Free things to do in Tokyo this week

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).

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government No 1 Building in Shinjuku serves as the backdrop for a jaw-dropping and record-breaking projection mapping show. Covering an area of a whopping 13,905sqm, the after-dark spectacle has been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest permanent display of its kind in the world. The nightly showcase features a range of visual wonders created by a mix of local and international artists. Some shows are inspired by Tokyo’s rich history, while others draw on themes like the lunar cycle.  Currently, on weeknights, you can catch striking visuals synchronised to ‘800’ and 'Zankyosanka' by hit Japanese pop singer and lyricist Aimer as well as ‘Pac-Man eats Tokyo’, ‘Lunar Cycle’, ‘Synergy’, ‘Tokyo Resonance’ and ‘Evolution’. On weekends, you can look forward to the aforementioned ‘Zankyosanka (Aimer)’, as well as ‘Godzilla: Attack on Tokyo’ and ‘TYO337’, a display featuring motifs of traditional Japanese performing arts such as Kabuki paired with electronic beats.  From March 20, Pokémon Trading Card Game ‘Tokyo Luminous Night’, a brand-new projection-mapping show featuring Pokémon cards on a massive scale, has been running on weekends and holidays from 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 9pm. Be sure to check the event website for more details. Shows take place every night at fifteen-minute intervals from 6pm (Mar from 6.30pm, 7pm from Apr, 7.30pm from May to Aug) to 9.45pm. For more details and to check the full programme of daily projection mapping shows,...

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.

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.

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.

Dafi Kühne works at the intersection of graphic design, craftsmanship and mechanical performance. At a moment when digital production and AI-generated imagery increasingly dominate visual culture, the Swiss designer has devoted himself to the tactile rigor of letterpress printing, transforming a centuries-old technique into a radically contemporary form of expression. This summer, Ginza Graphic Gallery showcases his distinctive process with ‘Dafi Kühne: Constructing Posters’, on view from July 14 to August 26. Far from nostalgic revivalism, Kühne’s practice pushes analogue printing into unexpected territory. Working from his studio in the Swiss Alps, he operates nearly forty tons of presses, metal type, woodblocks and custom-built tools to produce monumental posters by hand. His works often reach the scale of Swiss street posters, demanding an intense physical engagement with the machinery itself. Combining traditional techniques with self-engineered modifications and digital experimentation, Kühne treats printing not simply as reproduction, but as a performative and sculptural act. The exhibition traces this intricate process from conception to finished object. Alongside completed posters, visitors encounter printing blocks, typographic elements, handmade linocuts and material fragments that reveal the labour embedded within each image. The result is a meditation on the enduring expressive power of the human hand in an increasingly immaterial age, and an immersive...

The Edogawa Fireworks Festival has been lighting up Tokyo’s eastern skies for more than five decades, making it one of the city’s most established fireworks events. Following last year’s milestone 50th anniversary celebration, the 51st edition ushers in a new era with synchronised musical fireworks enhanced by the latest technology.Don’t be late: the show kicks off in spectacular fashion with 1,000 fireworks launched within the first five seconds. The hour-long display then unfolds across a series of themed segments before culminating in a dramatic finale featuring Mt Fuji-inspired fireworks and cascading willow-shaped Golden Kamuro blooms.The event takes place from 7.15pm to 8.20pm on the banks of the Edogawa River near Shinozaki Park, a roughly 20-minute walk from Shinozaki Station. Organisers have warned that space in the free viewing area might become scarce after 5pm – so get there early to claim a good spot.

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.

Hakkeijima Island near Yokohama is bringing back its music-synced pyrotechnic shows this summer, with approximately 2,500 fireworks being launched during a span of 10 minutes. Happening on select weekends and holidays from May 30 to November 22, the fireworks are viewable from the island’s free-to-enter boardwalk area or the paid Hakkeijima Sea Paradise amusement park grounds. Utilising state-of-the-art digital controls, the fireworks are timed to blast with musical beats to the nearest tenth of a second, illuminating the night sky as if the sparks danced to the music. Shows start from 8.30pm (8pm from October onwards) on May 30, Jun 27, Jul 18-19 & 25, Aug 1, 8, 15 & 29, Sep 19-22, Oct 10-11, Nov 21-22 and Mar 20-21, 2027. Check the event website for the latest details.

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.