Why Soho House Tokyo is a must-visit all year round
From cherry blossoms and summer fireworks to the annual marathon, there’s always lots on in Japan’s capital – and our club is the perfect base for all of it
Tuesday 7 July 2026 By Sarah Holt
A metropolis of 847 square miles awaits in Tokyo. Promising shrines, temples, gardens, lookout towers, parks, palaces, and malls, the city ensures there’s something to do around the clock. Not every month is the same, though. A flurry of festivals and annual events gives this chameleon-like city a different colour from one season to the next – and Soho House Tokyo is perfectly primed to offer a base from which to explore and enjoy them all.
Spring
Sakura cherry blossom
Between late March and early April, the cherry trees of Tokyo are pom-pomed with pink petals. With more than 600 Yoshino cherry trees on display, Yoyogi Park is one of the best spots – and it’s just a 20-minute walk from Soho House Tokyo. Pack a blanket and picnic beneath the boughs.
Sanja Matsuri festival
Taking over the Asakusa district on the third full weekend of May, Sanja Matsuri is one of Tokyo’s largest Shinto festivals – celebrations that honour sacred spirits known as kami. Lasting three days, this one revolves around the Sensō-ji Temple and involves processions, traditional dancing, music, and hundreds of people in geisha dress. The largest procession occurs early on the Sunday morning, when three mikoshi shrines are carried aloft through the streets. Easily reached from Soho House Tokyo, take the Ginza Line subway from Gaienmae to Asakusa.
Matcha season
The balmy temperatures of mid-spring in Tokyo call for iced matcha. Look for drinks made from ceremonial-grade matcha, produced from the youngest shade-grown spring leaves. Soho House Tokyo crafts its range of matcha-based smoothies and lemonades from Nekohama Ceremonial Matcha, harvested on Kyushu, Japan’s most southwestern island. Options include vibrant Iced Coconut Matcha Smoothies flavoured with mango, pineapple and raspberry, and thirst-quenching lemonades with yuzu and pineapple.
Sakura cherry blossom
Between late March and early April, the cherry trees of Tokyo are pom-pomed with pink petals. With more than 600 Yoshino cherry trees on display, Yoyogi Park is one of the best spots – and it’s just a 20-minute walk from Soho House Tokyo. Pack a blanket and picnic beneath the boughs.
Sanja Matsuri festival
Taking over the Asakusa district on the third full weekend of May, Sanja Matsuri is one of Tokyo’s largest Shinto festivals – celebrations that honour sacred spirits known as kami. Lasting three days, this one revolves around the Sensō-ji Temple and involves processions, traditional dancing, music, and hundreds of people in geisha dress. The largest procession occurs early on the Sunday morning, when three mikoshi shrines are carried aloft through the streets. Easily reached from Soho House Tokyo, take the Ginza Line subway from Gaienmae to Asakusa.
Matcha season
The balmy temperatures of mid-spring in Tokyo call for iced matcha. Look for drinks made from ceremonial-grade matcha, produced from the youngest shade-grown spring leaves. Soho House Tokyo crafts its range of matcha-based smoothies and lemonades from Nekohama Ceremonial Matcha, harvested on Kyushu, Japan’s most southwestern island. Options include vibrant Iced Coconut Matcha Smoothies flavoured with mango, pineapple and raspberry, and thirst-quenching lemonades with yuzu and pineapple.
Summer
Sumida River fireworks
More than 20,000 fireworks burst across the sky above Asakusa on the last Saturday of July every year. The waters of the Sumida River mirror every illumination. Sumida Park is one of the best viewing spots, but it can get crowded. To enjoy the display with a bit more space, book a traditional, lantern-lit yakatabune boat cruise.
Rooftop dips
Peering out over the city’s skyline, Soho House Tokyo’s infinity pool is the place to cool down as temperatures reach over 30°C. Relax on a daybed between dips and sip on a Highball Fifty, Soho House Tokyo’s signature cocktail – made with jasmine, green shiso, cherry, and shoyu spice.
Fukagawa Hachiman festival
More than 50 portable shrines are paraded along an eight-kilometre route for this mid-August festival in Tokyo’s Koto City. Onlookers splash the shrine bearers with water to keep them cool, earning the event its nickname as the Water-Throwing Festival. Buckets, hoses, and water pistols are all used to douse the shrine carriers as the sounds of taiko drums and stringed koto zithers trill through the streets.
Autumn
Peak Mount Fuji viewing
Between mid-October and mid-November, the hazy skies of summer clear to create ideal conditions for viewing Mount Fuji. Leave the city to see Japan’s highest peak from the Hakone Ropeway or Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. Or, find a seat on Soho House Tokyo’s outdoor terrace, where the views stretch all the way to the mountain on fair days.
Seasonal flavours
In Tokyo, it’s said that autumn is the season of appetite (shokuyoku no aki). From earthy matsutake mushrooms to chestnuts and sweet potatoes, seasonal produce is abundant in the city at this time of year. Reserve a table at Soho House Tokyo’s brasserie to discover some of these flavours.
