Koenji Awa-Odori
Photo: Tokyo Koenji Awa-Odori | Koenji Awa-Odori
Photo: Tokyo Koenji Awa-Odori

August 2025 events in Tokyo

Plan your August in Tokyo with our events calendar of the best things to do, including summer festivals, fireworks, gigs and dance parties

Advertising

August in Tokyo is usually when the summer heat hits its peak, resulting in plenty of sweaty messes on the trains, peak electricity usage and incessant dehydration warnings (be sure to also check for heatstroke warnings). However, August is also the month for some of the city's best festivals, and chances to cool down at one of the city's many public pools and water parks

Looking for more things to do? 

- The best summer festivals in Tokyo
- The tastiest kakigori shaved ice in Tokyo
- The best day trips from Tokyo 

Our August highlights

  • Art
  • Hakone

Though he died at just 37, Vincent van Gogh left behind a body of work that revolutionised modern art; an oeuvre celebrated for its swirling brushstrokes, bold colours and raw emotional force. Yet the Dutch master’s legacy is shaped as much by his turbulent life as by his luminous canvases, and this narrative of suffering and passion continues to captivate audiences around the world.

With ‘A Renewal of Passion’, the Pola Museum of Art in Hakone presents its first-ever exhibition dedicated to the post-Impressionist painter. Running until November 30, the display features key works from the museum’s own collection alongside historical and contemporary responses to Van Gogh’s art, highlighting how his fervent creativity has inspired generations of artists across continents and eras.

The show emphasises Van Gogh’s influence in Japan, where his deeply personal style resonated as early as the Meiji era (1868–1912), and highlights modern reinterpretations by artists such as Yasumasa Morimura and Fiona Tan. Composed of paintings, installations and archival materials, the exhibition offers a poignant meditation on the enduring power of Van Gogh’s vision in a changing world.

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising