June in Tokyo means tsuyu, the rainy season — but don’t let that put you off. It’s one of the city’s best months for festivals. Neighborhoods come alive with Tenno-sai mikoshi matsuri, which see portable shrines hauled through the streets. See a full list of June festivals here.
Other highlights from the web:
An in-depth interview with Yukimasa Okumura, the wildly brilliant and prolific designer behind some of Japan’s most iconic album covers.
An inside look at the Heralbony Art Prize 2026 Exhibition — a groundbreaking international art event that aims to create new opportunities for artists with disabilities.
The insane story of the proposed 10-kilometer-high “Tokyo Tower of Babel” — a massive structure dreamed up by an urban scientist to replace the whole city of Tokyo.
— Callie Beusman, Editorial Director
Even though we’re nearly halfway through the month, there are still a variety of festivals set to take place — from the atmospheric glowing lantern-lit mikoshi at Sumida Inari Shrine to the Thousand-Day Pilgrimage at Atago Shrine, where passing through a chinowa (a large sacred ring made of cogon grass) is said to bring blessings equivalent to 1,000 days of prayer.
Find out more below.
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Other highlights:
MUSIC
“There’s a certain image of Tokyo in those records — something aspirational, a city that felt full of possibility … and perhaps people are mourning it a little.”
ART & CULTURE
This one-of-a-kind exhibition invites visitors to experience art through curiosity and dialogue.
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HISTORY
This visionary building would have housed 30 million people — and swallowed the entire Yamanote Line loop.
Travel in Japan:
Remarkable architectural sites beyond the big cities, from remote contemporary landmarks to historic structures set in striking natural landscapes.
Whether you’re looking for meticulously landscaped temple grounds or wild, untamed hiking trails.
Fairfield by Marriott Michi-no-Eki Hotels turn rural Mie and Wakayama into an accessible road trip — ancient trails, dramatic coastlines and the small-town flavors of Japan's Pacific south.
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