Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means Shibuya will be a mess and most of the city will be looking for something else to do. Good news: the last weekend of October is stacked with things that cost nothing to walk into. You pay for the ramen or the sweet potato, not the gate.
Budget ¥0 to get in. Bring ¥1,100–¥3,000 if you plan to eat at the food events.
Time Sat Oct 31 – Sun Nov 1, 2026, plus Sun Oct 25 and Culture Day (Tue Nov 3)
Best for Residents who want a cheap weekend away from the Halloween crowds
Start Jimbocho on Saturday morning, before the book carts get picked over
How to use this list
Everything below is free to enter, with dates and hours checked against each organizer's own page (as of Oct 2026). Food festivals charge for what you eat, and some are cashless only, so check the notes before you leave the house.
If you only have one day, pair two events that sit on the same train line. Jimbocho and Meiji Jingu work well together on Sunday: Hanzomon Line to Omotesando, then walk up. Nakano and Komazawa do not; they sit on opposite sides of the city.
Saturday and Sunday picks
1 Kanda Used Book Festival, Jimbocho
The 66th Kanda Furuhon Matsuri runs through Sunday, Nov 1. Booksellers line Yasukuni-dori with outdoor carts of old prints, photo books, magazines and the odd English paperback. Construction at the Iwanami building means some stalls have moved from their usual spots, so walk the whole stretch before buying. The street sale is cancelled if it rains, but the shops behind the carts stay open either way.
Free this Sunday too: the separate Jimbocho Book Festival takes over Suzuran-dori and Sakura-dori and the open space at the Jimbocho Mitsui Building on Oct 24–25. It is run by a separate committee and sits one block off the main strip, so you can do both in one morning.
2 Tokyo Ramen Festa, Komazawa Olympic Park
Twelve ramen booths in the park's central plaza, and organizers say 2026 is the last year it will be held at Komazawa. The system confuses first-timers: buy a ramen ticket at the booth inside the venue first, then join the line for the shop you want. Ramen shops do not sell tickets. Toppings are paid in cash at each stall, and the ticket booth asks for exact change if you pay in cash.
Lines are usually shortest right at opening and longest around lunch, so aim for 11:00 on Saturday. Komazawa-daigaku Station on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line is the closest stop.
German Festival, Aoyama Park (Roppongi)
Sausages, beer, a market and workshops on the south side of Aoyama Park in Roppongi 7-chome, near the National Art Center. Entry is free; you pay at each stall. It stays open until 21:00, which makes it the easiest evening option on this list if you want somewhere to sit outdoors on Halloween night without going near Shibuya Crossing.
Yakiimo Fes Tokyo, Nakano
A roasted sweet potato festival in Nakano Shiki-no-Mori Park, just north of the station. Leave your coins at home: all payments are cashless. The organizers hand out a free coupon worth ¥800 in food tickets to the first 100 visitors each day, so an early start pays off. It runs for ten days, so if this weekend is full, the next one works too.
Sunday at the shrine
3 Meiji Jingu Autumn Festival
November 1 is the anniversary of the shrine's founding in 1920, and Meiji Jingu marks it with performances on the stage in front of the main hall and around the grounds. November 3 is the main festival day. The shrine also holds yabusame, mounted archery, as part of its autumn festival, but it has not posted the exact time, so call the shrine office (03-3379-5511) before planning your day around it.
Walk in from the Harajuku gate and keep going past the main hall if the stage area is crowded. The inner paths stay much quieter.
Culture Day bonus: Tuesday, Nov 3
Several national museums open their permanent collections for free on Culture Day. Tokyo Art Beat lists the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, the National Museum of Modern Art and the National Film Archive for 2026. Special exhibitions usually still charge, and some museums ask you to reserve a slot, so check each museum's own site the day before.
Our pick: Ueno, because three of those museums sit inside the same park. Go at opening time. By early afternoon the free days get packed.
What to skip, and why
- Shibuya on Saturday night. The ward discourages Halloween crowds and street drinking. Our Halloween guide covers where to go instead.
- Jimbocho in the rain. The carts are the point. If Saturday is wet, go Sunday.
- Ramen Festa on Nov 3. It is the last day at Komazawa and closes an hour early. Saturday is the better bet.
Words that work
- 無料 (muryō) — free of charge
- 食券 (shokken) — meal ticket
- 雨天中止 (uten chūshi) — cancelled if it rains
The best free weekends in Tokyo are the ones where you leave with a ¥300 paperback and a full stomach. Pick two places, not five.
— John Nanjo
Want more no-cost ideas that work any week? Read 10 Free Things to Do in Tokyo, browse our Free & Cheap picks, or start at Live in Tokyo.
Sources: Tokyo Booksellers Association, Visit Chiyoda, Tokyo Ramen Festa, Deutschland Fest, German Festival 2026 press release, Yakiimo Fes Tokyo 2026, Meiji Jingu, Tokyo Art Beat
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