What's on in Tokyo
5 events in August 2027: 3 festivals and 2 performances, from headline festivals to neighbourhood fairs. 5 of them are annual events whose 2027 dates are still to be confirmed, listed with their usual window.
The hottest, most humid month, and the most festive: Bon Odori dances in parks and temple grounds, fireworks most weekends, and Awa Odori in Koenji at the end of the month. More on the season in Tokyo in summer.
Arakawa riverbed, Itabashi, Itabashi
7 Aug (dates to be confirmed)
Around 15,000 shells fired in sync with the Todabashi festival on the opposite Saitama bank, effectively doubling the show. The finale is a 700 meter Niagara Falls cascade along the river; usually the first Saturday of August, with free viewing areas upstream.
Meiji Jingu Gaien (Meiji Jingu Stadium), Aoyama
7 Aug - 15 (dates to be confirmed)
The only major fireworks show in central Tokyo, with about 10,000 shells launched over the Jingu Gaien sports grounds and watched from ticketed seats inside Meiji Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground. Held on one evening in mid August; the 2027 date is announced in spring.
Hibiya Park, Grand Fountain plaza, Hibiya
27 Aug - 28 (dates to be confirmed)
Office workers and locals dance in huge concentric circles around Hibiya Park's fountain to the Marunouchi Ondo, a song written for this event in 1932. One of the easiest bon odori for beginners to join; anyone can step into the circle.
Shopping streets around Koenji Station, Koenji
28 Aug - 29 (dates to be confirmed)
Tokyo's biggest Awa Odori, with roughly 10,000 dancers in about 160 troupes moving through eight routes in the streets south and north of Koenji Station over two evenings. Running since 1957 and drawing close to a million spectators; arrive before 5pm for a kerbside spot.
Umamichi-dori and Kaminarimon-dori, Asakusa
28 Aug (dates to be confirmed)
Competitive samba parade contest running since 1981, with around 5,000 dancers and full escola-style floats from teams across Japan filling the streets south of Senso-ji for an afternoon. Usually the last Saturday of August, from around noon to 5pm.
Tokyo International Forum, Yurakucho
1st and 3rd Sundays of the month (dates occasionally shift, no August edition)
Japan's largest outdoor antique market, held on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month with 250 or so dealers selling old kimono, ceramics, woodblock prints, and retro homeware. Dates occasionally shift and there is usually no August edition, so check the official schedule before going.
Hanazono Shrine, Shinjuku
Almost every Sunday, roughly 6:30am to 3pm, except festival days and rain
Small, atmospheric antique market held almost every Sunday from early morning in the grounds of Shinjuku's Hanazono Shrine, with 25 to 40 stalls of old ceramics, kimono, coins, and curios. Skipped on festival weekends and in bad weather, so go early and have a backup plan.
Yasukuni Shrine outer approach, Kudanshita
Sundays, sunrise to sunset, weather permitting
A modest Sunday antique market along the tree-lined outer approach to Yasukuni Shrine, with 10 to 20 dealers selling pottery, old tools, and militaria from sunrise to sunset. Small enough to browse in half an hour on the way to the shrine or nearby Chidorigafuchi.
Koganji Temple and Jizo-dori Shopping Street, Sugamo
4th, 14th, and 24th of every month
Temple fair days at Koganji, home of the healing Togenuki Jizo, held on the 4th, 14th, and 24th of every month when food and trinket stalls line Jizo-dori shopping street. Nicknamed the Harajuku for grandmas, it is one of Tokyo's most charming old-school street scenes.
Kishimojin Temple, Zoshigaya
3rd Sunday of the month, 10am to 4pm (check the schedule, some months move or skip)
Craft market held on the third Sunday of most months in the cedar-shaded grounds of Kishimojin Temple, where up to 200 makers may only sell things they made themselves. One of the best places in Tokyo to buy ceramics, leather goods, and prints directly from the artists.
Takahata Fudoson Kongoji Temple, Hino
3rd Sunday of the month, 8am to 4pm
Around 120 dealers fill the grounds of this major Kanto temple on the third Sunday of every month, selling old kimono, clocks, toys, and farmhouse finds. The name Gozare roughly means anything goes as long as it is old, and prices run cheaper than central Tokyo markets.
United Nations University plaza, Aoyama
Every Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 4pm
Tokyo's best-known farmers market runs every Saturday and Sunday on the plaza in front of the United Nations University, with around 50 stalls of produce, honey, coffee, and baked goods from farms across Japan. An easy, food-truck-fuelled stop between Shibuya and Omotesando.
Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine, Fukagawa
Antique market on 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Sundays; flea market on the 15th and 28th of every month
This Edo-era shrine in old-town Fukagawa runs an antique market on most Sundays plus a bigger flea market on the 15th and 28th of each month, with dealers in Imari porcelain, old kimono, and vintage toys. Markets pause in January and are cancelled in rain.
Oi Racecourse, Shinagawa
Most Saturdays and Sundays (skips race days, check the calendar)
Tokyo's biggest regular flea market takes over the Oi Racecourse parking area most Saturdays and Sundays, with 300 to 600 stalls of secondhand clothes, household goods, toys, and the occasional genuine antique. Pure local bargain-hunting rather than a curated antiques fair.
Ark Hills, Ark Karajan Place, Akasaka
Every Saturday, 10am to 2pm
One of Tokyo's longest-running weekly marches, held every Saturday morning at Ark Hills since 2009 with farmers and small producers selling vegetables, bread, and prepared food. A relaxed local scene ten minutes from Roppongi.
Ark Hills, Ark Karajan Place, Akasaka
4th Sunday of the month (2nd Sunday in December), 11am to 5pm
Around 70 vendors of antiques, vintage jewellery, art, and old kimono fill the plaza at Ark Hills on the fourth Sunday of each month, moving to the second Sunday in December. More polished and design-minded than the shrine markets, with food stalls alongside.
Tokyo Ryutsu Center, Heiwajima
About five times a year over three days, typically March, May, July or September, and December (Sep 13-15 and Dec 6-8 in 2026)
Japan's biggest indoor antiques fair, held about five times a year over three days with nearly 300 dealers from across the country under one roof. Because it is indoors it runs rain or shine, making it the safest bet of Tokyo's big antique events.
5 events are listed for August 2027: 3 festivals and 2 performances. 0 have confirmed dates and 5 are annual events whose exact 2027 dates are still to be announced, shown with their usual window. Every listing links to the interactive map.
The hottest, most humid month, and the most festive: Bon Odori dances in parks and temple grounds, fireworks most weekends, and Awa Odori in Koenji at the end of the month.
Near-term events are refreshed every week as organisers announce dates, and finished events drop off automatically. Annual events further out carry their typical dates until the official ones are published.