Major events

February

Tokyo Marathon 2010

The 4th annual Tokyo Marathon includes two races: a full marathon of 42.195 km, and a 10K run. From the 311,441 applicants, only 35,000 are selected to run in the race through the streets of Tokyo.More

January

Tokyo Shobo Dezome-shiki(The New Year's Fire Review)

Shobo Dezome-shiki is an annual event held by fire department brigades in many places around the country in early January. Tokyo Shobo Dezome-shiki is put on by the Tokyo Fire Department during the New Year season, and features enjoyable performances such as traditional ladder acrobatics and exciting displays of water sprayed from fire engines.More

December

Illuminations showcasing the winter nights

As the December winds blow colder every day, several streets in Metropolitan Tokyo -the capital of Japan- can be found decorated with illuminations that glitter mysteriously at night.More

November

Tokyo Jidai Matsuri (Tokyo Jidai Festival)

On November 3rd, or "Culture Day," a national holiday, the Tokyo Jidai Festival will be held in Asakusa, Tokyo's historical and cultural center. More

October

Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple's Oeshiki Festival

Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple in Ikegami, Ota ward in Tokyo, was established in 1282 to commemorate the death of Nichiren Shonin, the Buddhist monk who founded the Nichiren sect.More

September

Tokyo Jazz Festival 2009

The Tokyo Jazz Festival,one of Japan's largest scale jazz festivals,started in 2002. Since then,the festival has featured the performances of numerous excellent artists. More

August

Tokyo-wan Dai Hanabi Taikai (Tokyo Bay Grand Fireworks)

Fireworks festivals are one of the most spectacular summer events in Japan and are popular with people of all ages. And the Tokyoite's favorite is the Tokyo Bay Grand Fireworks, one of the three big festivals along with the Jingu Gaien Fireworks and the Sumida River Fireworks. More

July

Hozuki ichi (Chinese Lantern Fair)

In ancient Japan, the Chinese lantern plant (hozuki) was a popular medicinal herb. It gets its name from the bright orange lantern-like seed pods that make sound in the wind and have been a favorite of children as a toy. Many Japanese have childhood fond memories of making sounds by blowing through the lantern.More

June

Sanno matsuri (Sanno Festival)

The Sanno Festival, an event of the Hie Shrine in Nagatacho (central Tokyo), is one of the big three festivals in Tokyo, along with the Kanda Festival and the Fukagawa Festival.More

May

Kanda matsuri (Kanda Festival)

Witness the dashing Edokkos (true Tokyoites) carrying a mikoshi portable shrine. The Kanda Festival is one of Japan's three famous festivals along with the Gion Festival in Kyoto and the Tenjin Festival in Osaka. More

April

La Folle Journee au Japon

Originating from France, this classical music festival transforms central Tokyo into a network of musical theaters, music kiosks and special performances.More

January

Ome Ume Plum Blossom Festival Yoshino Baigo

Japan is already rightly known around the world for its famous sakura cherry blossoms that cover the country in late Spring. More

December

Tokyo Antique Fair and Jamboree at Tokyo Big Sight

The Tokyo Antique Fair and Jamboree brings together many of the city's antique dealers and enthusiasts. More

November

Battledore Fair (Hagoita-Ichi)

In Japan, New Years celebrations and events begin in the late fall. One of more unique of these festivities is the annual hagoita-ichi or Battledore Fair. More

October

Tori No Ichi Fair

Picture shrines thronging with buzzing crowds, the air punctuated by rhythmic clapping and the shouts of vendors and patrons.More

September

Nedu Gongen Matsuri(Nedu Jinja Shrine Annual Grand Festival)

Nedu Jinja Shrine, said to have been founded 1,900 years ago by the legendary Yamato Takeru, Prince of the Yamato Dynasty now finds itself nestled in the midst of bustling Bunkyo Ward, is one of those sites off the beaten path that visitors inevitably continue to bring up in story after story when they return home.More

August

Sumidagawa Fireworks

Every July the Sumida River Fireworks Festival (Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai) lights up the Tokyo sky with a symphony of colour, sound and shapes to the cheers of approximately 900,000 people lining the banks of the Sumida-gawa River near Asakusa. More