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...

🗺️

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...

🗺️

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

Temple

Kanagawa

Hokoku-ji

Kamakura's Bamboo Temple

The 'Bamboo Temple.' 2,000+ moso bamboo stalks behind the main hall. Small tea house inside the g...

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan

City

Saitama

Chichibu

Chichibu is a mountain town famous for its December night festival with towering floats, a 34-tem...

Chichibu, Saitama, Japan

Shrine

Ibaraki

Tsukuba-san Shrine

Tsukuba-san Shrine sits at the base of Mount Tsukuba, one of Japan's most famous mountains, where...

Ibaraki, Japan

Temple

Kanagawa

Hase-dera

Hase-dera Temple

A hillside temple in Kamakura celebrated for its towering gilded Kannon statue, lush hydrangea ga...

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan

Landmark

Saitama

Toki no Kane Bell Tower

The Toki no Kane bell tower has been marking time in Kawagoe for over 350 years, its wooden tower...

Saitama, Japan

Shrine

Kanagawa

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine

Kamakura's most important Shinto shrine, situated at the end of a grand tree-lined approach stret...

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan

Neighborhood

Kanagawa

Minato Mirai

Yokohama's modern waterfront district with famous landmarks, shopping, and seaside promenades.

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Landmark

Tokyo

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Free Views From 202 Meters, With Mt. Fuji on Clear Winter Days

Two free observation decks on the 45th floor of Tokyo's city hall in Nishi-Shinjuku, 202 meters a...

Tokyo, Japan

Attraction

Tochigi

Chuzenji Lake

A Serene Mountain Lake at the Foot of a Sacred Volcano

A scenic mountain lake at 1,269 meters elevation, formed by the eruption of Mount Nantai. Surroun...

Nikko, Tochigi, Japan

Aquarium

Chiba

Kamogawa SeaWorld

Kamogawa SeaWorld is one of Japan's leading marine parks, located along the Pacific coastline of ...

Chiba, Japan

Mountain

Chiba

Nokogiriyama

Mount Nokogiri

Nokogiriyama ('Sawtooth Mountain') was once a quarry supplying stone for Tokyo's construction, an...

Chiba, Japan

Shrine

Saitama

Hikawa Shrine

Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Shrine

Hikawa Shrine in Saitama claims over 2,400 years of history, making it one of Japan's oldest Shin...

Saitama, Japan

Shrine

Ibaraki

Oarai Isosaki Shrine

Oarai Isosaki Shrine features one of Japan's most photogenic views: a torii gate perched on rocks...

Ibaraki, Japan

Shrine

Ibaraki

Kashima Shrine

Kashima Shrine is one of Japan's oldest and most venerated shrines, dedicated to the deity of mar...

Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan

Shopping

Tokyo

Nakano Broadway

Five Floors of Used Manga, Old Toys and Collectibles in Nakano

A shopping complex from 1966 whose basement to fourth floor hold some 200 shops, a large share of...

Tokyo, Japan

Prefectures in Kanto

Chiba Gunma Ibaraki Kanagawa Saitama Tochigi Tokyo

Explore all regions of Japan