February 2026 events in Tokyo

Don’t feel discouraged if you haven’t been sticking to your 2026 resolutions. According to the lunar calendar, we still have a few more days before we officially enter the 2026 new year, which begins on February 18. If you want to celebrate the year of the fire horse in Japan, there are few better places to visit than Yokohama Chinatown, which has observed Chinese Spring Festival traditions since 1986.

Starting from 2022, the festivities are held concurrently with dazzling displays of colourful lanterns based on Chinese zodiac animals from January 20, installed in 60-odd locations throughout Yokohama, including Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Bashamichi Station and Yamashitacho Park in the heart of Chinatown.

This year’s festivities kick off with a Lunar New Year midnight countdown at Yamashitacho Park on February 16. Celebrations continue through February 17, with live performances, food pop-ups and glowing lantern displays. Here are the highlights to look forward to.

February 17 (Tue), 4pm: a key ritual of Lunar New Year celebrations, the afternoon is marked by a neighbourhood-wide Cai Qing lion dance, in which the lion plucks and 'eats' hanging greens to symbolically claim prosperity, overcome obstacles and bless the neighbourhood with good fortune.

February 21 (Sat), 4.30pm: the Shukumai-yuko procession will begin at Yamashitacho Park, where a dazzling ensemble of lion dancers, rickshaws carrying people dressed as famous Chinese emperors, and other performing artists parade through Kanteibyo Street, Fukken Road, Nishimon Street and Minami-mon Silk Road. The procession will finish back at Yamashitacho Park.

February 22 (Sun), 23 (Mon holiday), 1pm-5pm: a showcase of acrobatics, lion and dragon dances and other spectacles will take to the stage at Yamashitacho Park. Everyone is welcome to catch the performances for free, but you should purchase tickets online in advance for the best seats.

February 28 (Sat), March 1 (Sun) 3.30pm: to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Chinese Spring Festival, Bian Lian mask-changing performances and lion dances will take place near Zenrinmon Gate. Get there early if you want to enjoy the performances up close.

March 3 (Wed), 5.30pm-7pm: more lion dances will take place during the lantern festival at Masobyo Temple to mark the end of the lunar new year celebrations. If you want to score a free paper lantern and write your New Year wish on it, grab one at Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal or Masobyo Temple (while supplies last, until Mar 1).

Be sure to check the event’s official website for the latest programme.

The neighbourhoods of Ochiai and Nakai are famous for their traditional dyeing industries that date back to the Edo period (1603-1868). The annual Some no Komichi festival takes place in Nakai, which is affectionately known as the ‘Town of Dyeing’, where over 300 related businesses flourished between the early Showa era (1926–1989) and the 1930s. These days, the area is still home to a few skilled craftsmen, who work tirelessly to preserve the traditional dyeing techniques.

For this celebration, dozens of colourful fabrics are strung across the Myoshoji River – just like in the olden days when craftsmen washed their newly dyed cloths in the river, while you’ll find plenty of noren (traditional shop curtains) being displayed along the local shotengai (shopping street). You can also participate in workshops (Japanese only, entrance fees apply) and watch demonstrations held at the local primary school from 11am to 4pm on February 21 and 22.

For a deeper insight into the history of local dyeing culture and more, sign up for the free English information session (Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am at Ochiai Daigo Primary School). Guided tours in English are also planned and will be announced on their official Instagram in February.

Be sure to check the official guide map before visiting.

Succulent crab legs, salmon roe rice bowls and uni (sea urchin) croquettes are just some of the mouthwatering bites you’ll find at the Sakana & Japan Festival. Happening from February 20 to 23, this four-day event at Yoyogi Park Event Square is one of Tokyo’s largest seafood festivals, where you can feast on fish, crustaceans and the like to your heart’s content.

While details for the 2026 event are yet to be released, expect to see around 60 stalls offering hot dishes like oyster ajillo, ayu skewers, nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) rice bowls and niboshi (seafood broth) ramen to keep you going on a cold winter day. You’ll also find interesting dishes such as scallop macaroni casserole and a fried cod burger, which will definitely appease serious foodies. Whatever your choice, you can always wash it all down with sake or beer.

