A visit to Tokyo in June will offer you pleasant weather, plenty to see and do, and fewer crowded attractions compared to peak travel periods. Colorful festivals, lush gardens, and exciting cuisine all add to the appeal of June in Tokyo.
Early summer in the Japanese capital is perfect for exploration. Streets burst to life with hydrangeas, open-air events, and vibrant beer gardens, providing a wide selection of fantastic experiences to cherish for years.
Warm Weather & Flower Blooms
Tokyo
When you land in Tokyo in June, you will be treated to warm weather, from around 68°F or 20°C in the morning to highs of around 81°F or 27°C during the afternoon. The humidity increases as the month progresses, but early June offers agreeable weather ideal for leisurely city strolls.
Choose light and loose clothing for your trip and carry a lightweight umbrella for the second half of the month, as the local tsuyu rainy season begins to ramp up.
June’s lovely weather will also enable you to stay outside for longer because the temperature highs don’t reach the scorching and sticky levels of July and August.
And even the periodic rain showers can be a blessing, fostering a calming atmosphere, brightening the city streets with a soft glow, and adding interesting atmospheric elements to your photos of Tokyo’s urban landscapes.
Ajisai hydrangeas
Another June highlight is the flowering of the city’s pretty hydrangeas. This Japanese city is adorned with ajisai hydrangeas, which provide bright blue, purple, and pink colors across temple complexes and gardens, including the Hakusan Shrine in Bunkyo, with 3,000 hydrangea shrubs.
June Festivals & Events
Sanno Matsuri
June sees Tokyo experience a range of cultural celebrations, letting you enjoy a variety of Japanese customs, both old and new.
Sanno Matsuri is one of the most important Shinto festivals in Tokyo. This historic June spectacle, which takes place only in even-numbered years, is held at the Hie Shrine in Chiyoda, with its distinctive, bright red columns.
If you’re lucky, you can also catch the Shinkosai grand parade, with a sea of people dressed in white winding through the streets. It’s an impressive Sanno Matsuri-related sight.
Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival
The Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival at the Hakusan Shrine is another visually stimulating activity that should be added to your to-do list for a June visit to Tokyo.
The festivities feature thousands of hydrangeas, food stalls offering neighborhood delicacies such as grilled yakitori chicken, and traditional music performances. The blossoming flowers bring smiles everywhere you look, lifting the overall mood.
If you’re a film lover, consider attending the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, held every June. The festival showcases international and Asian films, with many works focused on Tokyo. It’s a great way to dip your toe into the creative arts in Japan via screenings, panel discussions, and other film-related events.
Yosakoi Soran Festival
While the core Yosakoi Soran Festival is held in Sapporo, Tokyo hosts its own Yosakoi celebrations in June. These colorful street dance festivals blend traditional Japanese folk music with modern dance moves.
Young performers don bright costumes, creating a lively atmosphere. Kiba Park is a great place to catch some of these Yosakoi Soran performances in the capital.
If you visit Tokyo in June, you can experience hotaru, or firefly viewing events as well. City gardens, shrines, and Hotaru Park, west of the capital, are ideal places to see the glow of thousands of fireflies, beloved by the Japanese, creating a natural display of light in the darkness. These events last only a week or two, from early to mid-June, with the weather heavily influencing the schedule.
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Tokyo’s Flavorful Early Summer Culinary Scene
Hiyashi chuka
If you arrive in Tokyo in June, embrace the season’s lighter fare, which will keep you refreshed and energized as you go about your day.
Hiyashi chuka, featuring cold ramen noodles combined with colorful vegetables and chilled meats, sliced egg, and a tangy soy-vinegar dressing, is a tasty and invigorating Japanese dish you should definitely try in the summer.
During June, you can also hang out in friendly izakaya pubs. These laid-back venues offer smaller plates, budget-friendly items, and a vibrant atmosphere that will put you shoulder-to-shoulder with Tokyo locals.
In June, menus begin to feature charcoal-grilled and slightly salted ayu sweetfish. Seasonal food stalls and restaurants serve these river fish as a popular summer dish, which is a big hit among the Japanese.
Unagi
Unagi eel is another seasonal staple. Grilled eel is believed to help build stamina as the summer humidity rises.
Japanese ume plums are in season and plentiful during June, when the harvest kicks off. These plums are often processed into umeboshi pickled plums or used to make umeshu plum wine, while some cafes also prepare seasonal ume desserts.
During summer in Japan, watermelon, cherries, and loquats can be found on fruit stands and in supermarkets and upscale fruit parlors, like Nihonbashi Sembikiya.
Izakaya in Tokyo
By mid-June, department store rooftops in Tokyo neighborhoods like Shinjuku, Ginza, and Ikebukuro transform into fashionable beer garden destinations. These open areas serve cold draft beer, grilled meat, and other nibbles. Holding a frosty beer bottle in your hand while enjoying the rooftop views is one of the trendiest things you can do in Tokyo in June.
Shrine & Temple Visits in June
Meiji Shrine
Before the summer travelers take over the city, you can still enjoy peaceful surroundings while visiting some of Tokyo’s most sacred and historic landmarks. Spiritual sites throughout the city, including Meiji Shrine, are a joy to explore in June.
The Meiji Shrine, set in a forested area near Harajuku, is filled with large wooden torii gates. Tall trees shade wide gravel paths here, providing comfort as the weather begins to heat up.
This beautiful shrine, dating back to 1920, is a popular spot for marriages; if you’re lucky, you might catch sight of a traditional wedding procession passing under the shrine’s torii gate.
