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Updated: June 11, 2024

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

 

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 13,000 of them—in just one hour.

The 2nd Adachi Ward Photo Contest / Submitted by hibiki

 

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.

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