Entry to the festival is free. You can pay for meals with cash or e-payment options, including credit card (contactless), Suica, Pasmo and PayPay.

The 12th edition of the Kakuuchi Festival is set to be another boozy affair. ‘Kakuuchi’ refers to the bar that’s inside a liquor store and this festival celebrates the kakuuchi culture by replicating the drinking style. Here, small bars serving up a selection of sake, shochu and wine will be attached to their respective liquor store booth. Additionally, there will be around 30 food stalls cooking up sweet and savoury dishes to pair with your drinks.

Admission is ¥500 and it comes with a free sake tasting experience. However, if you're looking to sample a variety of alcohol from the comfort of your own table, get an admission and seat bundle, which comes with one drink token.

Both ticket types can be purchased in advance online, to avoid the queues. 

Head over to Ueno Park in February to warm up with a popular Japanese winter soul food. Held for five days from February 19 to February 23, this festival is serving up piping-hot bowls of oden from 24 regions of Japan (and 1 from South Korea) and cups of sake from Okinawa to Aomori.

Oden is a hot pot-style dish consisting of an assortment of fish cakes along with daikon radish, konnyaku and more, all cooked in a nourishing broth of dashi, soy sauce, sake and mirin. 

Match this comforting winter warmer with a fragrant cup of sake (sold both hot and cold) to truly conquer the chill. 17 vendors from across the country will be pouring their best local sake, craft beer, homemade cocktails and more. The festival will set the mood with a wide range of live entertainment on stage. (Details yet to be released for 2026)

Check the event website for the full list of performing artists and sake vendors.

Setagaya's Hanegi Park is home to over 650 plum blossom trees spanning 60 varieties. These small, pink flowers bloom when the weather starts to warm up and Hanegi Park celebrates with a month-long festival.

The Setagaya Plum Festival (or Setagaya Ume Matsuri) celebrates the flowering season with events like mochi pounding, tea ceremonies and traditional music performances. Most of these events take place on weekends and holidays. You'll find the event schedule here (in Japanese only).

While you're there, stop by the on-site food stalls for plum jam or plum-flavoured treats like sweet mochi daifuku or baked manju with candied plums and white bean paste inside. 

Kameido's charming Tenjin Shrine hosts this annual early spring festival in celebration of the bloom of more than 250 plum trees – 50 koubai red blossoms and 150 hakubai white plum trees – on the premises. The goken-no-ume tree is particularly special as it has both red and white plums blooming on one tree.

The flowers usually reach full bloom between the middle of February and early March, while a variety of events will take place throughout the festival period – mainly on the weekends.

A popular place for plum blossom fans since olden times, Yushima Tenmangu shrine still draws crowds every year. The plum blossoms might get less hype than the cherry blossoms that follow, but they still make for some gorgeous late-winter scenery.

This year marks the 69th run of the Yushima Tenjin Ume Matsuri. The annual festival is one of Tokyo's most popular late-winter events, and it takes place for a month from February 8 until March 8. The shinto shrine is home to about 300 plum trees, and most of them are around 80 years old. Approximately 80 percent of them produce white plum blossoms. 

On weekends and holidays – February 8, 11, 14-15, 21-23, 28, March 1, 7 – you can look forward to events such as live Kagura (ceremonial silent theatre),  Nihon-buyo (traditional Japanese dance) and taiko drumming as well as flamenco and belly dancing performances.

You’ll also find several stalls selling souvenirs from Bunkyo ward as well as local products from Ibaraki (February 8), Ishikawa (February 8, 14), Aomori (Feb 14-15), Kumamoto (February 21-23), Hyogo/Shimane (February 28-March 1) and Fukushima (March 7-8).

