The cherry blossoms may have come and gone, but now the wisteria, azaleas, and irises are coming into their own. Plus, the outdoor festivities and celebrations ramp up as the weather warms up. May is a great month to be outdoors. Soak up the May sunshine with all the events Tokyo has to offer.
Wisteria at Kameido Shrine © Zengame
7 March-15 June 2025
Event: The Art of the RAMEN Bowl
Location: 21_21 Design Sight
Time: 10:00am-7:00pm (Closed Tuesdays; open 29 April and 6 May)
Admission: ¥1600
Website: Official website (English)
Ramen has come a long way from its working-class roots. Not only do ramen shops now receive Michelin mentions on the regular, ramen bowls now merit their own art exhibitions. Curated by graphic designer Taku Satoh and writer Mari Hashimoto, the exhibition showcases 40 original works largely comprising Minio ceramics from the western Tono region. It’s a great opportunity to see a different side of the beloved noodle dish — and at the very least, the wacky designs might spark quite a few conversations with your travelling companions.
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.
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.
2-4 May 2025
Event: Heiwajima Antique Fair
Location: Heiwajima Ryutsu Center Building
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm (until 4:00pm on the last day)
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (English)
This is, apparently, one of the largest and oldest antique fairs in Japan. It also attracts several hundred antiques dealers from all over the nation, so this bazaar is really less about sifting through the junk for deals, and more about quality antique pieces. Serious shoppers and lovers of all things old should go. You’re likely to score the best deals on the final day of this three-day event.
In 2025, the Heiwajima Antique Fair will be held 4 times a year in March, May, September, and December. In the event you miss this month’s fair, you can plan ahead for another one in the coming months.
Panda at Ueno Zoo © Kanegen
4 May 2025
Event: Ueno Zoo - Free Admission Day
Location: Ueno Zoo
Time: 9:00am-5:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (English)
Ueno Zoo is a beloved institution in Tokyo, not least because it is home to giant pandas from China. This year is also the first time in 29 years that there has been a panda cub born in the zoo resulting from natural mating, making it a rather momentous occasion. Of course, there are numerous kinds of animals to see here.
Come 4 May, visitors can visit Ueno Zoo for free. In fact, there are three days a year when Ueno Zoo opens its doors to the public for free: 20 March (Ueno Zoo’s Anniversary Day), 4 May (Greenery Day), and 1 October (Tokyo Citizen’s Day).
4 May 2025
Event: Tokyo Sea Life Park - Free Admission Day
Location: Kasai Rinkai Park
Time: 9:30am-5:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (English)
With marine animals from oceans across the world – the Pacific, Indian Ocean, Atlantic, Arctic and Antarctic – those who love the sea are sure to be thrilled at a day out here. Don’t forget to catch penguin feeding time. The park is, of course, even better when you can visit for free.
There are three days a year when you can enter for free: 4 May (Greenery Day), 1 October (Tokyo Citizens Day), and 10 October (the aquarium’s Anniversary Day).
4 May 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 18 May.
4 May 2025 (To be confirmed)
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 3:00pm. (Come around then for the best bargains.) Check the calendar above before you go. This month, it’s being held on 4 and 18 May. If it rains, expect it not to run.
Sumo wrestlers squaring off © Better Than Bacon
11-25 May 2025
Event: Sumo Grand Tournament
Location: Kokugikan, Ryogoku
Time: 8:00am-7:00pm
Admission: Various (see ticket pricing)
Website: Official website (English)
The sumo tournament returns to Tokyo! Watching a sumo tournament live is a spectacular experience. Advance tickets go on sale from 5 April onwards, so make sure you get in early. If you don’t manage to buy a ticket online, you can still purchase tickets on the same day. For more information see our online guides here.
Participants carrying a mikoshi at Sanja Matsuri © Guillaume ORTEGA
16-18 May 2025
Event: Sanja Matsuri
Location: Asakusa Shrine
Time: Various (see official website)
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (machine translation)
Considered one of the largest and wildest Shinto festivals in Tokyo, the Sanja Matsuri pulls crowds in the millions over three days in mid-May. Asakusa Shrine is also known as Sanja-sama - Shrine of the Three Gods - hence the name of the festival. The first morning sees a grand procession of various people dressed up in Edo-period costumes, followed by a Shinto ceremony and a traditional dance. From the afternoon and on subsequent days, Asakusa’s local neighborhood mikoshi (portable shrine) are brought out and carried through the streets. On Sunday the festivities peak with the carrying of the three main mikoshi - a sight not to be missed.
