Best Events Japan November 2025

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Welcome to the latest installment of Voyapon’s series, where we share some of the best under-the-radar events happening throughout Japan. Every month, we give our readers the best events from Hokkaido to Okinawa and everywhere else in between. Find our list, below, of some amazing activities happening in November 2025.

Tokyo

In November, Tokyo transforms into a vibrant mix of autumn foliage, festive holiday menus, and thought-provoking art exhibitions.

Ikebukuro Living Loop (November 1 to November 3)

Ikebukuro Living Loop returns in 2025 under the theme “Everyday Life with Living in the City,” creating a walkable, welcoming urban space. The event takes place November 1–3 along Green Boulevard near Ikebukuro Station’s east exit, with Minami-Ikebukuro Park and Sunshine City as additional venues. Visitors can enjoy a lively market featuring handmade crafts, gourmet food, workshops, and street performances. The event emphasizes comfort and community, with tables and seating arranged to foster relaxation, conversation, and shared experiences. Designed like an open-air living room, the festival invites everyone to experience a vibrant, people-friendly city environment.

When	November 1 to November 3
Where	Green Boulevard, Minami-Ikebukuro Park and Sunshine City
Admission Fee	Free
Official Website	https://ikebukuropark.com/livingloop/

Best Autumn Foliage Spots (Ongoing)

As fall arrives in Tokyo, the foliage or koyo shifts the landscape into hues of red, orange, and gold, with peak viewing expected from early November through mid-December (a slightly delayed season this year due to warmer temperatures). Rather than the overcrowded and renowned spots (Shinjuku Gyoen, Meiji Jingu Gaien, Rikugien), the brief guide below highlights more peaceful locations to soak in the seasonal beauty.

Some top recommendations:

• Koishikawa Botanical Garden: Expansive gardens, wild feel, red maples and ginkgoes, plus sequoias and a historic shogunate origin.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum: Combining art, sculpture, and garden tranquillity.
• Ichikawa Ekoin Temple: Just across the Edogawa River in Chiba Prefecture; peaceful, great views, matcha café on site.
• Kiyosumi Garden: Ponds, koi, tea house; ideal for a reflective autumn stroll.
• Other lesser-known gems include Zenpukujigawa Green Space & Wadabori Park, Komazawa Olympic Park, Mukojima-Hyakkaen, Higo-Hosokawa Garden, Otaguro Park and the large-scale Mizumoto Park.

Each has its own charm: from riverside walks and pond reflections to historic gardens, often with easier access and fewer crowds.

Hyatt Regency Tokyo (Ongoing campaigns)

At Eau de Vie, the elegant bar inside Hyatt Regency Tokyo in Nishi-Shinjuku, guests can enjoy Twilight Hour from 5pm to 8pm daily, from October 1 with 50% off all drinks and food.

Until December 31, Eau de Vie will also host the Hakushu Whisky Fair, celebrating the renowned Japanese distillery. Highlights include two exceptional whiskies: the Hakushu Story of the Distillery 2024 Edition (2,500 yen per glass / 50,000 yen per bottle), a limited single malt crafted from smoky malts aged in bourbon barrels to commemorate the distillery’s 50th anniversary, and the Hakushu 12 Years (2,700 yen per glass / 54,000 yen per bottle), known for its fresh, herbal, and citrus notes.

The fair runs from 5pm–11pm Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays, offering whisky lovers a refined tasting experience in the heart of Tokyo.

When	Until December 31 From 5pm to 11pm Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays
Where	Hyatt Regency Tokyo
Admission Fee	From 2,500 yen per class to 54,000 per bottle
Official Website	https://www.hyattregencytokyo.com/restaurant/news/tabid/72/Default.aspx?itemid=811&dispmid=612

Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills (Ongoing campaigns)

Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills celebrates the 2025 holiday season with an array of festive menus and seasonal offerings across its venues. The Tavern – Grill & Lounge presents Matcha & Chestnut and Festive Afternoon Teas, a six-course Festive Dinner, and a Champagne-paired Sharing Steak Set, while the Rooftop Bar offers “Festive Tea Cocktails” inspired by holiday sweets. The Pastry Shop unveils “Christmas Cakes & Sweets 2025” by Chef Normand Jubin, featuring creations like Winter Crown and Bûche de Noël, alongside the Silent Snow dessert series, Festive Hampers, and Galette des Rois. BeBu serves hearty winter fare such as Southern-style gumbo and fried chicken boxes, and the SUSHI hosts an exclusive Christmas Gala Dinner. AO Spa & Club introduces the “Resonant Winter” treatment using Aesop products and limited-edition “Festive Spa Gifts.” Together, these offerings promise a refined and indulgent celebration of the holiday season in Tokyo.

