# New in Tokyo: how to find events and people

Tokyo is easy to live in and surprisingly hard to get into. Weeks fill up with work and trains, and most local life is announced in Japanese, on paper or through channels nobody mentions when you arrive. This page is the map a friend would draw for you in your first months: where events are posted, which communities welcome newcomers, and how to turn up without feeling out of place.

## Where events are announced

Your ward is the most underrated source. Every ward publishes a newsletter (区報, kuho), free at the ward office and libraries and online, and it lists local festivals, free concerts, sports days, cheap classes and Japanese lessons. A few wards also publish one for foreign residents: Minato has the monthly English [Minato Monthly](https://www.city.minato.tokyo.jp/kuse/koho/minatomonthly/index.html), and Shinjuku puts out Shinjuku News in several languages a few times a year. Even if you read little Japanese, a translation app over the PDF gets you most of the way.

Beyond the ward, each kind of event has its home. Peatix carries talks, workshops and small parties; connpass and Doorkeeper carry tech meetups; Meetup is where many English-speaking groups live. Small venues, bookshops, cafes and galleries often post only on Instagram, so follow the ones near you. Our site gathers events from many of these sources into one list in English, Japanese, Russian and Chinese, updated daily, and every event links to its official page.

- Search Instagram in Japanese: your area name plus イベント (event), マルシェ (market) or ワークショップ (workshop).
- Shrine notice boards and shop windows on your street show the local festival dates weeks ahead.

- → [Going to events in Tokyo: the basics](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/event-basics.md)
- → [This weekend in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/this-weekend.md)
- → [Free events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/free.md)

## Language exchange and international communities

Your ward's international association (国際交流協会) is the friendliest door in. Many wards have one, and they typically run low-cost Japanese classes, exchange events, cultural outings and free advice for foreign residents. The [Minato International Association](https://minato-intl-assn.gr.jp/en/), for example, holds Japanese conversation sessions, hikes, embassy visits and a New Year party. Volunteer-run Japanese classes (日本語教室) meet in community centres across Tokyo, free or for a small fee, and the [Tokyo Japanese Language Classroom site](https://nihongo.tokyo-tsunagari.or.jp/) (東京日本語教室サイト) lists them by area.

Language exchanges are everywhere: Meetup groups, regular bar nights in Shibuya and Shinjuku, one-to-one meetings set up through apps. Quality varies a lot, so try a few and keep the ones where the same faces come back each week. Long-running English-language groups are another way in. [Tokyo International Players](https://www.tokyoplayers.org/), which traces its roots to 1896 and calls itself the oldest English-language theatre group in Japan, is run by volunteers on and off stage. [Tokyo Gaijins](https://tokyogaijins.com/) organises outdoor trips, sports and socials in English. If you work in tech, developer meetups are one of the easiest places to meet people.

- → [Going to events alone in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/solo.md)
- → [Traditional culture experiences in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/culture-experiences.md)
- → [Tech meetups and conferences in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tech.md)
- → [Tech & Meetups events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/tech.md)

## Volunteering

Volunteering is one of the quickest ways to become part of something. The Tokyo Marathon in early spring relies on thousands of volunteers, organised through its official volunteer club, [VOLUNTAINER](https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/volunteer/). Registration usually opens in autumn and the general track is in Japanese, though in recent years there has also been a separate entry for people living overseas. Other city runs and sports events recruit volunteers too, and ward international associations look for help with interpreting, events and outings.

Closer to home, your neighbourhood association (町会 or 自治会) always needs hands for festivals, park cleanups and disaster drills (防災訓練). Drills are open to residents of any nationality and are a practical way to learn where your evacuation site is and meet the people on your street at the same time. Ask at the ward office or watch the notice board near your building for dates.

- → [Running in Tokyo: marathons, races and the palace loop](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/running.md)
- → [Sports in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/sports.md)

## Local festivals and your neighbourhood

The small shrine festival in your area is run by the local neighbourhood associations (chonaikai), and their members carry the mikoshi, the portable shrine, through the streets. Joining an association is voluntary and foreign residents can join. If you want to take part, ask at the festival tent or the shrine office a few weeks before; some associations and volunteer groups lend happi coats to newcomers and show beginners how to carry. Even just watching, a festival is the one weekend when everyone on your street is outside at once.

