets go on sale online from 10am on June 13.

Before you go, we recommend you check out the venue map and access information on the event website.

First held in 1948 to mark the launch of Toei Bus service in the Ome region, this fireworks display is recommended for those who want to escape the crowds at Tokyo's big-name alternatives. The 'falling fire' pyrotechnic effect is impressive (and loud!), but the real highlight is when the nearby Nagayama Hill is lit up by a massive fountain of bursting colours inspired by flowers.

For the best views, a ticketed viewing area is available at Ome City Daiichi Elementary School and the nearby TCN sports field facility, with prices starting at ¥2,500 per entry. You can make your bookings online in advance, from July 5 to July 31. For the best bang for the buck, we recommend viewing the show nearby for free or purchasing standing seat tickets at the Ome City Daiichi Elementary School field (¥1,000), as more seats are typically available there.

There will be no on-site ticket sales for the paid viewing areas. The event is subject to cancellation in case of stormy weather, so be sure to check the event website before visiting.

The hugely popular Tokyo Nomi no Ichi flea market is returning this summer at Giants Town Stadium, a brand new venue in the Tokyo suburb of Inagi. Browse everything from antique trinkets and old magazines to clothes and cameras at this massive evening market, where every stall is carefully selected and curated. There’s also an extensive line-up of food trucks serving summer-themed treats like cooling ice cream and fizzy drinks, workshops where you can make memorable crafts to take home, and plenty of live music.

A tower-shaped stage will also be erected in the centre of the stadium, providing the perfect setting for bon odori dancing and eclectic live music performances.

Check the official Instagram before visiting for more details. Tickets are now on sale via Eplus.

Inage Seaside Park in Chiba is hosting weekly DJ parties on its picturesque 90-metre-long pier that stretches out into Tokyo Bay, until September 27. Taking place on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 4pm to 8pm, the parties showcase artists spinning tunes from a variety of genres, including Balearic house, afrobeats, tech house, South African amapiano and more.

While the full 2026 line-up is unannounced, expect to see local favourites including Golden Roa, Mark Mila and Ahreum will also take to the decks, spinning everything from techno to R&B to keep the summer vibes alive.

Check the event website for the most up-to-date DJ line-up.

The National Stadium’s swanky next-door park is hosting a summer beer garden and outdoor cinema festival this month from July 17 to September 27. During the event, the park will be transformed into an open-air beer garden complete with tables, tents and plenty of seating. Hosted by Corona, the beer garden will serve favourites such as Corona Extra (¥750), alongside the brand’s non-alcoholic Corona Cero (¥600) and inventive Corona-infused cocktails. New for 2026 is the Corona Sunsets Truck, which will be serving drinks and appetisers designed to pair perfectly with Corona beer every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

While you’re there, don’t miss the free outdoor film screenings taking place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This weekend outdoor cinema event is one of Japan’s largest, with screenings running for over 70 days. While the cinema line-up for 2026 has yet to be announced, last year’s programme featured Academy Award-winning titles such as Green Book and Top Gun: Maverick, as well as family favourites including Paddington, School of Rock, The Minions and more. Note that most screenings are Japanese-dubbed versions of the films.

While entry to the festival is free, a special reservation is required to enter on August 8, when the nearby Jingu Stadium is hosting the Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival. Capacity is limited to two thousand visitors, so reserve a slot via the official website before it's too late.

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).

Enjoy a late-night stroll under an artificial Milky Way at Tokyo Tower’s main deck. As an alternative experience for astronomy enthusiasts, Tokyo Tower has recreated the Milky Way using 30,000 LED lights, so you can gaze up at the (artificial) stars in the middle of the city.

Every 15 minutes, the blue LED lights that represent the starry sky turn pink and gold, while the Milky Way changes from white to a rainbow of seven colours. This special effect makes the Tokyo skyline look even more mesmerising, as if our beloved city is under a magical starry night.

The light-up runs from 9am to 11pm.

Tokyo Midtown has a packed programme of summer fun this year. If you want to take it easy, cool down at Midtown Garden’s Ashimizu area. The gentle stream here has been transformed into a foot bath, open between 3pm and 9pm (closed on Tuesdays). It can accommodate up to 70 people at a time and, best of all, it’s free. Towels are available for ¥100 each, but of course, you can always bring your own. Cool down in the mist and ice-cooled water, with a free rentable parasol that even glows softly after nightfall for a calm evening ambience.

Feeling wiped out by the summer heat? Make a beeline for the restaurants and cafés at Tokyo Midtown, now hosting a refreshing summer sweets fair featuring cool desserts such as the mango syrup kakigori shaved ice at Hal Yamashita, the strawberry and condensed milk kakigori shaved ice at Ukafe and many more.