When	Matcha & Chestnut Afternoon Tea: November 1 to November 30 Festive Afternoon Tea: December 1 to December 26 Festive Dinner: December 24 and 25
Where	Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills at Toranomon Hills Mori Tower
Admission Fee	Matcha & Chestnut Afternoon Tea: 7,500 yen Festive Afternoon tea: 8,000 yen Festive Dinner: 28,000 yen Christmas Cakes starting from 7,050 yen
Official Website	Festive Afternoon Tea Matcha and Chestnut Afternoon Tea Festive Dinner Christmas Cakes

Thanksgiving Dinner at Grand Hyatt Tokyo (November 27 to November 29) and Zodiac Elemental Treatment at Nagomi Spa and Fitness (until December 31)

The Oak Door’s chefs will present a classic Thanksgiving roast turkey feast, featuring dishes such as roasted sweet potatoes, an autumn salad with pecans and feta cheese, and homemade pumpkin pie for dessert.

When	November 27-29
Where	Grand Hyatt Tokyo
Admission Fee	11,000 yen and 17,600 with wine paring
Official Website	https://www.tokyo.grand.hyatt.co.jp/en/restaurants/recommended/oak-door/thanksgiving-dinner/

Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s Nagomi Spa and Fitness introduces the Zodiac Elemental Treatment, a seasonal 90-minute oil massage inspired by the four zodiac elements—fire, earth, air, and water. Guests can choose from four unique oil blends crafted to match their zodiac sign or mood: invigorating spices for fire, grounding woods for earth, refreshing citrus for air, and soothing florals for water. The treatment restores balance to body and mind through a head, neck, shoulder, and back massage, concluding with tsukimi dango (a moon-viewing rice cake) to honor Japan’s autumn traditions. Available to hotel and day spa guests until December 31, this luxurious experience blends astrology, aromatherapy, and Japanese seasonality for holistic relaxation.

Marina Perez Simão & Tomie Ohtake at Pace Gallery (November 4 to February 11) 

Pace Gallery Tokyo will present dual exhibitions of Marina Perez Simão and Tomie Ohtake from November 4 to February 11, at its Azabudai Hills space. The shows create an inter-generational dialogue between two Brazilian artists of Japanese heritage, exploring abstraction and landscape.

Simão’s first solo exhibition in Japan features new landscape-inspired oil paintings that blend emotion, memory, and place through organic, flowing forms. Influenced by Ohtake, she integrates indigo hues as a tribute to Japanese tradition, alongside reds and pinks that evoke cosmic luminosity.

Ohtake’s accompanying exhibition includes eight paintings (1963–2004) and a 2013 steel sculpture, showcasing her radical exploration of color, geometry, and movement. Born in Kyoto in 1913 and later based in São Paulo, Ohtake became a leading figure in Brazilian abstraction. Together, their works highlight abstraction’s poetic power to transcend language and cultural boundaries.

When	November 4 to February 11
Where	Pace Gallery Tokyo
Admission Fee	Free
Official Website	https://www.pacegallery.com/exhibitions/marina-perez-sim%C3%A3o-tokyo/

bills AUTUMN & WINTER 2025 menu (Ongoing)

This season’s theme, “bills Origin: The Australian Dining Experience,” celebrates the warm, simple spirit of Sydney’s dining culture and Australia’s vibrant multicultural identity. The menu brings together diverse, seasonal ingredients and global cooking techniques. Highlights include the chrysanthemum greens and green kimchi pancake — a savory fusion inspired by Vietnamese banh xeo and Korean pancakes, featuring Japan’s seasonal shungiku and homemade green kimchi. The bills plate combines local fruits and vegetables, Hiruzen Dairy gouda, perilla oil labneh, and seeded rye crispbread, capturing the essence of Australia’s regional and cultural diversity. Drinks include the blueberry protein, made with grass-fed whey protein to reflect Australia’s fitness culture, and the paper plane, a modern Australian cocktail blending bourbon, Aperol, and Amaro Nonino.

When	From October 28
Where	Eight locations: Shichirigahama, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse,Odaiba, Omotesando, Futakotamagawa, Ginza, Osaka and Fukuoka
Admission Fee	Main dishes starting from 2,000 yen, desserts from 1,300 yen and drinks from 1,000 yen
Official Website	https://www.billsjapan.com/en

Tokyo Poetry Week (November 12 to November 20)

The inaugural Tokyo Poetry Week connects the city’s thriving creative communities through poetry with workshops, readings, book launches, live painting, music, art and more.

When	Nov 12 from 7pm Visual/Concrete Poetry Party: Kanto x Kansai
Where	The Den 4-25-8 Koenjiminami, Suginami, Tokyo
Admission Fee	Free
Official Website	https://www.instagram.com/p/DQmYaMNErKW/

When	Nov 15 from 7pm Tokyo Poetry Journal Vol. 17: Portraits of Tokyo launch party – 10 years anniversary of the journal
Where	Art Atelier Tokyo 1-10-8 Narihira, Sumida, Tokyo
Admission Fee	3,000 yen (includes copy of the book and one free book)
Official Website	https://www.instagram.com/p/DQmYaMNErKW/

When	Nov 19 from 8pm Art poetry workshop and reading
Where	UltraSuperNew Gallery Kura, Shibuya
Admission Fee	Free
Official Website	https://www.instagram.com/p/DQmYaMNErKW/

When	Nov 20 Part 1: Poetry book and zine market + Q&A with indie publishers (ToPoJo, Moon Hotel Press, Melom Press, and more TBA.) Part 2: Performance poetry workshop with Marcellus Nealy.
Where	Tokyo Art Tank collab KiKi Bldg 1F, 3-7-17 Ebisuminami, Shibuya, Tokyo
Admission Fee	Free entry, please buy a book to support the poets if possible.
Official Website	https://www.instagram.com/p/DQmYaMNErKW/

Kyoto

As autumn paints Kyoto in hues of red and gold, the city comes alive with seasonal events and culinary experiences.

