Tokyo Events September 2025

Come September, Tokyo’s murderous heat should have tapered off slightly into comfortably warm temperatures. Join the rest of the city in enjoying the remaining summer days with live music and festivals. As ever, there are plenty of food-themed festivals throughout the month, so make sure you go hungry to these events!

Fireworks at the Chofu Autumn Fireworks © Zengame

2 July-9 November 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Sou Fujimoto
Location: Mori Art Museum
Time: 10:00am-10:00pm (until 5:00pm on Tuesdays)
Admission: TBC
Website: Official website (English)

Sou Fujimoto is one of Japan’s most notable architects, with a bevy of iconic buildings under his belt over the course of his international career. From the Musashino Art University Museum & Library to the White Tree housing complex in Montpellier, France, this first major retrospective of Fujimoto’s work offers a birds-eye view of his architectural journey over the last quarter-century. If you love contemporary Japanese architecture, this exhibition at the Mori Art Museum is a must-go.

5 July-7 September 2025

Event: Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine Wind Chime Festival
Location: Hikawa Shrine, Saitama
Time: 9:00am-9:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)

If your online dating adventures are proving to be an endless slog of unfulfilling matches, perhaps it’s time to enlist a little divine help. Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine in Saitama is one of Japan’s many ‘love shrines,’ and it’s especially popular with single folks seeking the partner of their dreams – or at least someone they can get along with for a few years! This summer, head to the shrine for a charming festival at the shrine, which for this occasion is decorated with around 2000 colourful wind chimes making beautiful music in the breeze. Who knows – maybe you’ll run into someone nice there. At the very least, it’s a great day trip out of the city.

6-7 September 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine Festival
Location: Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine, Daizawa
Time: 12:00pm-8:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)

If you haven’t had enough summer festivals yet, here’s another one for you. The Kitazawa Hachimanjinja Matsuri is another local neighborhood festival, this time taking place in the charming and moderately quirky Shimokitazawa area. While it runs over the weekend, you’ll have to come on Sunday to see the omikoshi (shoulder-borne shrines) and dashi (wheeled floats). A fun, family-friendly event.

7 September 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. If it rains, expect it not to run.

7 September 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Oedo Antique Market
Location: Tokyo International Forum
Time: 09:00am-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 21 September.

At the Sanma Festival © Gene Jackson

7 September 2025

Event: Meguro Sanma Matsuri
Location: Meguro Station Shopping Arcade, East Exit of JR Meguro Station
Time: 10:00am-2:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)

Everybody loves free food. The annual Meguro Sanma Matsuri is back again, and this year, they’re giving away 7000 grilled sanma (pacific saury) to mark the beginning of the season for this fish. The fish comes fresh from Miyako City in Iwate Prefecture. If you want one, head down to the east side of Meguro Station at 10:00am for one. Queuing is a national sport in Japan, so this will probably be the longest line you’ve ever seen. The organizers advise bringing drinks to stay hydrated while waiting in line. The heat can be dangerous!

At an antique and flea market, Tokyo © shuzo serikawa

12-14 September 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.

A lively scene at the Nezu Shrine Festival © Guilhem Vellut

13-14 September 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Nezu Shrine Festival
Location: Nezu Shrine
Time: 12:00pm-8:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)

While Nezu Shrine is usually rather quiet and tranquil throughout the year, the Nezu Shrine Festival enlivens the shrine grounds with the usual medley of food stalls, traditional music, dancing, and the omikoshi procession. It’s not all that different from the average neighborhood festival, but has a great local feel to it. If you want to watch the dance performances, turn up at 7:00pm on both days, or at 2:00pm on Sunday. It’s a festival worth dropping by if you’re in the neighborhood.

14-28 September 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 9 August 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.

16 September 2025

Event: Tokyo National Museum – Free Admission Day
Location: Tokyo National Museum
Time: 9:30am-5:00pm (Last admission: 4:30pm)
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (English)

The Tokyo National Museum is one of Japan’s best, and if you want to skip on the admission fee, head there on Respect-for-the-Aged Day when the public gets free admission to regular exhibitions. In fact, the TNM opens its doors to the public for free three times a year: 18 May, 16 September, and 3 November. Expect throngs of other visitors alongside.