New for 2026, enjoy a casual summer evening with small firework sparklers at the Midtown Garden from 5.30pm to 9pm on July 18, 19, 20, and August 8, 9, 10, and 11. Sparklers can be purchased on-site, starting at ¥500 for five sticks and ¥1,000 for 12 sticks. Up to two people may enter the fireworks space per purchase.

Shinjuku welcomes a brand new Korean pub-style beer garden, located on the rooftop of the Lumine Est shopping complex in the heart of the city. You can choose from four meal plans: the Pocha course (¥3,500), which includes yangnyeom chicken and bulgogi kimbap; the Korean Chicken BBQ course (from ¥4,000), offering chicken marinated in sweet and spicy miso sauce as well as salted green onion sauce; the samgyeopsal and beef galbi course (¥5,000), featuring makgeolli-aged samgyeopsal and seafood pancake; and the premium BBQ course (from ¥6,000), which builds on the samgyeopsal set with the addition of wagyu steak. All four courses come with a two-hour all-you-can-drink plan, with the options including fruit-flavoured soju, makgeolli, highballs, and both Korean and Japanese beers, along with unlimited banchan (Korean mini side dishes), French fries and curry.

Popular German craft beer brand Schmatz takes over the Lumine Ikebukuro rooftop with its annual beer garden serving modern German cuisine. The premium all-you-can drink plan features three original craft beers, plus a range of beer cocktails including shandy gaff, cassis beer, mango beer and even a peach weizen. Additionally, there are regular cocktails, highballs, wines and soft drinks to choose from as well. 

The standard barbecue plan with the premium 2-hour all-you-can-drink option will set you back ¥6,500, and includes spare ribs, beef shoulder loin, specialty sausages, chicken, corn and an array of veggies to grill. If you're looking to save, the standard all-you-can-drink lager beer plan at ¥6,000 is worth considering too.

Make a reservation via the official website.

South Korean digital art and design firm D’strict is joining hands with Sanrio to bring a popular interactive exhibit to Japan for the first time after a successful run in Seoul last year. Utilising the latest digital media technologies, the hotel-themed exhibition in Shinjuku’s Tokyu Kabukicho Tower takes you on a photogenic and immersive journey through 11 themed areas in the imaginary hotel, with characters such as Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll and Pompompurin appearing in their own dreamy, fairytale-like rooms.

While the full details are still under wraps, expect to see a plentiful line-up of exclusive Sanrio merch, including Hotel Floria room key charms, hotel sticker sets and travel-themed accessories.

The exhibition space is located on the fourth floor. Tickets are now on sale via Eplus.

A new exhibition space in the basement of the Tokyo International Forum, Yurakucho Museum is opening this July, and its inaugural exhibition brings the whimsical world of Pingu to Japan. Running from July 10 to September 6, it features priceless clay models used in actual animation production, alongside storyboards and other production materials. What’s more, you can pretend to be in Pingu’s Antarctic igloo with a photo spot made to look like the penguin boy’s home.

While you’re there, take the opportunity to study Pingu’s facial expressions, unique play-doh-like contortions and language, and maybe you’ll learn to decipher his noot noots once and for all. The exhibition also includes three collaborative art pieces by renowned miniature photographer and artist Tatsuya Tanaka, who has reimagined Pingu with everyday items.

Tickets are now on sale via Epus.

Known for emotionally resonant works that bridge intimate storytelling and speculative worlds, Mamoru Hosoda is the man behind landmark films such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars and Wolf Children. His cinema is marked by a fluid interplay between everyday life and digital or fantastical realms, as well as a sensitivity to themes of family, memory and transformation.

Marking the 20th anniversary of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, ‘The Creative Origins of Mamoru Hosoda’ unfolds at the Creative Museum Tokyo from June 20 to August 31. Conceived as the most comprehensive exhibition ever dedicated to the director, it offers unprecedented insight into the creative processes behind his most celebrated works.

Drawing extensively from original production materials, the exhibition presents storyboards, layouts, key animation drawings and background art that illuminate the construction of Hosoda’s cinematic language. By foregrounding these foundational elements, the show reveals how influences from painting, cinema and animation converge within his visual storytelling.

Rather than simply looking back, the exhibition invites visitors to reconsider Hosoda’s films through the lens of their origins, tracing recurring motifs and stylistic evolutions across his oeuvre. In doing so, it captures both the enduring appeal of his past works and the continuity of his artistic vision as it extends toward new creative horizons.

When the boundless imagination of Pablo Picasso meets the vibrant creativity of Sir Paul Smith, fireworks follow. Picasso (1881–1973), one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, revolutionised modern art with his radical innovations in form and colour. British designer Smith, noted for his playful approach to tailoring and his masterful sense of colour and pattern, brings his unique sensibility to the table, transforming the NACT’s galleries into a dialogue between art and fashion, and tradition and reinvention.