Mukojima Hyakkaen Gardens has been revered as a prime flower viewing spot since the Edo period (1603-1868). In fact, the layout and some of the buildings in this heritage park date back to that time. The highlight, however, is the garden’s 360 plum trees of 20 kinds, which come alive in full bloom between February 7 and March 1 during the annual Plum Festival.

If possible, make sure you visit on February 7 or 23 for the special Edo-era entertainment. There will be a variety of street performances and dances scheduled at 11.40am, 1pm and 3pm. Don’t miss the suzume-odori performance, also known as the sparrow dance, on February 8 and 22 at 1pm and 3pm.

Park staff are offering a 60-minute garden tour on February 21 at 11.40am and 2.40pm. There will also be a special tea ceremony demonstration serving matcha tea at the Onari-zashiki resting area from 11am to 4pm on February 14 and 15. (¥1,500 per seat) Note that the tour is in Japanese only. All events except for the tea ceremony demonstration are free, but there is a fee to enter the garden.

The garden is open daily from 9am-5pm. Check the event website for more details.

An annual occurrence at Zojoji Temple, this bean-throwing festival marks the coming of spring and sees a group of celebrities born in the year of the current Chinese zodiac fling soy beans at the assembled masses. Head over to ensure good health and fortune for the year to come, and take the opportunity to pick up a new omamori charm at the temple stalls. This year, you're able to 'reserve' your potential fortune, with two types of special boxes which include lucky beans and omamori (¥2,000, or ¥1,000 for a smaller box) available as a limited offer before the event. 

Held around February 2 each year, Setsubun celebrates the coming of spring with a bean throwing ritual to ward off evil spirits and bring in good fortune. Those who are born under the Japanese zodiac sign of the current year, horse, are invited to throw beans from the Main Hall at Yakuo-in Temple towards the crowd, alongside sumo wrestlers, actors and singers from 7.30am to 2.30pm. A goma fire ritual is held before the main event to purify those throwing the beans and rid them of evil spirits.

Times for this year's event are yet to be officially announced. Visit the temple website for more details.

Tokyo Tower has been celebrating the coming of spring with a special Setsubun ceremony every year since the tower's opening in 1958. This year’s edition, the 66th, will be held on the second floor of the Main Deck from 10.45am to 11am, when monks from nearby Zojoji Temple will perform their rites. After that, you can watch as the tower's official mascot, Noppon and Tokyo Tower staff who were born in the year of the horse, perform the ritual of throwing beans and candies.

The event is free, but you’ll need to purchase a ticket to enter Tokyo Tower.

Taking place every other weekend at the renovated Shibuya Municipal Kitaya Park, this outdoor vintage market is the place to pick up everything from American Levi's and handmade knit sweaters to candles and unique artisanal accessories. Boasting approximately 20-30 booths, the market offers a curated selection of shops selling on-trend vintage outfits and trinkets from local artists, making it an exciting day out for fashion fiends.

Dates are subject to change. Check the event Instagram for more details.

While you’ll find an abundance of vintage and thrift stores in Shimokitazawa, the trendy neighbourhood also hosts a regular flea market at the Shimokita Senrogai open space, just a few minutes’ walk from the station, beside the Shimokitazawa Police Box. 

Expect plenty of treasures and bargains, from crafts and handmade knick-knacks to jewellery and, of course, secondhand and vintage clothing. When hunger strikes, there’s also a café and a rotating line-up of food trucks.

The massive Unicorn Gundam statue in front of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba is getting lit up with special winter lights. Until March 6, you can see the robot illuminated in pale green, inspired by the upcoming Gundam Hathaway trilogy release 'Mobile Suit Gundam: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe', which is premiering on January 30. While you can see this exclusive light-up from 5pm to 11pm daily, we recommend visiting between 7pm and 9.30pm to also see a special nighttime show featuring a short screening of the animation, held every 30 minutes.

Both a beer festival and a competition among craft brewers, this event is a true celebration of the hoppy beverage. You’ll find a staggering selection of over 41 Japanese breweries and beer importers, as well as a few international labels, during this three-day event at Yokohama Osanbashi Hall.

