April 2025 events in Tokyo

The colourful Children’s Day koinobori carp streamers are an annual sight at Tokyo Tower, and this year you can see them at the main entrance from March 25 through Golden Week until May 6. There are 333 streamers set-up here, signifying the 333m height of the iconic tower. 

Among the 333 streamers, there's one that's not a carp – see if you can spot the sanma (pacific saury) nobori. This unique inclusion is Tokyo Tower's way of sending hope to the region affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

As this display is held right outside the tower on the ground level, you don't need a ticket to see this joyous sight.

For 11 months of every year, Nezu Shrine doesn't attract all that much attention from the outside world. Then spring rolls around, and its remarkable crop of azaleas burst into bloom. The shrine precincts are home to some 3,000 azalea plants – roughly 100 varieties in total, including rare breeds such as the black karafune flower – and has to find space for at least as many flower aficionados during the month-long Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri. 

Another highlight of Nezu Shrine is its red torii gate tunnel, similar to the ones at Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine but in a much smaller scale.

Tokyo’s Kameido Tenjin Shrine is famous for its wisteria flowers, and with good reason – the shrine has over 50 wisteria trees, which usually reach their flowering peak between mid-April and early May. 

This annual festival features a handful of food stalls and an evening wisteria light up (times still unannounced for 2025). The purple blooms also look quite stunning during the day, when you can get a spectacular view of Tokyo Skytree in the background. The shrine is in the shitamachi (old downtown) part of Tokyo, so while you’re there, make sure to take a stroll around the area to explore the old-fashioned local shops and eateries.

To check the current flowering status, visit the shrine's Instagram.

Head up to Ibaraki's Hitachi Seaside Park from mid-April to early May and see a whopping 5.3 million 'baby blue eyes' – also known as nemophila – flowers in full bloom. The hilly grounds span 3.5 hectares and are almost completely covered with the little blue blossoms, making for a pretty spectacular sight.

The blooms are usually at their best from mid- to late April, but they are still a magnificent sight if you catch them a bit earlier or even right after peak bloom. According to this year's forecast, the flowers will be in their full glory between April 17 to 25.

Along with the flowers, the park has gone all-out with blue food and drink for you to enjoy during your visit. Sample blue ramune-soda-flavoured soft cream served with nemophila-shaped cookies, pretty blue lemonade, lattes and even a blue-tinged curry ramen. While you're at it, pick up a few souvenirs to take home with you including nemophila macarons, cookies and jewellery featuring the flower of the season. 

The park is home to various other spring flowers, too, including daffodils and tulips, which also bloom between April and May.

The annual Fuji Shibazakura Festival is returning this spring with a staggering 500,000 pink, purple and white blooms from April 13 to May 26. With its seemingly endless fields of shibazakura (pink moss) and view of majestic Mt Fuji on the horizon, it's no wonder that this annual spring festival out at Lake Motosu in Yamanashi typically attracts hordes of Tokyoites over Golden Week. 

In addition to the eight kinds of shibazakura, you’ll get to see other colourful blooms like cherry blossoms, grape hyacinth, poppy anemone and forsythia. While you’re here, it’s also worth checking out the adjacent Peter Rabbit-themed English Garden, decorated with around 300 kinds of plants as well as figurines of the characters from the storybook. 

One of the best ways to get here is by highway bus. A round-trip ticket including festival entry fee starts from ¥8,800, with the bus departing from Ueno Station Park Exit, in front of Tokyu Plaza Ginza and in front of Kogakuin University near Shinjuku Station West exit. It takes you directly to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival in around two and a half hours. We recommend making reservations in advance because seats can fill up quickly during spring.

Otherwise, you can opt for the two-hour-long Limited Express Fuji Excursion train from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Station, and hop on the Fuji Shibazakura liner shuttle bus for another 50 minutes to get to the venue.

Tachikawa's Showa Kinen Park isn't content with merely hyping sakura: its Flower Festival takes place over three months and celebrates the blooms of winter rapeseeds (in March), tulips (April), nemophilia (April-May), poppies and German chamomile (May), of course in addition to the cherry blossoms in March and April.

Along with flower-viewing, the park will be hosting a number of floral-themed events, and dedicated photo spots will be set up on the premises. Don't miss the chance to see a beautiful field of nemophila flowers in late April, which turn into a gorgeous sea of blue once 2 million nemophilia plants bloom at once.

Flower and Light Movement is an initiative by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government aimed at creating new and attractive – and eye-catchingly large – flowerbeds in city parks. The project is returning to Toneri Park in Adachi from April 11 to April 29 for a spectacular display of illuminated baby blue eyes (nemophilia). Both this vast field and the park’s around 1,000 cherry trees will be illuminated from 6pm to 8pm (until 8.30pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). With several photo spots on site, be sure to bring a camera for that perfect Instagram photo-op.

Welcome the arrival of the warmer months with spring flowers and a gorgeous panoramic view of Tokyo this spring at Shibuya Sky’s Flower View. The popular observatory is bringing back its botanical garden-themed decorations at the 46th-floor indoor Sky Gallery for a special, limited-time flowerful makeover from April 8 to May 30. 

