With its exciting blend of futuristic skyscrapers and rich culture, Tokyo has endless choices for food, entertainment, and things to do in the city. Plan a 2025 Japan tour, and experience Tokyo’s well-known events, taking place from January to May!
Winter: January to February
- New Year’s Celebrations (January)
In January, New Year’s Celebrations might look quite different in Japan compared to other places around the world. While it is quieter and more low-key, celebrations do occur this time of year, especially around shrines and temples.
Hatsumode is the practice of visiting shrines or temples during the New Year to pray for good fortune. Some people even go to pay their respects to the gods right at the stroke of midnight! At most places of worship, bell-ringing is one of the practices to literally “ring in the new year.” Omikuji that tell your fortune for the year can also be bought, along with a variety of omamori (amulets) for protection, luck, good health, or safety for one’s family.
One of the most popular places to visit for hatsumode in Tokyo is Asakusa‘s Senso-ji Temple. At the front of the line, you can make wishes for the new year, and toss in a 5-yen coin for good luck! If you’re visiting Japan around New Years in 2025, participating in hatsumode at a Japanese shrine with the locals might be a new, interesting cultural experience!
- Setsubun (February)
Setsubun, also known as the bean-throwing festival, takes place in winter, before spring officially begins. It’s typically held in the first few days of February and the bean-throwing itself is believed to drive away bad fortunes and evil spirits, usually represented by an oni (Japanese demon with a red or blue body). Ehōmaki, a sushi roll filled with cooked soybeans or nattō (fermented soybeans), is the traditional food eaten while facing the most auspicious direction of that year. These days, ehōmaki can be found with a variety of fillings, and can be bought from food stores, supermarkets, and even konbini (convenience stores) around February each year. While this festival is usually celebrated by Japanese families for small children, some shrines have festivals for setsubun that are open to the public.
The Ikegami Honmonji Shrine is well-known for their Setsubun festival! Famous celebrities like wrestlers, actors, and singers often visit, and throw bags of soybeans into the crowd for people to take home as souvenirs. During the festival, the shrine grounds will sometimes have food stalls selling hot street food and warm Japanese drinks like amazake, which will be great to warm up your body during the time spent outdoors! This niche Japanese festival at Ikegami Honmonji Shrine would be a great cultural experience to add to your list of places to tour in Japan!
Also read: Taste Tokyo: 10 Street Foods and Where to Find Them
Spring: March to May
- Cherry Blossom Festivals
Cherry blossoms, or sakura, signify the beginning of spring in Japan, but they also symbolize new or changing life events. This is one of the reasons why both the Japanese school year and financial year finish at the end of March, and begin again in early April, with the sakura blossoms marking the point between major chapters in Japanese people’s daily lives. It is not surprising that even local Japanese people participate in sakura tours around Japan to catch these beautiful blooms!
The seasonal changes and blooming of the sakura are notable times of the year that are celebrated with hanami, or flower-viewing parties. This time of year is also celebrated with small matsuri (festivals). Food stalls with Japanese street food usually pop up in open spaces and near parks, to welcome the spring and to offer the chance to enjoy better weather.
While Cherry Blossom Festivals can be found all over Tokyo in late March and early April, do check out the Nakameguro Cherry Blossom Festival, one of the biggest Hanami festivals in Tokyo! Held along the Meguro River promenade, the festival draws many visitors during the spring. For the duration of the festival, well wishes and messages can be written on the lanterns that line the river (for a small fee). The restaurants and businesses lining the river set up food stalls with offer all kinds of sakura-inspired treats. Visitors can buy dango, candied fruit, and sakura mochi, and many other treats! The beauty of the sakura and the bustle of the festival markets could just be the experience you are looking for in your 2025 Japan tour!
- Kanda Matsuri (One of Tokyo’s 3 Great Festivals)
The Kanda Matsuri is usually a 6-day celebration, but the festival’s highlights typically take place over the weekend. Parades with more than 200 portable shrines, called mikoshi, are carried through Central Tokyo (through Kanda, Nihonbashi, Otemachi, and Akihabara), by celebrants dressed in colorful traditional costumes. These celebrants are priests, musicians, or even volunteers from the local community. Crowd favorites among the parading party include men on horses dressed as samurai, floats depicting Japanese folklore scenes, and even modern-day celebrities, musicians, and dancers, participating and supporting this event that is important to the nation’s cultural heritage.
Centred around the Kanda Myoujin Shrine, the Kanda Matsuri is one of Tokyo’s 3 greatest festivals. It is an event that is only held on odd-numbered years – so get ready for it, because it will be held in May 2025!
- Sanja Matsuri (Three Shrine Festival)
The Sanja Matsuri (Three Shrine Festival) takes place every year at Asakusa Shrine in the north of Tokyo (near the Skytree). On the 3rd weekend in May, it features parades with three of the shrine’s mikoshi, which are carried around the temple grounds. Each mikoshi is ornately decorated with gold sculptures and gold leaf, so each of them can weigh over a ton!
The parade begins on a Friday night, marking the start of the festival, and the procession goes along Tanagi Street and Nakamise-dōri, towards the Asakusa Shrine. Musicians, performers, and dancers dressed in traditional attire march down the street, and Geisha and taiko (drum) performances also take place at the Shrine. A festival market with hundreds of small stalls will also be set up around Nakamise, with games and delicious street food! With plans to be held from May 16, 2025, this matsuri is an exciting experience that is not to be missed!
A One-of-a-kind Experience
Sometimes, part of the excitement of travelling abroad is having your visit coincide with some of the biggest cultural events. If you would like to take part in some of the best local festivals and cultural experiences while you’re in Tokyo, these events in 2025 might just be worth a spot in your Japan tour!
Also check out: Festivals and Events in Tokyo 2025 (June to December)