Some popular Tokyo brewpubs including Tachihi Brewery and Devilcraft Brewery are participating, plus renowned breweries from further afield such as Nomcraft Brewing and Shizuoka's West Coast Brewing. 

You can buy tickets at the door for ¥1,200 (¥1,500 on Saturday & Sunday), or get a ¥300-¥400 discount if you book in advance online. Beer starts from around ¥600 per glass. Don't worry about going hungry, either, as there will be a selection of food vendors selling pub grub such as gyoza and grilled meat.

This pop-up collab is the first of its kind and celebrates the upcoming February release of Walpurgisnacht Rising, the long-awaited sequel to the 2013 film Rebellion, which itself is a continuation of the popular animated series Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

The magic starts at Tembo Galleria (Floors 445 and 450), where the entire place has been decked out in décor featuring scenes from the series and films. On Floor 445, you can have a cute little photo op with one of nine Madoka characters. The photographer takes your photo, then edits in the character of your choosing for ¥1,700 per pic.

The Skytree gift shop on Floor 345 features exclusive items with original visuals ranging from acrylic stands and keychains to handbags and hologram badges. Spend over ¥5,000 to receive a special themed shopping bag.

The Skytree café on Floor 340 features a limited-time speciality menu with food and drink items inspired by the Madoka franchise. For a savoury option, try the Kyubey-themed rice gratin with white sauce, or if you’ve got a sweet tooth, go for the sinfully rich Walpurgisnacht-inspired chocolate parfait.

Beverages come in a variety of flavours, from Madoka’s pink strawberry-flavoured Calpis drink to the lemon tea with orange jelly, inspired by Mami Tomoe’s yellow garb. Each purchase of a Madoka-themed café item gets you one of seven free coasters.

On select evenings, the tower lights up in an array of coloured lights corresponding to each magical girl’s outfit, alternating every two and a half minutes throughout the night.

Tickets are ¥3,100 on weekdays (¥2,150 for children 12-17, ¥1,300 for children 6-11 and free for children under five) or ¥3,400 on weekends and holidays (¥2,350 for children 12-17, ¥1,400 for children 6-11 and free for children under five).

By the way, you can purchase a special ticket that includes a 2026 calendar, which you can print yourself at any local 7-Eleven. Special tickets are ¥3,500 on weekdays (¥2,350 for children 12-17, ¥1,450 for children 6-11) or ¥3,800 on weekends and holidays (¥2,550 for children 12-17, ¥1,550 for children 6-11). Special tickets must be purchased at least a day in advance (no same-day tickets available), so plan accordingly.

For info on tickets or photo op and tower light-up times, visit the official ‘Moonlit Waltz’ website.

Johnny Depp may be best known for his eccentric on-screen roles, but long before fame, he was quietly building a collection of artworks. Now, more than 100 of his paintings and drawings – spanning from his early twenties to the present – are on view at ‘A Bunch of Stuff – Tokyo’, held at +Base 0 inside Newoman Takanawa South. 

The exhibition features five themed spaces, beginning with bold calligraphed quotes that hint at Depp’s mindset. Visitors are then led into a bohemian studio-style room filled with the actor’s personal objects and art supplies brought directly from his workspace. 

Other highlights from the exhibition include Depp’s signature ‘Death by Confetti’ series, where celebratory motifs meet skeletons to reflect the pressure of fame, as well as a video work making its Japan debut inside the immersive ‘Black Box’. Projected across a curved screen, Depp’s paintings come to life as he narrates his reflections on art, identity and the highs and lows of his long career.

The days may be getting shorter and colder, but even so, Tokyo doesn't turn into a dark and desolate place at this less than cheery time of year. In fact, as the city transitions from autumn into winter, millions of colourful LED lights are displayed in trees as well as on and around buildings, turning Tokyo into a sparkling wonderland...

Lace up your skates and glide around the capital's frosty selection of indoor and outdoor ice rinks