Osteria Italiana Seven Embers at Hilton Kyoto (Newly opened) 

Located in the gorgeous Hilton Kyoto, this new restaurant has acclaimed Executive Chef Mariangela Ruggerio at the helm and is set to be the new culinary hotspot in the old capital. With locally sourced ingredients, Ruggerio opens up her family cookbook for patrons with standout dishes including Fried Pizza, Risotto alla Milanese con Ossobuco, and the Cannolo Siciliano. Expect Osteria Italiania Seven Embers to be on the lips of every foodie in Kyoto as it’s perfect for solo dining, couples, and families making it the ideal spot in every way. 

When	Newly Opened
Where	Hilton Kyoto
Official Website	https://kyoto.hiltonjapan.co.jp/restaurants/seven-embers

Kansai Queer Film Festival in Kyoto (November 28 to November 30) and in Osaka (December 5 to December 7)

The Kansai Queer Film Festival (KQFF) is Japan’s leading LGBTQ+ film event, held annually in Kyoto and Osaka. Celebrating diversity and inclusion, the 2025 edition runs from November 28–30 in Kyoto and December 5–7 in Osaka, showcasing films that explore themes of sexuality, gender, and identity. Featuring Japanese and international works, from documentaries to short films, the festival also includes discussions, community events, and a domestic film competition. KQFF provides a vital space for dialogue and solidarity, addressing social and political issues from queer perspectives. Rooted in activism and accessibility, the festival continues to challenge stereotypes and amplify marginalized voices, fostering understanding and connection across Japan’s vibrant queer community.

When	Kyoto: November 28 to November 30 Osaka: December 5 to December 7
Where	Wings Kyoto Toyonaka Step
Price	From 700 yen to 3,500 yen
Official Website	https://kansai-qff.org/2025/kaisaimae/

Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri (November 9)

The Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri (Autumn Leaves Festival) in Kyoto celebrates the beauty of autumn foliage along the scenic Oi River. Held annually on the second Sunday of November (this year on November 9) the festival features an elegant boat procession with performers in Heian-period costumes playing music and performing traditional theater against the backdrop of Togetsukyo Bridge and crimson maple trees. Visitors can enjoy viewing the boats from the riverbanks, explore nearby temples, and stroll through the famous bamboo grove. Entry is free, but the area becomes crowded, so arriving early is recommended. The event perfectly captures Kyoto’s harmony of nature, history, and culture, making it one of the city’s most photogenic and atmospheric autumn celebrations.

When	November 9
Where	Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Price	Free
Official Website	https://www.arashiyamahoshokai.com/index.html

Kiyomizudera Temple: Autumn Nighttime Special Visit (November 22 to December 7)

From November 22 to December 7, Kiyomizudera offers a special evening autumn viewing event. Visitors can explore the temple grounds from 5:30pm until 9pm (last admission at that time) without advance reservation. The illuminated maple leaves and temple buildings create a serene, reflective atmosphere — highlighting the main hall and pagodas bathed in twilight. In addition, the nearby Seijuin Garden (“Moon Garden”) is open for this special viewing as well. The event invites you to bring a moment of contemplation — perhaps to honor someone dear or quietly reflect within the autumn-scenery setting at this historic Kyoto temple.

When	November 22 to December 7
Where	Kiyomizudera Temple
Price	500 yen
Official Website	https://www.kiyomizudera.or.jp/en/visit/special_night_viewing/

Osaka

This autumn, Osaka turns into a paradise for anime fans, especially those devoted to Detective Conan, one of Japan’s most beloved series.

Detective Conan Escape Game (November 1 to December 14)

This immersive live escape game invites participants to join the world of Detective Conan and his allies as they investigate a trap set inside a new rescue training facility. Participants pose as candidates for a mountain and rescue-team training centre, but when communication devices are destroyed and a time-bomb countdown begins, they must liaise with Conan and his team via radios to solve the mystery and escape. The game is indoor, runs for about 120 minutes, and teams consist of up to six players. Available tickets include general admission, group (1-6 players), Under 22 discount and kids kit for younger players (ages 6-12). The event runs in multiple cities including Osaka (Nov 1 – Dec 14).

When	November 1 to December 14
Where	Yomiuri TV
Price	Anticipated ticket: 3,600 yen
Official Website	https://realdgame.jp/s/conan2025/yomiuri.html

Autumn leaves, new restaurant openings and a thousand adventures is what November in Japan brings to you. We hope you enjoy this special season!

_{Cover photo: Maria Peñascal}

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