10 Golden Week Events Near Tokyo in 2024

In 2024, Golden Week (GW) will be a long holiday starting on April 27 and ending on May 6. The holiday can be as long as 10 days if you take vacation days on April 30, May 1, and May 2—the three non-holidays during the week!

Various events are held to coincide with the GW holiday in Tokyo and the Kanto area. In this article, we’ve carefully curated a list of 10 events that you should keep your eye on. Make sure to join in on the fun if you find an event you’re interested in!

Golden Week Events near Tokyo in 2024

1. NIKUFES 2024 World Selection TOKYO
2. Craft Gyoza Fes® TOKYO 2024
3. Odaiba Oktoberfest 2024 ~SPRING~
4. SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Showcase Program
5. Showa Kinen Park Flower Festival 2024
6. Yomiuriland Okinawa & Kyushu WEEK!! 2024
7. Yoyogi Park Cambodia Festival 2024
8. Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram & Conan Cafe
9. Nemophila at Hitachi Seaside Park
10. Ashikaga Flower Park’s Great Wisteria Festival 2024

1. NIKUFES 2024 World Selection TOKYO

Picture courtesy of PR Times
NIKUFES 2024 World Selection TOKYO (NIKUFES) will be held in the bay area of Odaiba! Try amazing meat dishes while eating under the clear blue sky!

NIKUFES will have 22 booths operated by restaurants and shops that will serve meat dishes to attendees. This year’s NIKUFES is themed around wagyu beef and worldwide cuisines, allowing attendees to enjoy fatty, tender wagyu beef and unique meat dishes from around the world.

Enjoy the festivities with family at the event’s dedicated picnic area!

NIKUFES 2024 World Selection TOKYO
Event Period: April 26 (Fri) - May 6 (Mon, national holiday), 2024
Venue: Odaiba Special Venue (Tokyo, Koto, Aomi 1-1-16)
Admission Fee: Free
Official Website: https://www.nikufes.jp (Japanese)

2. Craft Gyoza Fes® TOKYO 2024

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Craft Gyoza Fes® TOKYO 2024 (Craft Gyoza Fes) is an event exclusively about gyoza (potstickers) held in Komazawa Olympic Park, Tokyo.

Unique gyoza restaurants will gather in Komazawa Olympic Park during Craft Gyoza Fes. You can enjoy gyoza in various flavors, from novelty ingredients to traditionally made dishes.

Many variations may even surprise so-called “avant-garde gyoza” enthusiasts at the event, like Chicken Nanban gyoza (fried chicken with tartar sauce) or dessert gyoza with an anko (sweet red bean paste) butter filling.

As for traditional gyoza available at the event, there will be classics like the Hakata Hitokuchi (bite-size) gyoza.

Why not experience the deep world of gyoza during Golden Week?

Craft Gyoza Fes® TOKYO 2024
Event Period: April 26 (Fri) - May 6 (Mon, national holiday), 2024
Venue: Komazawa Olympic Park Central Square (Tokyo, Setagaya, Komazawa Park 1-1)
Admission Fee: Free
Official Website: http://craftgyoza.jp/tokyo2024/ (Japanese)

3. Odaiba Oktoberfest 2024 ~SPRING~

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Oktoberfest is a German beer festival with roots in Japan since it was first held many years ago. Odaiba Oktoberfest 2024 ~SPRING~ will surprise many since this Oktoberfest isn’t held in autumn but rather in spring!

In the bay area of Odaiba, people of all ages can enjoy German food culture while basking in the sea breeze.

Another Oktoberfest is scheduled to be held at Shiba Park in Minato, Tokyo, in mid-May after Golden Week.

Odaiba Oktoberfest 2024 ~SPRING~
Event Period: April 26 (Fri) - May 6 (Mon, national holiday), 2024
Venue: Symbol Promenade Park Central Plaza (Tokyo, Koto, Aomi 1-1)
Admission Fee: 500 yen for adults, free for children
Official Website: https://www.oktober-fest.jp/odaiba_spring/ (Japanese)

4. SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Showcase Program

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SusHi Tech Tokyo is an initiative that aims to create a sustainable city and proposes a vision of cities for the next generation from various angles.

During Golden Week 2024, experienced-based programs will be hosted at venues in Odaiba, such as The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), Ariake Arena, and more.

During the program at the Miraikan, events for people of all ages will be hosted in three zones: the Future Discovery Floor, the Future Creation Floor, and the Future Tower.

The event features characters by Osamu Tezuka that act as ambassadors. Please experience the SDGs in the future of Tokyo for yourself!

SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Showcase Program
Event Period: April 27 (Sat) - May 26 (Sun), 2024
Venue: The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Tokyo, Koto, Aomi 2-3-6) and other locations such as Ariake Arena, Symbol Promenade Park, and Uminomori Area. Events may also be held at Tokyo Big Sight and Hotel New Otani Tokyo
Official Website: https://www.sushi-tech-tokyo2024.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/

5. Showa Kinen Park Flower Festival 2024

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Showa Kinen Park's Flower Festival 2024 features 1.8 million nemophila (baby blue eyes) flowers, tulips, and many other seasonal highlights!

Refresh your mind and body while standing amid flower fields where cherry blossoms and 202 tulip varieties are in full bloom. The Nemophila x Bubble Photography Time is a project that features bubbles blown into the beautiful landscape of the Nemophila flower fields.

Another event scheduled is the Tulip Garden Special Photography Time. During this event, you can take photos of the tulip fields without having anyone in the frame.