Autumn foliage
Whereas spring brings pink petals, autumn introduces russet leaves to Tokyo, drenching the ginkgo trees and maples in nearby Yoyogi Park with a palette of currant and honey hues. Just a short subway ride from the House, Koishikawa Korakuen, Hama-rikyu, and Rikugien gardens also blaze with colour – if you can, we recommend visiting them all.
Sumida River fireworks
More than 20,000 fireworks burst across the sky above Asakusa on the last Saturday of July every year. The waters of the Sumida River mirror every illumination. Sumida Park is one of the best viewing spots, but it can get crowded. To enjoy the display with a bit more space, book a traditional, lantern-lit yakatabune boat cruise.
Rooftop dips
Peering out over the city’s skyline, Soho House Tokyo’s infinity pool is the place to cool down as temperatures reach over 30°C. Relax on a daybed between dips and sip on a Highball Fifty, Soho House Tokyo’s signature cocktail – made with jasmine, green shiso, cherry, and shoyu spice.
Fukagawa Hachiman festival
More than 50 portable shrines are paraded along an eight-kilometre route for this mid-August festival in Tokyo’s Koto City. Onlookers splash the shrine bearers with water to keep them cool, earning the event its nickname as the Water-Throwing Festival. Buckets, hoses, and water pistols are all used to douse the shrine carriers as the sounds of taiko drums and stringed koto zithers trill through the streets.
Autumn
Peak Mount Fuji viewing
Between mid-October and mid-November, the hazy skies of summer clear to create ideal conditions for viewing Mount Fuji. Leave the city to see Japan’s highest peak from the Hakone Ropeway or Fuji Panoramic Ropeway. Or, find a seat on Soho House Tokyo’s outdoor terrace, where the views stretch all the way to the mountain on fair days.
Seasonal flavours
In Tokyo, it’s said that autumn is the season of appetite (shokuyoku no aki). From earthy matsutake mushrooms to chestnuts and sweet potatoes, seasonal produce is abundant in the city at this time of year. Reserve a table at Soho House Tokyo’s brasserie to discover some of these flavours.
Autumn foliage
Whereas spring brings pink petals, autumn introduces russet leaves to Tokyo, drenching the ginkgo trees and maples in nearby Yoyogi Park with a palette of currant and honey hues. Just a short subway ride from the House, Koishikawa Korakuen, Hama-rikyu, and Rikugien gardens also blaze with colour – if you can, we recommend visiting them all.
Winter
Festive illuminations
Tokyo glows in the colder months, as its gardens, parks and streets are lit up for the festive period. Closest to Soho House Tokyo, Omotesandō avenue – known as the Champs-Élysées of Tokyo – is garlanded with more than 900,000 LED lights. The Midtown area is also within walking distance of the House, and offers a themed light trail and a dedicated Santa Tree – decorated with as many as 1,800 individual Santa Clauses.
Winter warmers
Hunker down over a plate of fusion soul food in the House Kitchen at Soho House Tokyo. Warming lacquerware-inspired panelled walls and low lighting provide the backdrop for dishes like Roast Chicken with maitake sauce, served with fluffy mash and chicken scratchings.
Tokyo Marathon
Kaminarimon (Thunder) Gate and Tokyo Skytree are just two of the city’s iconic sights along the route of the city’s famous marathon – the first of the seven World Marathon Majors of the racing year – which stretches from the Metropolitan Government Building to Tokyo Station.
For those wanting to take part, regular Run Clubs at Soho House Tokyo offer opportunities for training, conditioning, and connection ahead of race day. And at the end of it all, relax in one of the House’s bedrooms, featuring a mix of traditional and modern details like upcycled vintage kimono fabrics and parquet flooring influenced by tatami patterns. For morning-after stretches, the Wellness Studio has a schedule of classes including restorative yoga and Pilates.
Explore Soho House Tokyo and apply for membership
Festive illuminations
Tokyo glows in the colder months, as its gardens, parks and streets are lit up for the festive period. Closest to Soho House Tokyo, Omotesandō avenue – known as the Champs-Élysées of Tokyo – is garlanded with more than 900,000 LED lights. The Midtown area is also within walking distance of the House, and offers a themed light trail and a dedicated Santa Tree – decorated with as many as 1,800 individual Santa Clauses.
Winter warmers
Hunker down over a plate of fusion soul food in the House Kitchen at Soho House Tokyo. Warming lacquerware-inspired panelled walls and low lighting provide the backdrop for dishes like Roast Chicken with maitake sauce, served with fluffy mash and chicken scratchings.
Tokyo Marathon
Kaminarimon (Thunder) Gate and Tokyo Skytree are just two of the city’s iconic sights along the route of the city’s famous marathon – the first of the seven World Marathon Majors of the racing year – which stretches from the Metropolitan Government Building to Tokyo Station.
For those wanting to take part, regular Run Clubs at Soho House Tokyo offer opportunities for training, conditioning, and connection ahead of race day. And at the end of it all, relax in one of the House’s bedrooms, featuring a mix of traditional and modern details like upcycled vintage kimono fabrics and parquet flooring influenced by tatami patterns. For morning-after stretches, the Wellness Studio has a schedule of classes including restorative yoga and Pilates.
Explore Soho House Tokyo and apply for membership
