# Tokyo in August: fireworks, Obon and summer festivals

August is Tokyo at full summer volume. It is the hottest month of the year and also the busiest for festivals: big fireworks on the first weekends, bon odori circles in every ward around Obon, Comiket at Tokyo Big Sight and the dance parades of the last weekend. The list below is updated daily with the month's biggest events.

## What August feels like

August is the hottest month in Tokyo. Average daytime highs are around 31°C and nights around 23 to 24°C, and in recent summers heat waves above 35°C have become a regular part of the month. Humidity stays high, so it feels hotter than the number on your phone, and the city barely cools down after dark. Afternoon thunderstorms build up quickly, pour hard for half an hour and then clear.

Heat is the main thing to plan around. On dangerous days the Ministry of the Environment and the Japan Meteorological Agency issue a heatstroke alert (熱中症警戒アラート) the evening before or early in the morning. Do your walking in the morning, spend the hottest hours in museums, department stores and malls, and go out again after sunset, when most festivals start anyway. Ward-designated cooling shelters (クーリングシェルター) and any convenience store are good places to cool down for a few minutes.

- Drink before you feel thirsty, and add salt: sports drinks and salt candies are sold everywhere.
- Sun umbrellas (higasa) are normal for everyone in Japan, and many folding umbrellas work for both sun and rain.
- Sit down in the shade at the first sign of dizziness or a headache, and ask station or shop staff for help.

- → [Weather and events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/weather.md)
- → [What to do in Tokyo when it rains](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/rainy-day.md)

## Fireworks, bon odori and dance parades

The first weekends of August are the busiest of the fireworks season, often with several large shows on the same night. Edogawa, held together with Ichikawa across the river, and Itabashi, which shares the night with Toda on the Saitama bank, are two of the largest, and Jingu Gaien is the city-centre option, with ticketed seats in the stadiums and live music. Most shows start after dark, around 7pm, and last about an hour.

Around Obon in mid-August, bon odori dances fill temple grounds, parks and shopping streets, and anyone can join the circle. Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri at [Tomioka Hachimangu](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E5%AF%8C%E5%B2%A1%E5%85%AB%E5%B9%A1%E5%AE%AE%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B1%9F%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA%E5%AF%8C%E5%B2%A11-20-3), near [Monzen-nakacho Station](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E3%83%A1%E3%83%88%E3%83%AD%20%E9%96%80%E5%89%8D%E4%BB%B2%E7%94%BA%E9%A7%85%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B1%9F%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA%E9%96%80%E5%89%8D%E4%BB%B2%E7%94%BA1-4-8), is the festival where spectators throw water over the mikoshi bearers, with a much larger main festival every three years. Early August also brings the Asagaya Tanabata Festival, with big papier-mâché figures hung over the [covered arcade](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E9%98%BF%E4%BD%90%E8%B0%B7%E3%83%91%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BB%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%9D%89%E4%B8%A6%E5%8C%BA%E9%98%BF%E4%BD%90%E8%B0%B7%E5%8D%971%E4%B8%81%E7%9B%AE) by Asagaya Station.

The month ends with dance. The Koenji Awa Odori brings around 10,000 dancers to the streets around [JR Koenji Station](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=JR%20%E9%AB%98%E5%86%86%E5%AF%BA%E9%A7%85%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%9D%89%E4%B8%A6%E5%8C%BA%E9%AB%98%E5%86%86%E5%AF%BA%E5%8D%974-48-2&query_place_id=ChIJHUjien3yGGARbKdSZURvKnw) over a weekend in late August, watched by around a million people, and the Asakusa Samba Carnival and Super Yosakoi in Harajuku have often fallen on late-August weekends too.

- At Koenji the streets are narrow and fill fast. Arrive before the start, and expect police to keep the crowd moving at busy corners.
- Two big parades can fall on the same weekend. Pick one per evening, since getting between them takes longer than you think.
- 小雨決行 means it goes ahead in light rain. 雨天中止 means it is cancelled if it rains.

- → [Fireworks festivals in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/fireworks.md)
- → [Summer festivals in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/summer-festivals.md)
- → [Koenji: punk live houses, vintage and Awa Odori](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/koenji.md)
- → [Tanabata in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/tanabata.md)
- → [Events in Edogawa](https://eventstokyo.com/en/edogawa.md)
- → [Events in Koto](https://eventstokyo.com/en/koto.md)
- → [Events in Suginami](https://eventstokyo.com/en/suginami.md)
- → [Matsuri & Festivals events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/matsuri.md)

## Comiket, Summer Sonic and air-conditioned plans

Summer Comiket, the huge market for self-published manga, illustration and fan works, takes over [Tokyo Big Sight](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E3%83%93%E3%83%83%E3%82%B0%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B1%9F%E6%9D%B1%E5%8C%BA%E6%9C%89%E6%98%8E3-11-1) over a weekend around mid-August. In recent editions every adult has needed a ticket or wristband for the specific day, most of them sold in advance, and much of the queueing is outdoors on open concrete by the sea, so treat it as an outdoor event in the heat. Around the same time the Summer Sonic music festival is held at Makuhari in Chiba.

