With the arrival of the cherry blossoms, spring finally feels like it’s in full swing. From art exhibitions to blossom viewing festivals, there are all kinds of events across the metropolis to get you in the mood for spring.
Cherry blossoms against an azure sky © Lisa Borbély
1 February-6 April 2025
Event: Yomiuri Land Jewellumination
Location: Yomiuri Land
Time: 4:00pm-8:30pm
Admission: From ¥1800
Website: Official website (Japanese)
If you subscribe to the idea that bigger is better, there’s no larger light show than Yomiuri Land’s annual winter illumination extravaganza. As the name suggests, it’s all about evoking jewels and gems, and there are ten themed areas covered with blindingly bright LEDs. There’s the Crystal Passage and Celebration Promenade, as well as an epileptic fountain show with illuminated jets of water, flames, and lasers, all set to music. It does make one wonder about the state of their electricity bills.
15 March-7 April 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Sakura Fes Nihonbashi (Nihonbashi Sakura Festival)
Location: Coredo Muromachi; Nihonbashi, Yaesu, and Kyobashi areas
Time: All day
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
The Nihonbashi area doesn’t have quite as many cherry trees as some other parts of Tokyo, but it does put on all sorts of sakura-themed installations and events every year. Think a cherry blossom noren (fabric divider) avenue, food stalls, music, art exhibitions, and illuminated landmarks. At the very least, it’s a great way to kill a bit of time around Tokyo Station or around your hotel in Nihonbashi.
Rikugien nighttime cherry blossom illuminations © Marufish
16 March-2 April 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Rikugien Cherry Blossom Lightup
Location: Komagome
Time: Sundown-9:00pm (Last Admission: 8:30pm)
Admission: ¥300
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Around late March to early April, everyone can enjoy one of Tokyo’s most beautiful Japanese landscape gardens after dark. Rikugien’s annual celebrations mean the return of the spring illuminations, when the park and its cherry trees will be lit up when evening falls. Bring your friends after work and enjoy some matcha and Japanese sweets at the teahouse (last orders are at around 7:30pm). You’re sure to have a magical hanami party here.
22 March-21 April 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Ukima Park Cherry Blossom and Tulip Illumination
Location: Ukima Park, Itabashi
Time: 5:30pm-9:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Kill two birds with one stone this spring by visiting Ukima Park for the stunning sight of tulips and cherry blossoms in full bloom. By day, the park is festooned with cotton candy-pink trees and fields of bold pinks, crimson and white; by nightfall, the flowers glow beautifully under soft LEDs. The park itself isn’t far outside of central Tokyo (around 20 minutes from Shinjuku Station) but it’s generally less crowded than the more popular spots.
Walking through a garden of azaleas at Nezu Shrine © Guilhem Vellut
30 March-30 April 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri
Location: Nezu Shrine
Time: 9:30am-5:30pm
Admission: ¥500
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Flower festivals are a huge visitor draw for shrines and temples, and Nezu Shrine’s Tsutsuji Matsuri or Azalea Festival coincides with the blooming of over 3000 azalea plants in its 300-year old garden. The entry fee is nominal, but gives you access to a large garden of azalea bushes stretching as far as the eye can see, ranging from shades of cream and pink to deepest fuchsia. Have a beverage at the teahouse (open for two weeks between) and various performances throughout the month at the shrine.
The last week of April is the last week to catch the azaleas before this garden is closed to the public again.
Browsing for bargains at a flea market © shuzo serikawa
4 April 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Oedo Antique Market
Location: Tokyo International Forum
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (English)
Billed as the largest outdoor antique market in Japan, the event attracts shoppers from all walks of life. There is quite literally everything and anything old here: Taisho-period glassware, ceramics, rusty coins, gorgeous jewelry, secondhand kimono ranging from dirt cheap to a few hundred dollars… Whether you’re looking for a cheap bargain or a rare gem from the 1880s, you’re sure to find something for your budget. Haggling is best very early in the morning or towards the end of the day, though you can spend the whole day browsing.
The market is closed in case of rain, but this market is held twice or thrice a month. So, if that happens, you can try your luck again on 4 April.
5-6 April 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: African Festival Yokohama 2025
Location: Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
Time: 11:00am–7:00pm (ends at 5:00pm on 6 April)
Admission: Free
Website: TBC
Looking to explore African cultures and traditions? Head over to the iconic Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama this April for one of Japan’s largest African cultural events. They’re a self-described trade, investment, and cultural exposition, but even if you’re not there to network, it’ll offer a fascinating look into the cultures of various African countries. Not only will there be performances from dances to drumming to traditional instruments, there are many delicious food stalls and handmade arts and crafts to bring home. A great way to expand your cultural horizons on the first weekend of April.
