Free things to do in Tokyo this week

The 400m-long Keyakizaka Street next to the Roppongi Hills shopping centre is lighting up with 930,000 sparkling white and blue LEDs until Christmas Day. From the pedestrian bridge near the Roppongi Hills Arena, you'll get a stunning view of the trees covered in shimmering lights, with Tokyo Tower in the background, from 5pm to 11pm daily. 

Mt Takao is one of the most picturesque destinations in Tokyo to see autumn leaves. And one of the best ways to do that is by taking the scenic cable car ride, which brings you closer to the mountain’s Yakuoin temple. Here you can sample shojin ryori, a traditional Japanese Buddhist vegetarian meal. To secure a lunchtime seat, be sure to book a reservation for two or more people at least two days in advance via phone. The best time to see the autumn leaves for 2025 is mid to late November, when the foliage around the cable car tracks turns deep orange and red. Throughout the duration of the festival, you can also look forward to a host of free events at Kiyotaki Station, the cable car stop at the base of Mt Takao, including musical and dance performances by local university students. While details are yet to be announced for 2025, check the event's English website for the latest updates. As is the case every year, the base of Mt Takao will be crowded in autumn, so it’s best to arrive via public transport.

The Tori no Ichi festival at Hanazono Shrine is one of the biggest in the Kanto region. It’s held on two days on November 12 and 24 with some smaller 'warm-up' festivals taking place the night before the main events. For the occasion, the grounds are decorated with 950 LED lanterns towering over the shrine buildings. On the grounds, you will find stalls selling decorative kumade bamboo rakes, plus plenty of other vendors offering food and festival knick-knacks. The event takes place from 12 noon to 12 midnight on both days, and the smaller pre-festivals take place on the day before the main event, from 3pm until 12 midnight. Find more Tori no Ichi celebrations here.

The 1.2-kilometre-long Marunouchi Naka-dori street, always one of the most popular Tokyo illumination spots, will have around 250 trees lit up with about 775 thousand low-energy, champagne-coloured LEDs this year, making for an environmentally friendly and stylish display. If you’d rather stay cosy while admiring the lights, visit the renovated Marunouchi House, where the seventh-floor terrace will feature festive illuminations for a limited time. The terrace has plenty of seats surrounded by outdoor heaters. Closer to Christmas, Gyoko-dori between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station will have more illuminations between November 28 and December 25, bringing the total to around 810 thousand LEDs.

This annual wintertime display at Yebisu Garden Place incorporates a Baccarat chandelier that's 5m tall and 3m wide, making it one of the largest in the world. Made of 250 light bulbs and 8,500 crystals, the chandelier emits a warm and elegant light. That’s not all, though. There are smaller illumination displays in the Entrance Pavilion, Clock Plaza, Promenade and Chateau Square. In total, the event uses roughly 100,000 champagne-coloured light bulbs.  While you're there, check out the European-inspired Christmas Marche at Chateau Square and Clock Plaza. Here you'll find holiday trinkets and hearty soups as well as mulled wine and hot chocolate to warm you up on a cold evening. The Christmas Marche is held daily from 5pm to 8pm (12noon-8pm on weekends and hols) until December 25. Christmas Marche at Chateau Square opens on November 28.

This is one of the most popular spots in the whole of Tokyo for autumn leaves. Stretching for 4km from Hachioji's Oiwakecho to the foot of Mt Takao (near north exit of Takao Station), this road is flanked by over 700 ginkgo trees (known as icho in Japanese), and they look stunningly yellow around this time of year. The autumn colours provide the perfect backdrop for a range of activities at the annual Hachioji Ginkgo Festival on November 15 and 16. There will be a classic car parade on November 16 from 12noon to 1pm, as well as yosakoi dance and wadaiko drum performances, a stamp rally and more. The abundance of kid-friendly attractions makes it a good option if you're looking for something to do with the family, and naturally there will be plenty of food stalls to keep everybody well sated. The festival starts at 9am and ends at 4.30pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday.

Tori no Ichi is said to have originated at Asakusa's Otori Shrine and the nearby Juzaisan Chokokuji temple, so you can expect a major spectacle here. This is the biggest Tori no Ichi festival in Tokyo with 800 to 900 booths selling kumade, souvenirs and plenty of food. The event attracts 700,000 visitors every year and gets very crowded in the evening, so go during the day if you have the chance and snack on some old-school kiri-zansho candy. The festival is held for 24 hours on November 12 and 24, starting with the first taiko drum sound at 12 midnight (the night of November 11 and 23).

Explore how post-war black markets shaped the evolution of Tokyo’s urban fabric at this intriguing exhibition, held at Takashimaya Archives Tokyo on the fourth floor of the Nihombashi Takashimaya department store. On show until February 23 2026, the display marks 80 years since the end of World War II and focuses on the makeshift marketplaces that emerged amid the ruins of Tokyo. During the war, large-scale demolitions, intended to prevent the spread of fires caused by air raids, created vacant lots across the city. In the chaotic years that followed, these empty spaces, together with bombsites and even roadside corners, were transformed into black markets. Known as yami-ichi, they supplied goods and sustenance in a time of scarcity while seeding new social and commercial hubs. Particular attention is given to Shinjuku, where some of the black markets grew into vibrant entertainment districts that remain central to Tokyo’s identity today. And while most of the markets eventually vanished, their traces endure in the city’s streetscapes and neighbourhoods. Curated by Tokukazu Ishigure of Kwansei Gakuin University, the exhibition reframes black markets as more than unlawful encroachments, highlighting their role as catalysts of urban renewal – spaces where disorder gave rise to energy, resilience and reinvention.

The UNU farmers’ market is one of Tokyo’s longest running and best-attended markets. Taking place every weekend in front of the university’s Aoyama headquarters, this one always attracts a knowledgeable crowd. Organic and local fare is readily available every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, with the farmers themselves happy to provide details about their wares. Plus, there's always a few food trucks on hand if you wish to enjoy a quick meal.

Taking place at Otori Shrine inside the Okunitama shrine complex, this festival is one of the three most important Tori no Ichi festivals in Tokyo (the other two being Asakusa and Shinjuku's Hanazono). Worshippers and visitors crowd the area in Fuchu throughout the two days, shopping for kumade rakes and praying for good fortune and success for the coming year. The event takes place from 6.30am to 10pm on both days.