5 Things to Do in Japan This September for Silver Week 2022

It’s a new month, with a new set of activities to do. Upcoming holidays in September are Respect for Elder’s Day and Autumnal Equinox Day. For the past few years, these two holidays have fallen conveniently one after another, giving a week of holiday for the public. However, this year’s silver week will unfortunately not be a whole week of holiday. But what it will be is three days consecutive holidays for 2 weekends in a row.

If you are lucky enough to take leave from September 20 to 22, you’re going to have a week of holiday! Even if you were not able to request work leave or if you still have school, do not worry. You can take a day trip to any of these activities listed here!

1. Sunflower Festival at Yokosuka

Enjoy 20,000 sunflowers just a short drive from Tokyo to Yokosuka. The sunflower fields is an exclusive event that is free to enter. It is an increasingly popular photography location for all ages, to take a scenery pictures of the blue skies with blooming sunflowers. The park is also filled with activities that center around the theme of sunflowers. Keep an eye out for sunflower-themed menus at restaurants or cafes within the park and a sunflower stamp challenge around the park.  

Don’t miss out on the festival’s first collaboration event with the Yokosuka Museum of Art. This collaboration’s theme is based on visitors enjoying sunflowers along with painting artworks. You can enjoy this interactive art whilst being surrounded by sunflowers.

Before planning your day to visit the park, please check the official website in case of any event cancellations. Official website here.

Date: 2022 July 15 – September 19
Opening hours: 9:00 ~ 18:00
Location: Nagai Uminote Park Soleil Hill 
Admission: Free

2. Grape Picking in Saitama

things to do september in tokyo

One representative fruit-picking activity during the fall season is to take a trip to grape farms and pick and eat as many grapes as possible. Most farms have an all-you-can-eat grape picking package plan for a certain amount of time.

One popular place is at Chichibu, Saitama at Komatsuzawa Leisure Farm. At this location, not only can you pick all the grapes you want for 30 minutes, but you can also add a barbeque option to enjoy later with your friends, families, and partners.

At this farm, it is 30 minutes all you can eat general Kyoho grapes for 1600 yen above elementary years, and 3000 yen above elementary years for 40 minutes of eating shiny muscat grapes.

Date: Until November

3. Athletics Adventure Park in Forest Adventure Hakone

Athletics Adventure Park in Forest Adventure Hakone

Shake your fatigue and get your body moving with easy access to Hakone from central Tokyo! Athletics parks are thought to be set up for children but don’t let your guard down, this Athletics Adventure park located in Hakone is on another level. This park utilizes the natural forest trees and sets up the equipment’s and pathways around it, making it one of the most natural theme parks out there.

There are 4 separate courses (Adventure, Discovery, Canopy and Trek course) according to the target age and difficulty. The Adventure course has a minimum requirement for children in grade 4 or more than 140 cm in height and less than 110 kg. The Canopy course has a minimum requirement of 110 cm, and a limit of 110 kg. As they accommodate a variety of levels, groups of all age generations are able to enjoy the same activities, really resulting in a good bonding time. After working your muscles at the athletic park, you can also take a relaxing day trip onsen (hot spring) at Hakone Yuryo. Official website here.

Location: 749-1, Chanohana, Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa
Admission: ¥2,800 to ¥3,800

4. Glamping at Mother Farm, Chiba

glamping in chiba

You’ve probably heard of Mother Farm, an insanely popular open farm in Chiba. It is a popular destination for children to experience milking cows, watching the shaving of sheep fur, and feeding animals. Now, they have opened a Mother Farm Glamping, where you can freely head to Mother Farm and experience camping without any extra equipment to prepare for. Just like a hotel, their tents and cottages are equipped with all the amenities you could possibly need, even with wifi, shower and aircon in the summer to keep you chilled.

Upon booking a glamping trip, the entry to Mother Farm is free for you from the days you check in till you check out. For dinner, they provide ingredients for an evening barbeque and a picnic for morning breakfast. Mother Farm also provides a variety of activities to do, such as making butter, a cow milking experience, a campfire, and a walk with alpacas. Mother Farm has also set up an area where you can bring in your own fireworks and enjoy them by September 30!

It has the perfect package for people with no experience camping or those that want to immerse themselves in nature, without the hassle of setting up a tent and dealing with bugs. Official website here.

Location: 940 Tagura, Futtsu, Chiba
Price: From ¥36,000

5. Sunshine Aquarium’s Third Night Mystery Quiz Event

5. Sunshine Aquarium’s Third Night Mystery Quiz Event

Don’t have the energy to take a drive or train out of Tokyo? Rest assured there are plenty of activities to do within Tokyo, such as art museums, festivals, and tourist locations. In this section, we introduce you to Sunshine Aquarium’s third night mystery quiz event.

Picture this. You go to the aquarium like any other day, but as you get closer, you find something on the ground that reads like an encyclopedia of animals. You pick it up, and suddenly the book glows, inviting you to a whole different world you have never seen before. Here you are invited to the moonlight museum, with a special mission to complete the encyclopedia. But there is a twist: If you don’t complete the encyclopedia, there is no way for you to escape.

Date: Until September 25
Opening hours: 17:00 – 21:00 (Last admission at 19:30)
Location: 3-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Price: ¥800

All images taken from Canva under the Free License Agreement.


Test your Japanese level!


Do a self-test to see which course fits you.

Check your level