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Tokyo Events This Week: Chinatown Dragon Dances and (Tech)Noh Performances
What's a Cheapo to do this week?
Tokyo Cheapo
February 16, 2026
Tokyo events for Monday, February 16, to Sunday, February 22, 2026.
From Yokohama to Saitama, Greater Tokyo is putting on a stacked lineup of events this week. Chinatown has a few big days planned, and plum blossoms and early sakura come into bloom at festivals all over the city. On top of that, you can catch traditional Noh theater performed to techno music, and the last of winter’s illuminations get ready to turn off their lights.
Feb 20th
Produced by Suigian, a luxurious underground bar and restaurant in Nihonbashi, Momokawa-ro — Tokyo Underground Arts Society invites you to enjoy top-notch Noh and other performances, set to techno.
Feb 16th - 18th
The performers will be dressed in period attire and will use traditional props and instruments. There are also workshops and live demos, ranging from sword forging to monochrome ink painting.
Feb 21st
The parade will feature traditional costumes, lion dances, and dragon dances. Hopefully, it won’t rain on the parade, and good luck will come to all those present.
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Feb 22nd - 23rd
Since 1986, Yokohama’s Chinatown has hosted its own Spring Festival. The event features dazzling entertainment performances, called goraku hyōen, where you can enjoy traditional lion dances, martial arts displays, and more.
Dec 13th - Feb 28th
This limited-time pop-up shines a light on the region’s rich artistic heritage. There are also interactive workshops where you can make something with your own hands — the ultimate souvenir.
Feb 22nd
It’s typically celebrated by arranging dolls on a red carpet. However, the source of this celebration is a ceremony in which people floated dolls on boats down rivers to carry away bad luck.
Feb 20th - 22nd
Traditionally, dye producers were located along the banks of the Myōshōji River, which runs through the area. As an artistic tribute to this heritage, long pieces of kimono cloth will be draped on wires above the river as a “River Gallery.”
Feb 20th - 23rd
There will be around 80 booths selling seafood delicacies, such as tuna, salmon, sea urchin, and crab. But not everyone will be making purely Japanese dishes; there will also be seafood paella, ramen, and rice.
Feb 18th - 23rd
Watch techniques up close, speak directly with makers, and purchase works ranging from everyday tools to highly specialized pieces.
Feb 16th - 23rd
The theme for this year is “the fusion of coffee and Ginza”. Notably, this year, an advisory team has helped plan the festival from a specialty coffee and café culture perspective, ensuring you receive the best insider knowledge.
Feb 17th - 22nd
This multidisciplinary exhibition will display a vibrant mix of photography (predominantly street and portrait), visual art, and DJs. It will present diverse perspectives on Tokyo and Japan from local and international artists, each using different art forms.
Feb 19th
Celebrating its 13th anniversary at their home turf of Ruby Room, Berlin Party will deliver yet another big night of what they’re known for with a free show featuring a mixed bag of live performers and DJs from Tokyo and abroad.
Feb 20th
Each week, Tokyo’s best comedians hit the stage to showcase their sets, and the local comedy community gathers for a laugh. There are many events over the weekend and in the week, so make sure to check what else TCB has in store.
Feb 20th - 22nd
This (mostly) free festival focuses on independent and small-scale animated works, with competition screenings, special programs, and an awards ceremony.
Dec 20th - Feb 22nd
Held at Creative Museum Tokyo, Capcom Creation – Moving Hearts Across the Globe traces the studio’s journey from its founding in 1983 to its status as a global game powerhouse today.
Jan 23rd - Feb 23rd
Popular cat creators will gather to sell handmade goods and showcase their amateur and professional photography. The stalls include shops with feline pottery, miniature displays, postcards, and stickers.
Feb 19th
A veritable “festival of innovation”, across three locations in Toranomon Hills, experience a range of discussions, activities, and networking opportunities to help turn your ideas into action.
Nov 21st - Feb 24th
This popular ice-skating rink takes over the grass square behind Tokyo Midtown every winter, right next door to the Midtown Winter Lights.
Jan 1st - Feb 28th
This 20-minute Nagatoro cruise takes you through the rock formations of the Arakawa River, giving you a view of the gorgeous landscape.
Nov 22nd - Feb 28th
Every winter, the entire island of Enoshima comes alive with dazzling patterns of illumination. The main attraction is the Samuel Cocking Garden, which includes the gently glowing trees of Hoseki Forest.
Nov 13th - Feb 28th
If you like your winter light-ups with added stag, then Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho is the place you’ve been looking for.
Dec 4th - Mar 1st
Enjoy nature-themed illuminations at Yokohama’s America-Yama Park, a short walk from Minato Mirai. The park will have blue and yellow lights and buzz with a bee-themed focus.
Feb 14th - Mar 8th
These cherry blossoms will be in full bloom in mid-February, earlier than almost anywhere else near Tokyo. To top it off, you can enjoy a perfect and unique view of Mt. Fuji together with the blossoms!
Feb 1st - 25th
Every year, the Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine puts on a wonderful plum blossom festival during February. This popular plum blossom festival celebrates kōbai, a variety of deep red plum blossoms.
Feb 1st - 28th
Nagatoro‘s Mt. Hodo is home to the largest wintersweet garden in Saitama Prefecture, with around 3,000 sweet-smelling trees.
Feb 10th - Mar 1st
The plum garden at Jindai Botanical Garden bursts with life, color, and music during winter. The gardens have 150 plum trees with around 70 varieties. Catch vivid red and pink blossoms in bloom during the festival.
Feb 7th - Mar 1st
Mainly happening around Sōga Bessho Bairin — a grove of about 35,000 plum trees — this famous festival gives visitors the chance to see the plum blossoms in full bloom.
Feb 7th - Mar 1st
The yearly Koishikawa Plum Festival takes place in Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, near Korakuen. It’s the perfect place for a brisk walk or to enjoy one of the guided tours to learn more about the blossoms.
Feb 7th - Mar 1st
On the weekends in the gardens, there will be plenty of things to see apart from the sprouting plum blossoms. Expect dances, guided walks, and performances.
Feb 7th - Mar 1st
The park has about 670 plum trees. On weekends during this festival, vendors sell plum-themed food, such as madeleines and jelly.
Feb 11th - Mar 3rd
Kawazu-zakura flowers earlier than most other varieties of cherry, so they’re usually in full bloom in late February. More than 1,000 Kawazu-sakura line the road from Miura-kaigan station to Komatsugaike Park during this festival.
Feb 7th - Mar 3rd
Let plum blossoms have their moment, we say. There are around five hundred plum trees here — as well as a plum bonsai exhibition featuring around 40 carefully trained tiny trees.
Feb 8th - Mar 8th
Yushima Tenjin has been a popular spot for blossom-viewing since the Edo era and the festival includes demonstrations of shamisen-playing, plum wine tasting, traditional dance, tea, and other Japanese cultural events, including a mikoshi (portable shrine) procession.
Jan 31st - Mar 8th
There are evening light-ups in the plum garden, tea ceremonies with matcha and sweets, and guided walks where staff introduce different plum varieties (in Japanese).