Region
Kanto
Island
Honshu
Largest City
Tokyo
Population
12,059,237

Tokyo Rainbow Pride Fest

Grab your rainbow apparel and cruise on down to the biggest LGBT pride parade in Japan.

  • The 2020 Tokyo Pride Festival which was scheduled to take place between April 25 and May 6 has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Pride parades are one of the best things about spring, and Tokyo does not disappoint. Its annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride an awesome weeklong event of queer acceptance, love and, yes, of course, pride.

Japan’s biggest pride fest!

Set in the event space next to Shibuya’s Yoyogi Park, Tokyo Pride is a two-day event that mixes progressive social activism with traditional Japanese festival culture. Munch on your yakisoba (stir-fried noodles) while chatting with anime drag queens. Cool down with your uchiwa (fan) and kakigori (shaved ice) next to Japanese in yukata (summer kimono) while listening to a speech about the fight to establish marriage equality in Japan.

While perhaps not as raucous as some other cities’ prides, Tokyo’s Pride’s homey and down-to-earth approach makes it quite an inclusive event.

What to do

Rainbow Pride is a chance to see and hear Tokyo’s LGBT community in full force.

Various embassies, organizations such as Equal Marriage Alliance and Akta LGBTQ center, as well as corporations such as Google, Alfa Romeo, and Toot underwear are clustered in the event area, handing out free gifts and willing to chat. Really, everyone there is in high spirits, so it’s a great way to meet some new friends, both Japanese and foreign.

In addition to the organizations’ booths, there is also an event stage in the same area. You can relax there and check out performances by local singers, dancers and entertainers, as well as speeches by politicians and local leaders.

Tokyo rainbow pride fest

Photo by: akane_kiyohara Gettin’ that pride swag.

The parade takes place on the second day of the Pride Fest. Starting at the entrance to the site closest to Shibuya, it snakes through the area’s main shopping streets before arriving back at the fest. Join in and celebrate being out and proud while enjoying the brightly colored floats, festive costumes and gay party music.

While the park event closes around sundown, don’t be fooled. The party continues in the streets of Ni-chome, Tokyo’s gay district,  until the next morning! No matter your gender or sexual orientation, one thing is clear: Tokyo Rainbow Pride is an inclusive, uplifting and fabulous way to spend a spring day in the city.

Editor’s note: GaijinPot Travel launched its LGBT travel section in 2018. If you’d like to contribute articles/photos, please let GaijinPot Travel know at [email protected].

Things To Know

Schedule

Tokyo Rainbow Pride occurs a bit earlier than other prides, usually the last weekend of April or the first weekend of May. In 2020, festivities start on April 25 and go through May 6. The annual pride parade is April 26, 2020. There is no admission price.

Website

More updates on https://tokyorainbowpride.com/parade

2020 Pride Parade

The Tokyo Rainbow Pride Parade start time is 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, 2020. Where to join the Parade: Near stations: JR Harajuku / Tokyo Metro Meiji-Jingu-mae / Yoyogi Park. The event is located to the north of NHK Hall. Please see map below for approximate starting place.

How To Get There

Address

150-0041, Japan

By train

The nearest stations are Harajuku (on JR Yamanote line, 9-minute walk), Meijijingu-Mae (on Fukutoshin Line and Chiyoda line, 9-minute walk).

Turn right out of the station towards Yoyogi Park and cross the footbridge to reach the event space. Yoyogi-Hachiman (on Odakyu line, 10-minute walk) and Shibuya station (on Yamanote line, 16-minute walk) are also relatively close.


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