JUNE: 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.

Tokyo Toy Show

The Tokyo Toy Show never fails to dish up some highly amusing playthings. I discovered THIS unlikely winner, the last time I went. The show is out at the Tokyo Big Site convention center in Odaiba, so you can do plenty of other fun stuff while you’re out there.

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Search term: Tokyo Toy Show

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Mt. Takao Beer Garden

Not only is a day trip to Mt. Takao during the steamy days of June a pleasant only-in-Japan thing to do, there’s an all-you-can-eat, all-you-cam-drink beer garden at the summit in the summertime. (But Mt. Takao isn’t the only beer garden in town – there are other excellent ones around if you do a search!)

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Search term: Tokyo beer garden

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Iris gardens in glorious bloom

The iris gardens of Tokyo are in full bloom at the beginning of June, and they’re a great excuse to go for an only-in-Japan stroll. Click the link for the most gorgeous ones in town

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Hydrangea Festivals

I never thought much about hydrangeas until I came to Japan, where there are giant gardens bursting with thrillingly colored blooms. June is when to see them, and the link will tell you all the best places.

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You can search for more detailed 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

Why has someone been ritually visiting the grave of Tokyo Detective Kenji Nakamura’s mother, on the day before her death anniversary? If her death wasn’t an accident…what was it? Read more