Summer brings bon odori, the circle dances held in parks and school grounds, and anyone can step in and follow the people in front. Autumn has its own round of shrine festivals. Bring cash for the stalls, take your rubbish home or to the sorted bins, and say hello to the people running the tent. Being recognised at the next festival is how belonging starts here.

- Look for 祭礼 or 例大祭 on shrine posters. That is the main annual festival, when the mikoshi go out.
- Small local festivals are cash only. Coins and 1,000 yen notes make life easier at the stalls.

- → [Matsuri in Tokyo through the year](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/matsuri.md)
- → [Summer festivals in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/summer-festivals.md)
- → [Matsuri & Festivals events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/matsuri.md)

## Clubs, running groups and community classes

Running is an easy start. [Namban Rengo](https://namban.org/), an international running club formed in the late 1980s, has long held weekly evening workouts followed by a bath and a drink. More casual groups meet in [Yoyogi Park](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E4%BB%A3%E3%80%85%E6%9C%A8%E5%85%AC%E5%9C%92%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%8B%E8%B0%B7%E5%8C%BA%E4%BB%A3%E3%80%85%E6%9C%A8%E7%A5%9E%E5%9C%92%E7%94%BA2-1) and on the loop around the [Imperial Palace](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E7%9A%87%E5%B1%85%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E5%8D%83%E4%BB%A3%E7%94%B0%E5%8C%BA%E5%8D%83%E4%BB%A3%E7%94%B01-1), a favourite route for Tokyo runners. For other sports, ward sports centres (区民体育館, スポーツセンター) run cheap drop-in sessions for badminton, table tennis, swimming and more, and many local teams and circles (サークル) recruit on their boards.

Ward community centres, called 区民センター, 地域センター or 生涯学習センター in the 23 wards and 公民館 in the Tama area, run inexpensive courses in calligraphy, cooking, crafts, dance and much else. They are announced in the ward newsletter, often with an application deadline and a lottery when popular. The classes are mostly in Japanese, but teachers and classmates are usually patient, and a regular weekly class is one of the best ways to make local friends. Turn up on time, start with a simple hajimemashite, and pay small fees in cash.

- Bring clean indoor shoes to ward gyms. Outdoor shoes are not allowed on the court.
- Popular classes fill by lottery. Check the 締切 (deadline) in the newsletter and apply early.
- A short self-introduction in Japanese goes a long way, even if the rest of the evening is in English.

- → [Running in Tokyo: marathons, races and the palace loop](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/running.md)
- → [Going to events alone in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/solo.md)
- → [Sports in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/sports.md)
- → [Cultural & Ethnic Festivals events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/culture.md)

## Questions people ask

**How do I meet people after moving to Tokyo?**
Pick one regular thing, such as a club, a weekly class or a volunteer role, and keep going back. One-off events are fun, but friendships here usually grow from seeing the same people again and again.

**Where are local events in Tokyo announced?**
In your ward newsletter (区報), on platforms like Peatix, connpass and Meetup, on the Instagram accounts of local venues, and on shrine and community notice boards. Our site also collects events from many sources in one daily list.

**Can foreigners join a neighbourhood association in Tokyo?**
Yes. Membership is voluntary and open to residents of any nationality. It is the easiest way to take part in local festivals and disaster drills.

**Are there free Japanese classes in Tokyo?**
Yes. Volunteer-run Japanese classes meet in community centres across the city, free or for a small fee. The Tokyo Japanese Language Classroom site and your ward's international association list them.

**Can I volunteer at the Tokyo Marathon?**
Yes, through the official volunteer club VOLUNTAINER. Registration usually opens in autumn, and the general track is in Japanese.

**Do I need to speak Japanese to join clubs?**
Not for English-speaking groups, which are easy to find on Meetup. Ward classes and neighbourhood activities are in Japanese, but a little effort and a smile go a long way.

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Tokyo Events: https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/new-in-tokyo