6 April 2025
Event: Hanazono Shrine Antique Market
Location: Hanazono Shrine
Time: 6:30am-4:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Here’s another fun reason to visit Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku: there’s a small but regular antique fair happening there almost every Sunday. The Hanazono Shrine Blue Sky Antique Fair - which is the full name in Japanese, roughly translated - is not exactly endless sprawl and shopping, since there are only 25-30 stalls maximum at any given time. Smaller items are the focus here, rather than large furniture or statement pieces.
The market runs from sunrise to sunset, though visiting in the morning is best since many stalls tend to close around 3pm. (Come around then for the best bargains.) Check the calendar above before you go. This month, it’s being held on 6, 13, 20, and 27 April. If it rains, expect it not to run.
6 April 2025
Event: Kanamara “Penis” Festival
Location: Kanayama Shrine, Kawasaki
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: X account (Japanese)
Thousands of visitors turn up each year for the infamous penis parade held by Kanayama Shrine. Taking place on the first Sunday of April, the parade is exactly as the name suggests — a procession of people and phallic protuberances. The origins of this festival: worshippers, especially local sex workers, used to (still do) pray to the enshrined deities for safe childbirth and protection from STDs. Naturally, you can pick up all sorts of phallus-shaped candies and snacks at the festival, and we don’t just mean bananas.
White elephant at the Hana Matsuri © Guilhem Vellut
8 April 2025
Event: Hana Matsuri
Location: Senso-ji Temple
Time: 10:30am-3:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Literally meaning the ‘Flower Festival,’ Hana Matsuri is held on 8 April every year to celebrate Buddha’s birthday. They’ll be serving hydrangea tea to visitors, and you can purchase some limited-edition temple merchandise on this day. The Hana Matsuri isn’t just limited to Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, so if you don’t feel like jostling with the crowds, most Buddhist temples will hold some kind of small celebration or commemoration on this day.
12 April 2025
Event: Asakusa Kannon-ura Ichiyo Sakura Festival
Location: Asakusa Kannon-ura
Time: 10:00am-4:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Cherry blossoms are an excuse to throw many festivals. The biggest draw at this particular annual festival in Asakusa held on the second Saturday of April every year – besides the gorgeous yaezakura (late-blooming cherry trees), flea market, and street food – is the Edo Yoshiwara Oiran Parade. Local residents dress up as Edo-period courtesans and walk through the streets, recreating the geisha processions of old. It’s remarkably elaborate and glamorous. Unsurprisingly, it also attracts throngs of people.
Wisteria at Kameido Shrine © Zengame
12 April-4 May 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Wisteria Festival
Location: Kameido Tenjin Shrine
Time: All day
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Even more alluring than cherry blossoms may be the purple wisteria flowers. If you missed the cherries, late April to early May is a fantastic time to see them. Kameido Tenjin Shrine is a Tokyo favourite for wisteria-viewing, and is popularly billed as one of the best places in the metropolis for these flowers. Clusters of lavender-colored wisteria - planted during the Edo period - dangle from trellises above a tranquil pond filled with koi fish and turtles, creating a gorgeous reflection. Come for the flowers, stay for the festival food.
12-13 April 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Earth Day Tokyo 2025
Location: Yoyogi Park Events Square
Time: 10:00am-7:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Sustainability is the name of the game at this event in Yoyogi Park celebrating Earth Day. Expect two days of art, healing vibes, and music, and the chance to find out about eco-friendly companies, environmental NPOs and charities in Japan. Also, vegetarians usually have a tough time eating out in Japan - there are vastly fewer, readily-available options - but at the Earth Day Kitchen Zone, delicious vegetarian (and even vegan!) food choices abound.
29 April-6 May 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Haru-no-Taisai: Spring Grand Festival
Location: Meiji-jingu Shrine
Admission: Free
Website: TBC
If you’ve ever wanted a visual crash course in the traditional Japanese performing arts, you could do far worse than checking out the Spring Grand Festival at Meiji-jingu Shrine near Yoyogi Park. This festival is held during Golden Week – when the whole nation seems to go on holiday – and centers around several important Shinto rituals and ceremonies. Watch shrine maidens perform the sacred ‘Urayasu-no-Mai’ dance for a peaceful world, listen to Bugaku (ancient imperial court music) and Satsuma biwa (Japanese lute) performances, and sit through a visually stunning Noh play (classical Japanese theatre). The bulk of the performances take place on 2 and 3 May; check the official website for this year’s schedule.
Tokyo Vacation Checklist
- For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Tokyo guide
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- See my comprehensive Packing List For Japan
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- If you're visiting more than one city, you might save money with a Japan Rail Pass – see if it's worth it for you
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