Showa Kinen Park Flower Festival 2024
Event Period: March 16 (Sat) - May 26 (Sun), 2024
Venue: Showa Kinen Park (Tokyo, Tachikawa, Midoricho 3173)
Admission Fee: Free
Official Website: https://www.showakinen-koen.jp/flower-festival/ (Japanese)

6. Yomiuriland Okinawa and Kyushu WEEK 2024

Picture courtesy of PR Times
This event is co-hosted by Yomiuriland, an amusement park in Inagi, Tokyo, and HANA・BIYORI, a flower park right next door. This is where you can experience the charms of Okinawa and the Kyushu region during Golden Week.

Okinawa & Kyushu WEEK!! 2024 is a continuation of last year’s event and will feature food from Okinawa and Kyushu. There will also be appearances from local heroes and shows hosted by comedians from Okinawa and Kyushu.

This event makes it possible to enjoy local cuisine like Okinawan soki soba and Nagasaki kakuni pork burgers, all while enjoying live singing from Yoshio Mizushima and a comedy show by Sunshine Ikezaki.

Experience the subtropics without leaving Tokyo!

Okinawa & Kyushu WEEK!! 2024
Event Period: April 27 (Sun) - May 6 (Mon, national holiday), 2024
Venue: Yomiuriland, HANA・BIYORI (Tokyo, Inagi, Yanokuchi 4015-1)
Official Website: https://www.yomiuriland.com/sp/gw2024/ (Japanese)

7. Yoyogi Park Cambodia Festival 2024

Yoyogi Park. Photo by Pixta

Yoyogi Park holds various events year-round. The Cambodia Festival 2024 is one of these events and will be held during GW.

The festival is held to share the charms of Cambodia as a nation in Japan. In fact, the ambassador of the Embassy of Cambodia in Japan is the executive committee chairman.

During the festival, restaurants and companies will have booths while stage events are scheduled to introduce Cambodian arts, culture, and specialties to attendees. Japanese corporations have also been branching out into Cambodia. Therefore, you might discover certain companies at this event have ties to Cambodia!

Cambodia Festival 2024
Event Period: May 3 (Fri) and May 4 (Sat), 2024
Venue: Yoyogi Park (Tokyo, Shibuya, Yoyogikamizonocho 2-1)
Admission Fee: Free
Official Website: https://cambodiafestival.com (Japanese)

8. Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram & Conan Cafe

Picture courtesy of PR Times　©Gosho Aoyama/Shogakukan・Yomiuri TV・TMS 1996 ©2024 Gosho Aoyama/Detective Conan Production Committee

Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram is the latest movie in the popular Detective Conan anime series scheduled to release in theaters on April 12. This means the film will be playing in theaters during GW. In this movie, you can enjoy a suspenseful action story set in Hakodate, Hokkaido.

After watching the movie, make your way to the Detective Conan Cafe! You can try their collaboration menu at any of the 10 pop-up locations in seven cities nationwide.

Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram the Movie
Coming to theaters nationwide on April 12, 2024
Movie Official Website: https://www.conan-movie.jp/2024/ (Japanese)
Detective Conan Collaboration Cafe
Tokyo (Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Harajuku), Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka (Umeda, Shinsaibashi), Sendai, Sapporo, Hakata
Collaboration Cafe Official Website: https://conan-cafe.jp (Japanese)

9. Nemophila at Hitachi Seaside Park

Photo by Pixta

You can also admire the nemophila flowers in full bloom at Hitachi Seaside Park in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Blue flowers cover Miharashi Hill inside the park, a sight that will put you in a romantic mood whether you’re with family, a significant other, or friends.

Guided tours are available on the weekends, allowing you to experience this expansive park with someone guiding you.

Hitachi Seaside Park Guided Tours
Event Period: March 2 (Sat) - May 26 (Sun), 2024 (weekends only)
Venue: Hitachi Seaside Park (Ibaraki, Hitachinaka, Mawatari Onuma-aza 605)
Official Website: https://hitachikaihin.jp/en/

10. Ashikaga Flower Park’s Great Wisteria Festival 2024

Picture courtesy of PR Times

Ashikaga Flower Park is a flower theme park in Tochigi Prefecture. GW is the best time to see the excellent wisteria tree in the park.

Wisterias are famous May flowers in Japan. The wisteria trellis is formed by a massive wisteria tree over 160 years old. Visitors come annually to admire these purple flowers. During this time, the Great Wisteria Festival is held inside the park.

Azaleas are also in full bloom at Ashikaga Flower Park from late April to May. Enjoy a stroll through the park while surrounded by the colorful flowers!

A Tale of the Wisteria: The Great Wisteria Festival 2024
Event Period: April 13 (Sat) - May 15 (Wed), 2024
Venue: Ashikaga Flower Park (Tochigi, Ashikaga, Hasamacho 607)
Admission Fee: 1,000 - 2,200 yen for adults, 500 - 1,100 yen for children
Official Website: https://www.ashikaga.co.jp/fujinohana_special2024/en/index.html

Refresh Yourself During GW Under the Blue Sky!

Golden Week 2024 coincides with various events held not only in the Tokyo metropolitan area but also in various parts of the country.

During May, the weather in Japan is nice and pleasant. Spend your long holiday going out and creating memories of great food, festivals, and sights!

Check out the MATCHA articles below to find the perfect spot for a day in Tokyo's city or suburbs.

Main image courtesy of PR Times