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Updated: June 16, 2023

Is July a good time to visit Tokyo?

If you're a fan of Japanese festivals, July is a perfect month to visit Tokyo. From Tanabata Matsuri celebrations at the start of the month, to the breathtaking Sumida River Fireworks Festival in late July, there are great memories to be made throughout the month.

What is the weather like in Tokyo in July?

The average temperature in Tokyo in July is 25.7ºC (78.3°F), and it rarely drops below 20ºC (68°F). You will likely experience some rainy days, especially in early and mid-July. Make sure to bring breathable clothes that you can feel comfortable in.

Best events, festivals, and other things to do in July

Sumida River Fireworks Festival

Sumida River Fireworks Festival is Tokyo's most popular fireworks festival: On average, 950,000 people attend each year. Close to 20,000 fireworks light up the sky above the Sumida River in Asakusa, making this one of Japan's biggest fireworks events.

Photo courtesy of Taito City

 

Adachi Fireworks Festival

Find a spot on the banks of the Arakawa River and enjoy Tokyo's earliest summer fireworks festival. The Adachi Fireworks Festival has been held for over a century, and is known for setting off a huge number of fireworks—around 15,000 of them—in just one hour.

The 2nd Adachi Ward Photo Contest / Submitted by hibiki

 

Tachikawa Festival and Fireworks at Showa Kinen Park

Showa Kinen Park provides wide, open views of the night sky. Highlights of this event include the colossal size of some of the fireworks—the shakudama variety explode into flowers of fire around 400 meters in diameter—and a competitive performance of unique and innovative fireworks that did well in national competitions.
Tachikawa Festival and Fireworks at Showa Kinen Park

 

Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival)

On July 7, Weaving Princess Orihime and Cowherd Hikoboshi are said to cross the Milky Way to be together for just one day. This meeting is celebrated nationwide with the Tanabata Matsuri. At Tokyo's Zojoji Temple, candles made from Japanese washi paper are lined up to symbolize the Milky Way, creating a magical atmosphere. Browse the Tanabata decorations at the Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri, or head to Tanabata Kigansai at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine, where people pray in hopes of meeting a special someone.
In 2023, the Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri will be held on a reduced scale.

 

Kingyo Matsuri (Goldfish Festival)

Goldfish-scooping stalls are a quintessential part of Japanese summer festivals. Tokyo's Edogawa City is famous for its goldfish, and it celebrates them each year at an annual festival. Goldfish are displayed and sold, and there are goldfish-scooping competitions. Visitors to Sumida Aquarium, located inside Tokyo Skytree, can see around 15 types of goldfish. There, you can learn all about the creatures themselves, as well as their cultural significance.

 

Japanese Lantern Plant Fair (Hozuki-Ichi)

Those who offer a prayer at Asakusa's Sensoji Temple on July 9 or July 10 are said to receive 46,000 days' worth of blessings. The Hozuki-ichi—a fair where hozuki (Japanese lantern plants) are sold—is held during this auspicious period. In Japan, hozuki are said to guide the spirits of ancestors to the family home for the summer Obon festival, so they are popular decorations at this time of year.

 

Iriya Morning Glory Festival (Asagao Matsuri)

In the past, the gardeners of Iriya created around 1,000 varieties of morning glory plants through cross-pollination. That history is celebrated at an annual event—the largest festival in Japan dedicated to morning glory plants. There are around 40 stalls specializing in them, and around 100 other stalls to enjoy as well.
Iriya Morning Glory Festival (Asagao Matsuri)

 

Kagurazaka Matsuri (Japanese Lantern Plant Market and Awa-odori Dance Festival)

Kagurazaka Matsuri is one of Tokyo's most popular summer festivals. It features the Japanese Lantern Plant Market, and the Awa-odori Dance Festival. On the days when the market is held, the streets are lined with yatai food stalls, and Japanese lantern plants are sold on the grounds of Bishamonten Zenkokuji Temple. Then comes the Awa-odori dance performances, which notably take place on a hill road.
Kagurazaka Matsuri

 

Kiyose Sunflower Festival

The Kiyose Sunflower Festival offers a sweeping view of brilliant yellow flowers under the dazzling summer sun, and is the biggest event of its kind in Tokyo. The vast venue, measuring roughly 24,000 square meters, is filled with some 100,000 sunflowers, a sight that draws crowds of visitors each year. The brilliant yellows and greens of the sunflower field offer a perfect opportunity for photos, so make sure to bring a camera. More serious photographers may be interested in the annual photo contest held during the festival. Visitors can purchase cut flowers and fresh local vegetables at the event.

Event on This Month

 

Calendar

January January in Tokyo speaks of traditions. Start the New Year in good spirits and head to a temple or shrine for Hatsumode on January 1 and pray like the locals do for peace and good health. Some begin their sojourn the night before on New Year's Eve to hear temple bells chime 108 times as the new year dawns, but Hatsumode is drawn out and takes place over 2-3 days.
February Tokyo's festival and event card is varied in February. Visit Tokyo at this time of year and you'll be witness to festivals and events that honor ume (plum blossoms), banish devils, celebrate the efforts of runners and see an unusual take on Valentine's Day—only men are supposed to receive chocolate.
March Temperatures and moods begin to thaw in March, the month heralding the start of spring. While cherry blossoms or sakura appear at month's end and are eagerly awaited, the rest of March offers much to see and do.
April April in Tokyo is blooming marvelous. Many of spring's events have a floral focus, with the highly anticipated Sakura or cherry blossom season reigning supreme. Join in the hanami or flower viewing parties all over the city.
May May festivals and events begin with the latter half of cluster of Golden Week holidays. Greenery or Arbor Day (May 4) sees entry fees waived in many of the cities parks and gardens, while Children's Day (May 5) heralds the arrival of brightly colored carp or koi streamers festooned around the city.
June Visit Tokyo in June, and the weather begins to get steamy. Rainy season arrives, but not all days are marked by wet weather. Embrace the increasing humidity with the official opening of Tokyo's many beer gardens and imbibe in a glass of your favorite ale. From the lofty heights of the beer garden atop Mt. Takao to the elegant surrounds of Meiji Kinenkan, you'll find a beer garden for every occasion.
July From the booming sound of fireworks lighting up the night sky to the soothing sounds of fuurin wind chimes tinkling in the breeze, July in Tokyo is a sensory experience. Festivals and events ranging from spectacular fireworks shows and ancestral bon odori rites to the sonic wizardry of summer music festivals that attract the best of domestic and international artists.
August August sees Tokyo at it’s hottest, but a continuing cascade of fireworks, traditional obon dances, multicolored tanabata lantern events, and the height of official water park and beach season all provide welcome distractions.
September September means sayonara, or goodbye, to the soaring heat of summer. Nights begin to cool and temperatures become more bearable, but these changes also see the occasional typhoon. Many of the city’s beer gardens remain open, however, a reminder that there’s still fun to be had outdoors yet.
October October, the height of autumn, is one of the best times of year to visit Tokyo. From ongoing traditional festivals to art and cultural soirees to culinary-focused events celebrating the bounty of the season—the city's event card is full.
November Visit November in Tokyo and shade yourself in hues of yellow, orange, red and golden brown. With seasonal foliage at its finest, the month sees the arrival of Koyo, or changing autumn leaves. Bask in the rich-jeweled tones of the season at Rikugien Gardens—at night the grounds are illuminated—or delight in the vibrant yellows of the city's numerous ginko trees.
December Tokyo is dazzling in December–literally–when the city lights up with illuminations. The dark nights are an ideal canvas for intricate and elaborate light displays and the illuminations are a signature winter sight.

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