Expect to see giant art installations inspired by spring flowers such as cherry blossoms, tulips, lilies, dandelions and roses – making for an amazing photo-op with the city skyline as the background. While you’re there, make sure to drop by the Paradise Lounge on the same floor for their special spring-inspired drink menu. There’s a sweet and aromatic lychee and grapefruit China Blue cocktail (¥1,000) and a refreshing non-alcoholic orange squash soda infused with blood orange (¥850). 

If you’re planning to visit in May, don’t miss the chance to see the free rooftop live dance and music performance on May 4 from 4pm. (Admission ticket required)

Visit the Shibuya Sky website for more information on the Flower View event.

Head over to Komazawa Olympic Park during Golden Week to spend an entire day sampling some of Japan’s best gyoza. There will be 17 stalls offering more than 30 different styles of this quintessential Japanese dumpling. Enjoy deep fried shoyu butter corn gyoza from Hokkaido, juicy seafood squid dumplings from Fukuoka, baked xiaolongbao-style gyoza from Osaka, Hakata-style hitokuchi (bite-size) gyoza, strawberry milk cheese dessert gyoza from Tokyo, and much more.

There will also be other dishes like fried rice to go with the gyoza, as well as craft beers from Hokkaido Brewing, Fujizakura Heights Beer and Fuji Premium Brewing. There’s no entry fee, so you can just pay as you go. If you want to forgo the hassle of paying at each store, there is a package deal sold online for ¥4,000, which includes five meal tickets and a fast ticket to skip one queue.

Niku Fes is back this Golden Week, bringing one of Tokyo's biggest meat festivals to Odaiba. The festival is being upgraded this year with more seats than ever before, plus plenty of live music as well as an extensive line-up of meat dishes.

You can feast on meaty delights such as A5-ranked steak, wagyu sushi, slow-roasted beef, beefy cheeseburgers and kebabs from around two dozen restaurants across Japan. Make sure to also try dishes from one of the eleven restaurants participating in the Steak King Championship. These restaurants are serving up their own unique takes on the classic steak, and it’s up to you to crown the winner.

As for the drinks, there will be craft beer from Abashiri Beer in Hokkaido and refreshing Mexican Cuervo lemon sours to accompany your meal. You can enjoy desserts, too, including churros, gelato and kakigori shaved ice. 

While there are plenty of benches to sit on, including a family area which is available after buying 10 meal tickets, purchasing the VIP experience gets you a dining space for four people. This deal features table service in a comfortable, shaded seating area. You can reserve it in advance on the website for ¥9,800. 

On April 28, 30, May 1 and 2, the entire facility will transform into a beer garden from 4pm to 9pm, when all beers will be ¥500. The first 500 people to enter from 4pm will receive free Niku Fes official goods. 

Need a break from all the eating? Head over to the stage area for live music during the day. Headliners and specific event details are yet to be disclosed.

Entry to Niku Fes is free and you can just buy food and drink as you go. But note that meal tickets can only be purchased through the official Niku Fes app.

This stunning afternoon tea is inspired by Tomokazu Matsuyama’s exhibition ‘First Last’, which is now showing at Azabudai Hills Gallery. The two coinciding events are a unique way of introducing art through food, created by the talented chefs at Janu Tokyo’s Janu Lounge & Garden Terrace.

Bites are embellished with intricate imagery from works shown at the exhibition, with items showcased on the first and third tiers taking inspiration from Matsuyama's art pieces including 'Passage Immortalitas' and 'Keep Fishin' For Twilight'. 

Highlights from the sweets menu include a decadent New York cheesecake with white chocolate, Janu's signature 'Januron' macaron, and a sakura and berry mousse featuring seasonal fruit. As for savoury options, look forward to a roast beef open sandwich made with beef sourced from Matsuyama's hometown in Gifu prefecture, and a salmon mousse and vegetable mille-feuille topped with caviar. Of course, no afternoon tea is complete without scones, and here you can enjoy a selection of plain and cherry scones served with unique spreads like soybean whipped cream and koji syrup, in addition to the obligatory strawberry jam.

Reservations for the afternoon tea can be made online.

Time to don those wizardly robes. From April 18 to September 8, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo are bringing the set of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' to life to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary. The tour will feature recreations of props, costumes and locations from the film, such as the Great Hall, the Prefects' Bathroom and the Goblet of Fire itself. Themed food and merch will be available for purchase.

Times and ticket prices vary, so be sure to check their website for availability, as tickets must be purchased in advance and currently are only available until June 30.

Yebisu Brewery Tokyo is holding a collaborative art exhibit between Yebisu Beer and manga artist Hirohiko Araki, creator of the bestselling series Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Widely known for his unique artistic style and poses, Araki was invited to collaborate with Yebisu Beer to draw bijin-ga portraits inspired by advertisements produced by the brewery in the early 1900s. Bijin-ga is a term used for portraits of beautiful women in Japanese art, and the style was often applied to beer advertisements back in the day. 

The exhibit will display Araki’s two three-metre tall modern interpretations of bijin-ga, drawn in his signature vivid style: ‘Western’ and ‘Peach Patrol.’ Don’t forget to get the limited-edition Araki-designed Ebisu Beer cans and merch on your way out, as they’re being released in limited quantities.