AUGUST: Festivals + Events

Click on Tell me more to read about the event, then use the search term below to find out the exact dates and times for the year you’ll be there.

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Art Aquarium

Tell me more!

Search term: Art Aquarium Nihonbashi 20XX (the year you plan to go). This exhibition travels around and they don’t put up the information about this year’s Tokyo event until closer to the time it opens, so you may have to check back for detailed info.

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Goldfish Festivals

Contemplating goldfish is the age-old way Japanese endure the summer heat, and Tokyo’s aquariums step up to the task with a bunch of cool exhibitions in the summertime. Here are the best ones

Tell me more!

Search terms: Art Aquarium Nihonbashi 20XX (the year you plan to go); Sumidagawa Aquarium; Shinagawa Aqua Park

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Fireworks Festivals

Watching fireworks in colors and shapes (and quantities!) you’ve never imagined, while sitting by the side of a river is one of the great pleasures of warm summer evenings. There are lots of festivals going on all around Tokyo this time of year, so do a search and find one that fits your travel schedule!

Search term: Tokyo fireworks August

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Other events in the month of August that might be worth checking out:

Bon Odori (traditional neighborhood summer circle dancing, with taiko drumming and traditional music)

Asagaya Tanabata Festival

Lanterns on the Sumida River

Koenji Awaodori

Lantern parade and Shinto dance at Kameido Tenjin

(You can search for information on these by Googling the names in bold or searching for them on Tokyo Cheapo or TimeOut Tokyo, which I think have the most reliable info for events that change dates from year to year.)

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While you’re in Japan, read a novel set in Tokyo!

“A genuinely gripping crime thriller which wrong-foots and perplexes the reader throughout, drawing us in emotionally . . . Highly recommended.”

–Raven Crime Reads