Things to Do in Kanto, Japan

Tokyo and its surroundings, from neon districts to the temples of Nikko and the coast of Kamakura.

216 destinations across 7 prefectures

Festivals in Kanto

Tori no Ichi at Otori Shrine, Asakusa

7 November 2026

Tokyo · Festival

Tsuchiura Fireworks

7 November 2026

Ibaraki · Fireworks festival

Koedo Kawagoe Fireworks

21 November 2026

Saitama · Fireworks festival

Chichibu Yomatsuri

2 to 3 December 2026

Saitama · Float procession

Photo: Comiket Co., Ltd. / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Comiket

29 to 31 December 2026

Tokyo · Festival

Kanda Matsuri

13 to 18 May 2027

Tokyo · Float procession

Sanja Matsuri

14 to 16 May 2027

Tokyo · Float procession

Sumida River Fireworks

31 July 2027

Tokyo · Fireworks festival

Joso Kinugawa Fireworks

Expected September 2027

Ibaraki · Fireworks festival

Kounosu Fireworks

Expected October 2027

Saitama · Fireworks festival

Mito Plum Festival

Expected February 2027

Ibaraki · Festival

Suggested Itineraries

Narita Airport to Shinjuku and Central Tokyo by Train and Bus (2026)

Narita is a long way out. The airport sits about 60 kilometres east of central Tokyo, in Chiba, and whichever way you go you will spend roughly an hour getting in. The good news is that there are a...

Haneda Airport to Shinjuku and Central Tokyo by Train and Bus (2026)

Haneda is close to the city. From the international terminal you can be on the platform at Shinagawa in 11 minutes, and almost nowhere in central Tokyo is more than 40 minutes away by train. The ha...

New Year in Japan 2026-2027: What Is Closed, What Is Open, and Hatsumode

New Year in Japan 2026-2027: What Is Closed, What Is Open, and Hatsumode Shogatsu, the New Year holiday, is the one time of year when Japan really stops. Offices close, banks close, family resta...

Japan Winter Illuminations 2026-2027: Dates, Hours and Prices

Japan Winter Illuminations 2026-2027: Dates, Hours and Prices From late October to spring, Japanese parks, shopping districts and main streets string up lights, and some of them stay lit for six...

Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)

Kyoto and Kamakura Autumn Leaves 2026: Peak Dates and Light-Ups

Kyoto and Kamakura Autumn Leaves 2026: Peak Dates and Light-Ups The maples in Kyoto turn red in the second half of November, and Kamakura's a week or two later, often into December. This guide c...

Japan's Famous Day-Trip Onsen: Historic Public Bathhouses You Can Just Walk Into

Japan's Famous Day-Trip Onsen: Historic Public Bathhouses You Can Just Walk Into You do not need a ryokan booking to bathe in Japan's best-known hot spring water. Most onsen towns keep public ba...

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Hitō: Japan's Hidden Hot Springs at the End of the Road

Hitō: Japan's Hidden Hot Springs at the End of the Road Hitō (秘湯) means "hidden hot spring". It is the onsen you reach only after a long mountain road, a forest trail or a boat, and very often i...

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Hikyo: Japan's Secluded, Hard-to-Reach Places and How to Get There

Hikyo: Japan's Secluded, Hard-to-Reach Places and How to Get There Hikyo (秘境) is the Japanese word for a remote, secluded place. The two characters mean something like "hidden region", and in Ja...

Places to Visit in Kanto

Shrine

Tokyo

Meiji Shrine

Tokyo's Most Important Shinto Shrine

Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, set within a 70-hectare evergreen forest in...

Tokyo, Japan

Neighborhood

Tokyo

Kabukicho

Shinjuku's Neon-Lit Entertainment Quarter

The name is a leftover from a plan that never happened. After the 1945 firebombing flattened this...

Tokyo, Japan

Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Landmark

Tokyo

Shibuya Crossing

Tokyo's Scramble Crossing, Often Called the World's Busiest

Shibuya's scramble crossing, where traffic stops every couple of minutes and people cross from al...

Tokyo, Japan

Restaurant

Tokyo

Fuunji

Tokyo's Best Tsukemen: Rich Fish-Based Dipping Ramen

A narrow counter of fifteen seats, a few minutes from Shinjuku's south exit, and a queue outside ...

Tokyo, Japan

Photo: Urashimataro / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Shopping

Kanagawa

Komachi-dori

Kamakura's Main Shopping Street

Kamakura's lively main shopping street running from JR Kamakura Station toward Tsurugaoka Hachima...

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan

Museum

Tokyo

Tokyo National Museum

Japan's Largest Art Museum

Japan's oldest and largest national museum with over 110,000 objects including 89 National Treasu...

Tokyo, Japan

Landmark

Kanagawa

Yokohama Landmark Tower

Yokohama's Tallest Skyscraper with Panoramic Observatory

Yokohama's tallest building at 296 meters, with shops and restaurants in Landmark Plaza. Its Sky ...

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Garden

Tokyo

Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens

Historic Gardens on the Grounds of the Imperial Palace

The beautifully maintained former inner citadel of Edo Castle, now open to the public with Japane...

Tokyo, Japan

Market

Tokyo

Ameyoko

A bustling open-air market street near Ueno Station with bargain goods, street food, and lively e...

Tokyo, Japan

Neighborhood

Tokyo

Akihabara

Tokyo's Electric Town and Anime Culture Capital

Tokyo's legendary electronics and otaku district, packed with multi-story anime shops, retro game...

Tokyo, Japan

Park

Tokyo

Ueno Park

Tokyo's Cultural Park with Major Museums

A sprawling public park home to Tokyo's finest museums, a zoo, historic temples, and over 1,000 c...

Tokyo, Japan

Museum

Saitama

Railway Museum

The Railway Museum

You get in through an automatic ticket gate, exactly like a station, which is the first joke and ...

Saitama, Japan

Shrine World Heritage

Tochigi

Nikko Tosho-gu

Lavish Tokugawa Shrine

Lavishly decorated Shinto shrine enshrining Tokugawa Ieyasu, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nikko, Tochigi, Japan

Temple

Tokyo

Senso-ji

Tokyo's Oldest Buddhist Temple

Tokyo's oldest and most visited temple, where a 700-kilogram red lantern marks the entrance to ce...

Tokyo, Japan

Market

Tokyo

Tsukiji Outer Market

Tokyo's Beloved Street Food and Fresh Seafood Market

The outer market stayed when the wholesale moved to Toyosu in 2018. Tiny sushi counters, grilled ...

Tokyo, Japan

Prefectures in Kanto

Chiba Gunma Ibaraki Kanagawa Saitama Tochigi Tokyo

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