‘Adventure of Playful Spirits’ offers a fresh encounter with approximately 80 works from the Musée National Picasso-Paris. Following the success of the 2023 Paris exhibition ‘Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light!’, this Japan edition invites visitors to rediscover the painter’s creative evolution from his early Portrait of a Man to the tender Paulo as Harlequin, through Smith’s imaginative spatial design.

From colour-splashed walls to whimsical décor, every element of the exhibition reflects Smith’s joyful spirit and his fascination with artistic play. This meeting of two creative giants – one who shaped modern art and another who redefined contemporary design – conjures up a vibrant, immersive world where curiosity, humour and craftsmanship intertwine.

Ron Mueck has long been celebrated for redefining figurative sculpture through extraordinary craftsmanship and emotional acuity. After early work in film and advertising, the Australian-born, UK-based artist emerged on the contemporary art scene in the mid-1990s, gaining international attention with Pinocchio (1996) and Dead Dad (1996-97), the latter exhibited in the landmark ‘Sensation’ show at London’s Royal Academy in 1997.

Over the decades, his meticulously crafted human figures, rendered at startlingly altered scales, have probed themes of vulnerability, solitude, resilience and the fragile complexity of existence. With a rare and limited oeuvre of about fifty works, each sculpture distills months or even years of observation and reflection, resulting in pieces that feel at once hyper-real and quietly enigmatic.

From April 29 to September 23, the Mori Art Museum hosts the artist’s first solo exhibition in Japan in eighteen years. Organised in collaboration with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, the exhibition gathers eleven works tracing Mueck’s evolution, including six making their Japanese debut. Its monumental centrepiece is the Japan premiere of Mass (2016-17), an immersive installation of 100 giant skulls reconfigured to reflect the museum’s architecture. Other highlights include Angel (1997), Woman with Shopping (2013) and the iconic In Bed (2005), each inviting viewers into a deeply intimate emotional space.

Complementing the sculptures, photographs and films by Gautier Deblonde offer a glimpse into Mueck’s studio practice, revealing the quiet rigour behind some of contemporary art’s most affecting works.

A visionary who worked along the boundaries between art, design and everyday life, Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Italian design. Rising to prominence in the 1950s through his groundbreaking work for the typewriter and computer manufacturer Olivetti, Sottsass redefined industrial design by infusing functional objects with emotion, symbolism and wit. His restless creative spirit culminated in the 1981 founding of the Memphis Group, an international collective whose bold colours, playful forms and radical aesthetics came to define post-modern design and reshape global visual culture.

‘Design begins where magic begins’ at the Artizon Museum is the first comprehensive retrospective of Sottsass’s work in Japan. Drawing from the Ishibashi Foundation’s extensive collection, the exhibition brings together 112 works spanning the entirety of its subject’s long and prolific career, from early experiments to later, more philosophical creations.

Through furniture, industrial design and conceptual works, the exhibition traces Sottsass’s lifelong challenge to strict rationalism and his belief that design should reflect the emotional and spiritual dimensions of human life. Humour, colour and sensuality emerge as tools with which he sought to illuminate the lived experiences, desires and contradictions of modern society. Offering a rare opportunity to encounter Sottsass’s work in depth, the exhibition reveals a visionary who insisted that true design begins with imagination and magic.

Hiroshi Sugimoto is one of Japan’s most internationally acclaimed contemporary artists, whose practice spans photography, architecture and stage production. At the core of his work lies a profound engagement with analogue silver gelatin photography, a medium he has elevated through rigorous conceptual frameworks and extraordinary technical mastery, even as it faces obsolescence in the digital age.

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo now offers a major survey that traces the evolution of Sugimoto’s photographic practice from the late 1970s to the present. Featuring approximately 60 silver gelatin prints, the exhibition brings into focus a medium the artist recognises as endangered, while asking broader questions about truth, memory and time.

Structured into three chapters, the exhibition spans 13 series, from early works that established Sugimoto’s reputation to later bodies of work that probe abstraction, perception and the limits of representation. Newly unveiled pieces, including additions to the Diorama series, offer fresh insight into themes Sugimoto has pursued for more than half a century.

The exhibition’s title refers to a deeper meditation on what is disappearing from contemporary visual culture. As digital images become infinitely mutable, Sugimoto reasserts photography’s original power as a medium of evidence and presence. Through its breadth and philosophical depth, ‘Extinction’ is set to offer a rare opportunity to reflect on photography’s past, and its uncertain future, through one of its most rigorous practitioners.