Enjoy Asakusa! Complete Year-Round Information on Seasonal Events, Festivals, and Sightseeing Activities

4. Asakusa in Autumn: Embracing Traditional Culture (September-November)

As the summer heat subsides and the weather becomes pleasant, autumn in Asakusa is the perfect time to immerse yourself in traditional Japanese culture. With many historical events held, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the town’s elegant atmosphere.

4.1 Asakusa Toro Matsuri (Lantern Festival)

Held at the Asakusa Nishi-Sando Shopping Street, this festival features about 350 lanterns decorated with themes from all over Japan. They gently illuminate the streets, creating a fantastical atmosphere for an evening stroll.

4.2 Tokyo Jidai Matsuri (Historical Pageant)

This grand historical parade showcases Asakusa’s history and culture. About 1,600 participants, dressed in costumes from various eras from the Heian period to the present, parade from behind Senso-ji’s main hall, along Kaminarimon-dori and Umamichi-dori. It’s truly a living historical scroll. The beautiful sight of Asakusa’s geisha and young hangyoku (junior geisha) is also a highlight.

4.3 Otorisama Tori-no-ichi (Rake Fair) at Otori Shrine

Held on the Day of the Rooster in November, this festival is for good fortune and business prosperity. Otori Shrine is affectionately known as “Otorisama” and is one of the three great Tori-no-ichi fairs in the Kanto region. Stalls selling lucky rakes (kumade), said to “rake in” good fortune, line the shrine grounds. The energetic claps of tejime (hand-clapping chants) fill the air, signaling the arrival of winter in Asakusa.

5. Asakusa in Winter: Holiday Cheer and Sacred Rituals (December-February)

In the crisp, cold air of winter, Asakusa is filled with the lively yet solemn atmosphere of the holiday season. A series of traditional events mark the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. Come and experience the unique charm of this bustling time of year.

5.1 Senso-ji Hagoita-ichi (Battledore Fair)

Known as a traditional year-end event, the Hagoita-ichi has been held since the Edo period. Dozens of stalls at Senso-ji Temple sell ornate hagoita (battledores) featuring kabuki actors and decorative ones reflecting the year’s trends. As hagoita are considered good luck charms that ward off evil, a deal is sealed with a cheerful tejime chant, adding to the festive energy of the year-end season.

5.2 Joya no Kane (New Year’s Eve Bell) and Hatsumode (First Temple Visit)

On New Year’s Eve, the solemn Joya no Kane rings out from Senso-ji Temple, marking the end of the year. The temple grounds are filled with people who come to celebrate the new year. At midnight on New Year’s Day, the main hall doors open for Hatsumode. Nakamise-dori also stays lit all night, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

5.3 Senso-ji Setsubun-e (Bean-Throwing Festival)

On the day before the beginning of spring, a lively Setsubun-e festival is held at Senso-ji Temple. The unique aspect of this festival is the chant used during the bean-throwing ceremony. Due to the belief that no demons can exist before the Kannon Bodhisattva, the chant is “Senshu Banzei, Fuku wa Uchi” (“Eternal prosperity and fortune within”) instead of the usual “Oni wa soto” (“Demons out”). The event features bean-throwing by celebrities and local figures, as well as the “Fukuju no Mai” dance by the Seven Lucky Gods.

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More Than Just Festivals: Enjoying Asakusa’s Seasons

河村悠太／Yuta Kawamura Third-generation proprietor

Yuta Kawamura is the third generation of his family at Miyakodori, a geisha house in Asakusa, Tokyo that has hosted ozashiki — private geisha entertainment — since 1950. He writes from inside that world, alongside the okami, Chikage — his mother and Miyakodori's second-generation proprietress. Articles on geisha arts and customs are reviewed by her. Miyakodori works every day with the geisha and taikomochi (hōkan) registered with the Asakusa kenban — the only place in Japan where taikomochi remain formally active — and everything published here is grounded in that first-hand experience.

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Geisha culture Asakusa hanamachi (geisha district) Ozashiki (private geisha entertainment) hokan (Taikomochi)