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Updated: May 1, 2025

Best Things to Do and See in Tokyo in July

Is July a good time to visit Tokyo?

If you're a fan of Japan's festivals and fireworks, 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 28.7ºC (83.7°F), but highs frequently exceed 30ºC (86°F). The rainy season lasts until early July, so the weather can be rainy, hot, and humid. Make sure to bring breathable clothes that you can feel comfortable in.
Note: This guidance is based on meteorological data for 2023.

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

 

Tachikawa Showa Kinen Park Fireworks

Showa Kinen Park provides wide, open views of the night sky. Highlights of the Tachikawa Showa Kinen Park Fireworks 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.

 

Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival)

On July 7, people celebrate the Japanese traditional holiday of Tanabata by writing wishes on strips of paper, tying the paper to bamboo, and praying to the stars. It is said that for just this day once a year, Weaving Princess Orihime and Cowherd Hikoboshi cross the Milky Way to be together. Their reunion is celebrated nationwide during the Tanabata Matsuri, with events all over Tokyo. See the Tanabata decorations at Fussa Tanabata Matsuri and Shitamachi Tanabata Matsuri, or head to Tanabata Kigansai at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine, where people pray in hopes of meeting that special someone.

 

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 TOWN, 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 the annual Iriya Morning Glory Festival—the largest festival in Japan dedicated to morning glory plants. There are around 30 stalls specializing in them, and around 100 other stalls to enjoy as well.

 

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.

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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