What's on in Tokyo, Japan through the year

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, New Year shutdown

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: New Year shutdown (29 Dec – 3 Jan)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Plum blossom

  10 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyCherry blossom

  Ume comes out a month before the cherries, at Yushima Tenjin and the Imperial Palace gardens, on the coldest and clearest days of the year.

• Hazard

  Cedar pollen season

  10 Feb – 20 Apr · usually

  Sugi and then hinoki pollen blow in off the plantations west of the city from mid-February. A third of the country reacts to it and pharmacies sell out of masks. Source ↗

Busy — between the peaks, Cherry blossom

• Nature

  Cherry blossom

  22 Mar – 8 Apr · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The front usually reaches Tokyo in the last week of March and peaks in the first days of April. Full bloom lasts about a week, and rain can end it in a night. Source ↗

Still on: Plum blossom (10 Feb – 10 Mar (usually)), Cedar pollen season (10 Feb – 20 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Cherry blossom

• Holiday

  Golden Week

  29 Apr – 5 MayCrowdedBook early

  Four national holidays in a row put the whole country on the move. The weather is the best of the year and the trains, hotels and airports are the worst. Source ↗

Still on: Cedar pollen season (10 Feb – 20 Apr (usually)), Cherry blossom (22 Mar – 8 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Golden Week

• Festival

  Sanja Matsuri

  15–17 MayMajor festivalCrowded

  Asakusa's own festival, three days on the third weekend of May: a hundred-odd portable shrines shouldered through the lanes around Sensoji, and close to two million people there to watch them go. The streets are impassable from mid-morning. Source ↗

Still on: Golden Week (29 Apr – 5 May)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Tsuyu, the rain season

  8 Jun – 20 Jul · usuallyMonsoon

  The front usually sets in during the second week of June and holds for five or six weeks: warm, grey and humid, with hydrangeas as the compensation.

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Sumida River fireworks

• Festival

  Sumida River fireworks

  25 JulMajor festivalCrowded

  Twenty thousand shells over the river at Asakusa on the last Saturday of July, watched by close to a million people. The trains afterwards are the hard part. Source ↗

Still on: Tsuyu, the rain season (8 Jun – 20 Jul (usually))

Peak crowds — Obon, Summer break (natsuyasumi) in Japan

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Aug – 10 Oct · usuallyClosures

  The peak of the season is late August and September. A direct hit stops the trains and grounds flights for a day; the warnings come with plenty of notice. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Obon

  13–16 AugNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The other great travel week. Much of the city goes back to its home town, family businesses close, and long-distance trains and flights are booked out. Source ↗

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Aug – 10 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Aug – 10 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — between the peaks

• Nature

  Autumn colour

  15 Nov – 10 Dec · usually

  The gingkos and maples in the city gardens turn very late, usually peaking around the start of December, weeks after the mountains west of Tokyo.

Peak crowds — New Year shutdown, Winter break (fuyuyasumi) in Japan

• Holiday

  New Year shutdown

  29 Dec – 3 JanSchool holidaysClosures

  The city closes almost completely for the first three days of January: offices, most restaurants, many museums. The shrines are the exception and they are packed. Source ↗

Still on: Autumn colour (15 Nov – 10 Dec (usually))