18 May 2025
Event: International Museum Day 2025
Location: Ueno
Time: Various (see respective museum websites)
Admission: Various
18 May was designated as International Museum Day in 1977 to “encourage public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society.” In light of this, many of the museums in Tokyo - and the majority of large ones in Ueno, including the Shitamachi Museum, the Tokyo National Museum, and the National Museum of Western Art - open their doors to the public for free on this day every year, usually to the regular exhibitions. Free admission day usually falls “on or around” 18 May. Consult the museum websites before going to ensure that you’ll get in for free.
An Eisa performance © xiquinhosilva
18-19 May 2025
Event: Okinawa Matsuri
Location: Yoyogi Park Events Square
Time: 11:00am-9:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
The Okinawa Festival is back again, bringing that famous southern island charm all the way to the big city. This is your chance to delve into the culture of the Ryukyu Islands. Head over to Yoyogi Park and sample all manner of Okinawan specialities from Goya chanpuru (stir-fried bitter gourd) to rafute (braised belly pork) and cap it off with some Orion beer or awamori (Okinawan liquor). Musical performances and traditional Okinawan dances - Eisa - along with the lively twanging of the sanshin (Okinawan three-stringed instrument) make the festivities especially lively.
24-26 May 2025
Event: Hanazono Shrine Grand Festival
Location: Hanazono Shrine
Time: 10:00am-7:30pm
Admission: Free
Website: Facebook updates
Will the May festivities never end? This traditional festival hosted by Hanazono Shrine has been taking place since the pre-Edo years – that’s around five centuries ago – and will probably keep going for the next five centuries. The festivities, rites, and food stalls go on for three days, but the main event (and highlight) is the Sunday shrine procession. Dozens of volunteers set off around 10:00am from the shrine, hefting a massive 1.5-tonne portable shrine, walking through the streets of Shinjuku all day, and returning to the shrine at 7:30pm. The exact route will be posted on the official Facebook page closer to the event time.
27 May-16 June 2025 (To be confirmed)
Event: Katsushika Iris Festival
Location: Horikiri Shobukoen Garden
Time: 8:00am-6:00pm (between festival dates)
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
It seems like the flower festivals never end in Tokyo! Head over to Horikiri Shobukoen Garden in Katsushika City for several hours of iris-viewing - around 6000 iris plants as far as the eye can see, a lush and vibrant sea of purple and green (and other colours in between). While the garden is usually open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, opening hours are extended during this period. Early bird flower photographers are sure to appreciate the additional hour of morning light. It almost goes without saying that there will also be other events during this time in the park, like live music performances. Everyone loves a good festival.
31 May 2025
Event: Adachi Fireworks Festival 2025
Location: Arakawa Nishiarai Bridge Green Space
Time: 7:20pm-8:20pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)
Fireworks signal the start of summer in Japan, and you could do much worse than the Adachi Fireworks Festival to kick off the hotter months of the year. It used to be held in July, but has been moved to the end of May starting this year for a gentler, more enjoyable (read: less scorching) evening spent watching sparkly explosions in the sky. Get there early, bring snacks, and secure your spot along the banks of the Arakawa River (around 15 minutes from Kita-Senju Station). The event will run if it rains, but not if it storms.
Tokyo Events Month By Month 2025
- Tokyo Events January 2025
- Tokyo Events February 2025
- Tokyo Events March 2025
- Tokyo Events April 2025
- Tokyo Events May 2025
- Tokyo Events June 2025
- Tokyo Events July 2025
- Tokyo Events August 2025
- Tokyo Events September 2025
- Tokyo Events October 2025
- Tokyo Events November 2025
- Tokyo Events December 2025
Tokyo Vacation Checklist
- For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Tokyo guide
- Check Tokyo accommodation availability and pricing on Booking.com and Agoda.com - often you can book with no upfront payment and free cancellation
- Need tips on where to stay? See my one page guide Where To Stay In Tokyo
- You can buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets online from Klook - popular routes include Tokyo to Kyoto, Tokyo to Osaka and Tokyo to Hiroshima
- You can buy an eSim to activate in Japan or buy a Japan SIM card online for collection on arrival at Tokyo Narita or Haneda airports. Or rent an unlimited data pocket wifi router
- See my comprehensive Packing List For Japan
- Compare airline flight prices and timings for the best Japan flight deals. Check my guides to arriving at Narita Airport and at Haneda Airport.
- 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
- World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world
- Do you want help planning your trip? Chris Rowthorn and his team of Japan experts at Japan Travel Consulting can help