August is also a good month for indoor plans. Schools are on holiday, so museums, aquariums and department stores run summer exhibitions and events for families, and character and anime pop-up shops are everywhere. Weekday mornings are much calmer than weekend afternoons.

- For Comiket, bring water, salty snacks, a hat and a towel, and cash in small notes for the circles.
- Popular summer exhibitions often sell timed tickets online. Book a morning slot to skip the midday heat and crowds.

- → [Comiket (Comic Market) in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/comiket.md)
- → [Anime, manga and game events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/anime.md)
- → [Museums and big exhibitions in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/museums.md)
- → [Tokyo with kids](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/kids.md)
- → [Events in Koto](https://eventstokyo.com/en/koto.md)
- → [Pop Culture & Conventions events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/pop-culture.md)

## Mountain Day, Obon week and crowds

Mountain Day on August 11 is a national holiday, and when it falls on a Sunday the Monday after is a day off. Then comes Obon week, roughly August 13 to 16, when much of Japan takes its summer holiday and goes back to hometowns. In Tokyo this has two sides. Commuter trains and office districts are noticeably quieter, and some small restaurants, shops and family-run businesses close for a few days. At the same time the Shinkansen, airports, expressways and resorts outside the city are at their busiest of the year.

If you are travelling around Japan in August, book Shinkansen seats and hotels well ahead, and avoid changing cities around August 13, when the rush out of Tokyo usually peaks, and August 15 and 16, when everyone comes back. Hotel and flight prices rise around Obon. Inside Tokyo it can be a pleasant week, with lighter trains, as long as you check that the place you want to eat at is open.

- Small restaurants usually post their Obon closure (お盆休み) on the door or on social media. Check before you go.
- Reserve Shinkansen seats as soon as you know your dates. Unreserved cars are packed around Obon.

- → [Festival day trips from Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/day-trips.md)
- → [Tokyo on a budget: free things to do](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/budget.md)
- → [This weekend in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/this-weekend.md)
- → [This month in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/this-month.md)

## Typhoons, rain checks and festival basics

Typhoon season starts in August and peaks around September in the Kanto region. Most of the time a typhoon means a day of heavy rain and wind, but it can stop trains and cancel flights and outdoor events. Rail companies such as JR East now often announce planned suspensions (計画運休) a day in advance, so watch the news and your rail operator's site when one is forecast, and stay indoors while it passes.

Fireworks and festival pages use a few words worth knowing: 雨天決行 (held in rain), 荒天中止 (cancelled in stormy weather) and 順延 (postponed to a backup day), and the decision is usually posted on the day. At any summer festival, bring cash for the stalls, a bag for your trash because bins are rare, and use a station or convenience store toilet before you join the crowd.

- Check your last train before an evening event. After big shows the nearest stations limit entry for an hour or more.
- If a typhoon is coming, buy water and snacks the day before. Shops can run short as it approaches.

- → [Going to events in Tokyo: the basics](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/event-basics.md)
- → [What to eat at a Japanese festival](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/festival-food.md)
- → [Wearing a yukata to fireworks and festivals](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/yukata.md)

## All events, soonest first

- **[Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- 13th LIVE](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/hypnosis-mic-division-rap-battle-13th-live)** — Sat, Aug 7, 2027 17:00 – Sun, Aug 8, 2027 (JST) · GMO Arena Saitama (Saitama) · ¥14,500〜
- **[SCANDAL Yokohama Arena](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/scandal-yokohama-arena)** — Sat, Aug 21, 2027 (JST) · Yokohama Arena (神奈川県) · price on the official site
- **[Eve Arena Tour 2027 "Kaiki"](https://eventstokyo.com/en/events/eve-arena-tour-2027-kaiki)** — Sat, Aug 21, 2027 19:00 – Sun, Aug 22, 2027 (JST) · K Arena Yokohama (Nishi, Yokohama) · ¥11,000〜

## Questions people ask

**Is August a good time to visit Tokyo?**
It is the hottest month but also the busiest for festivals and fireworks. If you go out in the morning and evening and rest indoors at midday, it is a fun month.

**How hot is Tokyo in August?**
Average highs are around 31°C with high humidity, and recent summers have had many days over 35°C. Nights often stay above 25°C.

**Are shops closed during Obon in Tokyo?**
Most department stores, chains, shops and attractions stay open. Some small restaurants and family businesses close for a few days around August 13 to 16.

**When is the Koenji Awa Odori?**
Usually over a weekend in late August, in the evening, on the streets around JR Koenji Station. Check the [official page](https://www.koenji-awaodori.com/) for the exact dates.

**Is Mountain Day a public holiday?**
Yes. August 11 is a national holiday, and when it falls on a Sunday the following Monday is off instead.

**What happens to events if a typhoon comes?**
Outdoor events are cancelled or postponed in storms, and trains may be suspended in advance. Check the official event page and your rail operator on the day.

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