This Weekend: Tokyo Area Events for July 9-10

Plenty of unique early summer festivals happening in and around Tokyo this weekend! Visit Narita for its annual Gion Festival, Hiratsuka for a late celebration of Tanabata, Hibiya for a large-scale expo on everything about Africa and if you're into Line's cute stamps, pop up at its first creators festa for a sneak peek on how are all these cute little icons made. Have a wonderful weekend!

Cultural Expo

Africa Hibiya Festival

Spend the weekend savoring African food, searching for unique gems and watching the best of the continent's traditional dances, performances and music. This festival is one of the biggest of its kind happening in Japan and it offers plenty of opportunities for everyone to know more about the African culture, history and lifestyle, as well as the latest trends!

Date

Sat, July 9 - Sun, July 10, 2016

Time

Sat, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Location

Hibiya Park, 1 Hibiyakoen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Fee

Free

More Info

© Photo by Kenichiro Nakazawa

Traditional Blessings

Sensoji Temple's Day of 46,000 Blessings

People say that visiting Sensoji Temple and offering prayers on July 10 is the same as doing good for 46,000 days. If that sounds like a good deal to you, visit the shrine this weekend and enjoy the various events. There will also be stalls with food and drinks, beautiful red Chinese lantern plants and more!

Date

Sat, July 9 - Sun, July 10, 2016

Time

6 a.m.-9 p.m.

Location

Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Fee

Free

Spy Mission

Ninja Exhibit

If you have kids admiring Japanese spies, visit this event to learn about the fascinating world of ninja, their secrets, weapons and more. This exhibition offers you the opportunity to train yourself in throwing “shuriken,” improving your jumping power, and introduces skills like memory enhancing techniques, sending secret messages, and special breathing techniques necessary for successful completion of a mission. The perfect exhibition for your curious ones.

Date

Now through Oct 10 (closed July 12, Sept 6, Sept 13, Sept 20, Sept 27, Oct 4)

Time

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Location

National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan)

Fee

¥1,600 (adults), 1,000 yen (¥900 on Saturdays) for children of grade-school age to 18

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Fun At The Pool

Showa Kinen Park Pool Pre-Opening

Ahead of the launch of the park's popular Summer Festival next week, 15,000 visitors per day can enjoy the pre-opening of its gigantic "Rainbow Pool" (consisting of nine different pools) for free for two full days. Spend the weekend cooling down with the kids!

Date

Sat, July 9 - Sun, July 10, 2016

Time

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location

Showa Kinen Park, 3173 Midori-cho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo

Fee

¥410 (adults), ¥80 (children)

More Info

Behind The Scenes

Line Creators Festa 2016

Most of us using the app Line have become used to the endless flow of new stamps, whether it's Brown and Cony, drunken salarymen's monologues or tons of cuteness in various forms. Well, this weekend Line will be launching an event, showing us how it's all done through panel exhibitions, creators' corners and several live events. Visitors will also have the chance to draw and submit their own ideas about new stamps.

Date

Sat, July 9 - Sun, July 10, 2016

Time

10:30a.m.-7 p.m. (Saturday), 10:30 a.m.- 6p.m. (Sunday)

Location

3331 Arts Chiyoda, 6-11-14, Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Fee

Free

More Info

Love Celebrations

The 66th Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival

This festival first started as a minor initiative to revive the area after WWII, but today it's one of the largest Tanabata events in the whole country. Enjoy the splendid view of more than 500 kinds of decorations — some of them over 50 meters high — adorn the shopping arcade around JR Hiratsuka Station, the great food stalls, parades and street performances. It gets crowded, but it's definitely worth the visit!

Date

Sat, July 9 - Sun, July 10, 2016

Time

Until 9 p.m.

Location

The area around JR Hiratsuka Station's North Exit

Fee

Free

More Info

Shrine Parade

Narita Gion Festival

Another summer festival on the list, the Narita Gion Festival has a history of over 300 years. The highlight of the event is when one of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple's portable shrines (omikoshi), along with 10 other different floats, is paraded down the Omotesando Road in Narita. The festival lasts for three days and visitors can enjoy a number of traditional competitions and musical performances.

Date

Fri, July 8 through Sun, July 10, 2016

Time

From 1:30 p.m. (July 8), from 9 a.m. (July 9) and from 1 p.m. (July 10)

Location

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, 1 Narita, Chiba Prefecture

Fee

Free

More Info

What are your plans for the weekend? If you’re organizing a fun or interesting event, or you know someone who is, contact us to get it listed!