21 September 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Chofu Autumn Fireworks
Location: Banks of the Tama River, Chofu
Time: 6:15pm-7:15pm
Admission: Free – paid tickets available
Website: Official website (Japanese)

Located out west of Central Tokyo, Chofu City is home to the gorgeous Tama River and a number of movie studios and film companies. This is probably why their firework festival is also known as ‘City of Cinema: Chofu Autumn Fireworks.’ That, and the 10,000 rockets launched over the river are set to music ranging from movie soundtracks to pop songs. It’s one of Tokyo’s less well-known festivals, but you can tell they’re not holding back on anything! Expect around 35,000 people to turn up to this aerial extravaganza.

You can watch for free, but if you prefer some vestiges of comfort, check out the paid seating areas at the official website.

21 September 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Nikkan Koryu Festival
Location: Komazawa Olympic Park
Time: 11:00am-6:30pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)

Relations between Japan and Korea aren't always great, but at least there's this annual festival to help keep grassroots relations going. This cultural exchange festival has been running for over 15 years now – it takes place simultaneously in both Tokyo and Seoul – and it's a fabulous event to immerse yourself in Korean culture. Eat your fill of kimchi, drink plenty of makgeolli (a slightly sweet, fizzy rice sake), and watch the traditional dance and music performances. Stay for the K-pop star who'll grace the stage - but you'll have to wait until the day to find out who it is.

26 September-7 October 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Red Spider Lily Festival
Location: Kinchakuda, Saitama
Time: 9:00am-4:30pm
Admission: ¥500
Website: Official website (Japanese)

September is spider lily season, and this little wooded corner of Saitama sees its grounds carpeted with over five million blood red flowers for around two weeks. Spider lilies, or higanbana as they’re known in Japanese, are associated with death and the afterlife in Japanese folklore. That’s not just because they grow around “ohigan” (autumn equinox), but also because these poisonous flowers used to be planted around graves to deter scavenging animals. Its macabre associations notwithstanding, they really are stunning en masse. A must-see for flower lovers.

Fireworks in summer © Marufish

27 September 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Kita-ku Fireworks Festival
Location: Akabane Sakuratsutsumi Greenery, Akabane
Time: 6:30pm-9:00pm
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)

Here’s your chance to catch one of the last fireworks festivals before the autumn winds start blowing in! In honour of the 8th consecutive year of the Kita-ku Fireworks Festival, they’ll launch a whopping 8888 fireworks into the sky. This takes place behind the old Iwabuchi sluice gate, making for a vibrant contrast with the antique dam. While it’s free to watch, you can purchase tickets for paid seats at the official website if you like.

Note that the show will take place in the event of rain, but stormy weather will see it cancelled. So if a typhoon rolls into town, you know to cancel your plans.

27-28 September 2025

Event: Tokyo Game Show 2025
Location: Makuhari Messe, Mihama Ward, Chiba
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm
Admission: TBC – advance purchases only
Website: Official website (English)

Gamers, mark your calendars. One of the top gaming shows in the world is back this year, and you'll want to make a game plan for visiting. Whether you're looking for the newest games from huge companies or checking out independent producers, turning up early will ensure that you spend less time queuing at the booths than you otherwise would. Of course, you could also just go to check out the cosplayers.

28 September 2025

Event: Nogi Shrine Antique Market
Location: Nogi Shrine
Time: 9:00am until nightfall
Admission: Free
Website: Official website (Japanese)

This small-scale, local, and charming antique market takes place along the shrine’s main approach every 4th Sunday. Visit to chat and haggle with sellers over items of all kinds: from secondhand clothing to kokeshi dolls to wooden furniture to stamps from several decades ago, you might find anything and everything here. If it rains, though, consider the event cancelled.

Late September To Early November 2025 (To be confirmed)

Event: Cosmos Flower Festival
Location: Showa Kinen Park
Time: 9:30am-5:00pm
Admission: ¥450
Website: Official website (Japanese)

So named for their beautifully symmetrical appearance, cosmos are delicate daisy-like flowers that come in shades of orange, yellow, pink, white, red, lilac, and crimson. In Japan, they’re nicknamed autumn’s cherry blossoms — fairly apt, since they seem to be absolutely everywhere around late September to October.

One of the best places to see cosmos flowers in Tokyo is at the sprawling Showa Kinen Park, where the fields are blanketed in cosmos from around mid-September. They usually peak around early to mid-October, but depending on the weather, it’s possible to enjoy them as late as early November. There are a few main gardens to see them within the park, but our favourite last year was the evocatively-named “Lemon Bright” field carpeted in yellow sulphur cosmos.

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

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