Tachikawa Yokai Bon Odori

Every October, the quiet plaza at GREEN SPRINGS in Tachikawa fills with yokai — thousands of visitors dressed as Japanese folklore ghosts, monsters, and spirits, dancing around a traditional bon-odori tower under strings of lanterns.

Why It’s Interesting

The Yokai Bon Odori grafts a classic obon dance festival onto a modern yokai-costume party: dancers circle a central yagura tower to taiko drums and traditional ohayashi music, while the surrounding plaza runs DJ sets, live band performances, a yokai costume contest with judged categories, a “yokai disco,” and a food stall village. The festival’s signature moment is the Tachikawa Hyakki Yagyo — a nighttime “Night Parade of 100 Demons” procession — drawing on centuries-old yokai folklore for a genuinely atmospheric evening event. It’s grown into one of Tokyo’s most distinctive autumn festivals, blending a historic dance form with an anything-goes costume culture.

Best Time to Visit

The 2026 dates are Saturday, October 10 through Monday, October 12 (a three-day weekend built around the Sports Day national holiday). Evenings, once the lanterns are lit and the parade begins, are the festival’s peak.

Getting There

GREEN SPRINGS is about an 8-minute walk from the north exit of JR Tachikawa Station (Chuo Line), or a 4-minute walk from Tachikawa-Kita Station on the Tama Toshi Monorail. Expect the plaza and surrounding streets to be busy for the full run of the festival.