Category: Uncategorized

Torigoe Matsuri (Festival) Join almost a quarter of a million revellers enjoying the sight of Tokyo’s heaviest mikoshi (a portable mini shrine that houses a god) being carried through the streets during this four day festival.  The four-ton mikoshi, decorated with lions heads and gargoyles, is carried by the neighbourhood’s strongest residents who are accompanied…

Japan Hobby Show Get ready to unleash your creativity at this three day event that showcases Japanese artistry, craft and hobby making skills. You’ll have the opportunity to attend sewing, knitting and papercraft workshops and to meet hundreds of exhibitors selling unique handmade goods. Visit the show at Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba from the…

Hanami (Cherry Blossom Festival) If you’re in Tokyo during hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season—from late March to early April—pack a picnic and join thousands of Tokyoites celebrating under pink, flowering sakura (cherry blossom) trees in the city’s parks and gardens.  Hanami is celebrated from late March to early April at Inokashira Park (Kichijoji), Shinjuku Gyoen (Shinjuku),…

Oedo Antique Market  Held twice a month, the Odeo outdoor antique market is a wonderland for vintage enthusiasts and design-minded shoppers.  Boasting over 250 dealers, the market is an all-encompassing cornucopia of antique Japanese home furnishings, artworks, books, jewellery, toys, movie memorabilia and much, much more. Spread out over trestle tables and blankets, you’ll find…

Sensō-Ji Temple’s Setsubun festival and the Dance of the Seven Lucky Gods  Setsubun, the 800-year-old tradition in which roasted soybeans are flung into the air to symbolise the removal of evil spirits and the arrival of health and prosperity, is celebrated with pomp and ritual at Sensō-Ji, Tokyo’s most famous and visited temple. Join cheering…

Grand Sumo Tournament  Witness a world of ancient rituals, extraordinary strength and big men in small loincloths at Ryōgoku Kokugikan—Tokyo’s only site-specific sumo stadium—this January. Although sumo is an all-day affair, the high division matches take place in the afternoon from 4 pm when the top rikishi (wrestlers) enter the dohyo (ring) and the most…

Tokyo Christmas Market  Embrace the spirit of gemütlichkeit (cosiness and good cheer) at Tokyo’s largest Christmas market, where you’ll find vendors offering stollen (fruit bread), mulled wine, artisanal gifts and European-style ornaments from cutely designed alpine-style stalls. Add in handicraft workshops, musical performances, sparkly illuminations and a 14-metre-high wooden installation—depicting scenes from the Grimm’s Fairy…

Meiji-Jingu Yabusame Watching yabusame, a traditional demonstration of horseback archery that traces its roots back to the 12th century, is a thrilling experience.  Archers—dressed in ceremonial attire—steer their horses with just their knees as they gallop along a 255-metre track firing arrows at wooden targets in quick succession, all while passionately shouting in-yo (the word…

Hokkaido Product Fair Often described as Japan’s ‘Northern Jewel’, the island of Hokkaido is famed for its fertile farmlands that are perfect for fruit and dairy farming, and also praised for the abundance of fish harvested from its pristine waters. So it’s always a treat to attend Tokyo’s largest outdoor Hokkaido food fair where over…