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Tokyo Events This Week: Bean Throwing and Fire Walking

Tokyo Events This Week: Bean Throwing and Fire Walking

What's a Cheapo to do this week?

Tokyo Cheapo
January 26, 2026

Tokyo events for Monday, January 26, to Sunday, February 1, 2026.

You can tell spring is around the corner when some of the city’s favorite festivals start to make an appearance. Tengu will march the streets of Shimokitazawa for an early Setsubun event, and monks at Manpukuji Temple will do some marching of their own at the annual fire-walking festival. Spring blossoms will bloom in Matsuda, and lucky kites will soar at Ōji Inari Shrine.

Shimokitazawa Tengu Festival

Jan 30th - Feb 1st

Every year during Japan’s Setsubun Festival, demon-like characters called tengu prowl the streets of Shimokitazawa.

Manpukuji Hibushi Fire-Walking Festival

Jan 28th

As part of a cleansing ritual for the new year, monks rush through blazing flames to purify their minds at this annual festival.

Kite Market

Feb 1st

Snag a lucky kite and make your fortunes soar. Similar to Daruma fairs (like Tokyo’s Jindaiji, among others), the Kite Market at Ōji Inari Shrine is for seasonal good luck: people buy protective charms for the year ahead.

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Matsuda Wintersweet Festival

Jan 16th - Feb 15th

Home to over 20,000 wintersweet trees, the southern slope of Yadoriki’s Utsushige district will brim with delicate, waxy, yellow flowers and their distinctive sweet fragrance.

Tokyo River Clean-Up

Jan 24th

Tokyo River Friends organizes regular litter-picking events on the banks of the Arakawa and Edogawa rivers. As well as helping the environment, participants can enjoy a guided eco-walk experience along the riverside, learning about the wildlife on the water’s edge.