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Summer is in full swing, which means Tokyo is packed with lively festivals, traditional bon odori dances and dazzling fireworks displays nearly every week. This August 8 to 9 weekend is particularly eventful, with some of Tokyo’s major Tanabata celebrations and other traditional matsuri taking place across the city. From colourful decorations and dynamic dances to neighbourhood festivities and one of Tokyo’s biggest fireworks shows, here are the events you won’t want to miss.
Asagaya Tanabata Matsuri
August 7-11
Asagaya has been holding its own distinctive Tanabata festival for 70 years now – complete with extravagant kusudama ornaments and a colourful curtain of wind-swept streamers, but the event has moved with the times. In recent years, the papier-mâché decorations dangling from the ceiling of the Pearl Center shopping arcade have included modern characters like Godzilla, Chiikawa, Buzz Lightyear and even Donald Trump.
The decorations are there to be seen all day long, but many people wait until dusk to go and enjoy them. That's when the shopping street comes alive with a host of food and drink stalls offering Japanese festive fare.
Fussa Tanabata Festival
August 7-9
You'll find one of Tokyo's longest-running Tanabata celebrations in the western town of Fussa. While other such festivals tend to be fairly low-key affairs, this one (now in its 76th year) is packed with events, including a Princess Orihime contest and a folk dance parade with mikoshi floats. The latter is making a comeback on Friday from 6pm, starting at Fussa Station’s west exit and ending in front of Fussa City Hall.
There are also shows and cheerleading performances on Sunday. Plus, of course, plenty of food stalls around Fussa Station throughout the duration of the festival.
Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival
August 8
Yukata-clad spectators crowd the streets of Harajuku and Aoyama during the mesmerising Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival, a display that ranks as one of Tokyo's top summer festivals. Now in its 45th year, this edition of the event will boast 10,000 fireworks, launched over the span of an hour from Meiji Jingu Gaien Rubber-ball Baseball Field.
The cluster of sports stadiums to the south of the launch site offers the best vantage points, with paid seating available at Meiji Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Alternatively, just wander around the surrounding area until you find somewhere you can see the action for free. The fireworks display lasts for one hour from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.
In case of stormy weather, the festival will be postponed to August 9.
Kanda Myojin Noryo Matsuri
August 6-9
Kanda Shrine’s Noryo Matsuri takes place over three days this weekend. The all-encompassing summer festival features everything from Bon Odori dancing to classic matsuri food, plus a small beer and sake festival that starts a day earlier on August 6.
During the Bon Odori session on Friday (4.30pm-8.30pm), you can dance to popular anime songs, while the ones over the weekend (from 5.30pm) feature Kanda Shrine’s original song ‘Kanda Myojin Ondo’. The organisers uploaded a practice video to their YouTube channel, so make sure to learn the steps before heading over. The festival ends at 8.30pm on all three days.
The event may be cancelled in the event of bad weather. Bon Odori dances will not be held on August 6.
Shibuya Bon Odori
August 8
Prepare for more than three hours of lively dancing right in front of Shibuya 109, as the seventh edition of Shibuya Bon Odori takes over Dogenzaka and Bunkamura-dori on Saturday August 8. Both streets will be pedestrianised from 4.30pm to 10.30pm, creating a festive atmosphere as hundreds of revellers in yukata and other traditional attire dance through the evening. While few details have been announced so far, you can also expect a handful of food stalls serving classic matsuri grub.
Hachioji Festival
August 7-9
Around 20 floats and portable shrines are carried around the north side of Hachioji at this summer festival. It is one of the top events of its kind in the Kanto region, held traditionally on the first weekend of August.
When rival floats pass one another, their bands attempt to throw each other off their groove in a musical face-off known as buttsuke – a distinctive Hachioji tradition. While the floats and portable shrines appear on Saturday and Sunday, also look out for ice sculptures (Aug 7, 1.30pm-4.10pm), taiko drummers (Aug 8, 3pm-4.30pm), Taiwanese dance performers from Kaohsiung (Aug 7 & 9, 6pm-6.20pm, Aug 8 4.30pm-4.50pm) and more in the course of the three-day fest, which usually attracts over 800,000 spectators every year.
For the festival programme, download the official English pamphlet.
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