07. June 2026
The Meteorological Agency announced that the Tokyo area is believed to have entered the rainy season (Tsuyu). On average, the rain season lasts until around July 19, though in 2025 the season was declared over on June 28. Once the wet season is over, Tokyo will enter a very hot and humid period. The heat can sometimes continue through a good part of September but is particularly bad from the end of the rain season to early August.
16. May 2026
The Unicorn Gundam Statue that is located outside the Diver City Tokyo shopping mall will be removed at the end of August. The announcement was made on the official website. https://www.unicorn-gundam-statue.jp/en/1067/ There will be special events leading up to the conclusion of the exhibit, which will be announced on the official site.
30. April 2026
Most Tokyo attractions will remain open during the "Golden Week" holiday period, which runs until May 6th. Places that are normally closed on Monday will be open on May 4th, including spots like the Tokyo National Museum or the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Some attractions will remain open during Golden Week, then have irregular closing dates following it. For example, both the Edo-Tokyo Museum and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden will be closed on May 7th (Thursday). If your visit is...
10. April 2026
The Japan Rail Pass will increase in price again, the change effective October 1st, 2026.
07. April 2026
The final phase in the Takanawa Gateway Project has now been completed with the opening of the MoN Takanawa The Museum of Narratives. Like the Takanawa Gateway rail station, the design is by Kengo Kuma. The spiral design looks similar to the Darling Exchange in Sydney, also designed by the Kuma team. Most of the building does not require any fee to enter. Visitors can freely go up to the rooftop which has a great view of the nearby Shinkansen tracks (the site is sitting on space that used to be...
19. March 2026
The Japan Meteorological Agency officially announced today that the cherry tree at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine has opened. A staff from the agency confirmed that more than six flowers are visible in the tree they regularly monitor, meeting the guideline for what they consider a blossom opening. The announcement is 5 days earlier than 2025. From this point, it usually takes around 6-7 days for the blossoms to reach full bloom status meaning that March 25 or 26 is when the trees would start to reach...
14. March 2026
On March 14th, the JR East rail company raised its fare, the first hike since 1987. The increase is higher in central Tokyo and the JR Yamanote Line area, where the fare goes up by 16.4%. For a single ride, the difference will be several hundred yen at the most so not a huge difference, though commuters that use the rail on a regular basis will feel the impact more. Shinjuku-Shibuya 167→199 JPY Tokyo-Shinjuku 208→253 JPY Tokyo-Yokohama 483→ 528 JPY Tokyo-Sendai 6,050→6,270 JPY (base...
04. March 2026
Due to very warm weather in February, the cherry blossom forecast has changed from the initial projection announced a month ago. Now the Weathermap website is predicting the first bloom in Tokyo on March 17 with full bloom coming on March 25. The peak viewing window is expected to be from March 24 to the 31st. Source: https://sakura.weathermap.jp/en.php
30. January 2026
Starting March 2026, many rail operators in the Tokyo area now allow use of credit cards directly at the station gate.
22. January 2026
The weather forecasting company Weathermap released its first forecast for the 2026 cherry blossoms. In Tokyo, the opening is expected to be on March 22nd while full bloom will be on March 29th. This would follow a similar pattern from 2025 when the full bloom was declared on March 30th. Usually the peak viewing window would start 1-2 days before the full bloom and last for a duration of around 7-10 days. The full version in English can be viewed from the below URL....