Sensoji Temple
Sensoji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple, is beside Asakusa Station. It can be accessed by walking through Nakamise Street, which is lined with street stalls selling seasonal sweets, crafts, and handmade fans to cope with the creeping summer humidity.
The Sensoji area experiences reduced visitor traffic during late spring in Japan, allowing you to enjoy the large paper lanterns, incense-filled courtyards, and the lively atmosphere without the bigger crowds.
East Gardens, Imperial Palace
If time allows, check out the East Gardens surrounding the partially public Imperial Palace at no cost. The well-kept gardens, on the former site of parts of the Edo Castle, awaken with spring foliage in June, creating a green space to explore.
Historic stone walls and moats surround the East Gardens, offering a serene counterpoint to the bustling cityscape. Go for a stroll through this fetching location or come here to rest between different sightseeing activities.
Shinto Nezu Shrine
For more curated nature-inspired beauty, visit the Shinto Nezu Shrine, built in 1705, and immerse yourself in its lush surroundings during the azalea season. The red torii gate paths and the koi ponds heighten the area’s charm.
June in Tokyo is the perfect month to visit these Japanese landmarks. The weather is warm yet refreshing. Overcast days create a tranquil atmosphere, letting you focus on the soft sound of rain pitter-pattering on the foliage and creating ripples through the temple and shrine ponds.
Tokyo’s Lovely Parks & Gardens
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Tokyo’s gardens and parks are big draws in June. Summer temperatures stay below their maximum threshold, and landscapes burst open with brilliant vegetation and seasonal flowering plants.
The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, west of downtown, is a premier spot to explore thanks to its expansive lawns and wooded walking paths. It also features Japanese, English, and French garden styles, which are filled with ponds, swaying willow trees, and blooming irises.
Rikugien Garden
During June, Rikugien Garden, north of the city center, transforms into a lush, moss-covered wonderland. Its origins date back to the Edo period in the early 18th century.
Rikugien’s traditional Japanese landscapes include meandering paths, a stone bridge, and stone lanterns set beside a vast central pond; the soothing vibe is best when you visit during the morning hours or after a gentle rainfall.
At Ueno Park, you can enjoy the verdant landscape and the picturesque views of Shinobazu Pond. The park offers convenient access to some of Tokyo’s most renowned museums, including the National Museum and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
Shinobazu Pond
If you arrive in late June, Shinobazu Pond might already be beginning to reveal its lotus blossoms, which come into full bloom in July.
During early summer, Yoyogi Park, next to the Meiji Shrine, becomes a lively people-watching destination. The shade from zelkova trees cools the joggers and families who’ve come here to exercise or enjoy street performances and live music.
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The Roppongi Hills
Roppongi Hills
If you like places with lots to see and do, head to Roppongi Hills in June. It’s a modern, chic complex where creativity is paired with incredible skylines.
This upscale complex is more than a shopping center. It’s a cultural hub with a sleek urban layout integrating designer boutiques, fine dining options, landscaped plazas, and public art installations.
You’ll also find the Mori Art Museum here, which focuses on contemporary art themes and has rotating exhibitions. If you visit Tokyo often, this is a great place to stop by multiple times, as you will always get something different, exciting, and new.
The Mori Art Museum is on the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. So, in addition to modern-day art, you will also be treated to some outstanding city views from the tower’s scenic observation deck.
Roppongi Hills Mori Tower
When the June weather clears, you will see panoramas extending past the city’s Eiffel-esque Tokyo Tower toward Mount Fuji. And even with occasional cloud cover, the observation deck will let you snap some dramatic photographs, bound to impress family and loved ones back home.
If you need a breather, head to 66 Plaza on the Art Walk pedestrian path. Find a café, stop for a drink like iced matcha or sparkling wine, and soak in the sounds and cultured atmosphere.
TV Asahi Building
The TV Asahi building, near Roppongi Hills, displays seasonal exhibitions and interactive shows related to popular Japanese anime. If you’re a Japanese anime and art fan or have kids in tow, this is also a great place to visit.
June offers a perfect window to enjoy the warming weather and Roppongi’s artistic vibe while avoiding the summer holiday crowds, giving you some enjoyable insight into modern Tokyo.
Exploring Modern Tokyo
Tokyo Skytree
Tokyo’s modern architecture shines in June, when the warming weather and intermittent rain showers create an ideal backdrop for its futuristic steel and glass buildings.
The Tokyo Skytree, at 2,080 feet, or 634 meters, is Japan’s tallest structure and currently ranks among the world’s tallest buildings.
June’s alternating clear skies and stark cloud formations create the perfect backdrop for outstanding city views from the tower’s two observation decks.
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower is another soaring structure that Tokyo is known for and is worth exploring during the early summer months. With fewer visitors to bump elbows with, you can, hopefully, avoid the lengthy waits to ascend the tower, especially for the Top Deck tour, which you need to reserve in advance.
The Ginza district awaits you if your interests lie in shopping and style. June’s mild weather is ideal for wandering around this chic area, where you can shop for luxury brands and check out flagship stores’ mid-year fashion collections.
Shibuya Crossing
Other modern districts you should investigate include Shibuya, which stands out for its dynamic youth culture, fashion trends, and nonstop entertainment options. The famous Shibuya Crossing, with its massive convergence of pedestrians crossing the road, is also a must-visit.
The Shinjuku district is home to soaring skyscrapers and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which features free viewing platforms. This area also has a vibrant entertainment side, including the Golden Gai district, with narrow alleys full of fun and unique bars.
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