Energy levels soar as July ushers in festival season in Japan, from outdoor markets and concerts to large cultural celebrations featuring lantern parades, ritual dances and taiko drumming. Summer is a great time to be in Japan, and whether you’re jetting in for Fuji Rock or taking in a loud and electrifying matsuri (festival), we recommend you book seats at two of the hottest tables in Tokyo.

DINNER

Power pizzas at Pizza Marumo

This match made in culinary heaven – Italy’s iconic Neapolitan pizza innovatively reimagined with Japanese flavours and flair – is the perfect fuel for festival-hopping. At the sensational Pizza Marumo, an elegant yet cosy pizzeria in Shibuya’s trendy Ebisu district, acclaimed chef Yuki Motokura piles on a masterful mix of premium ingredients on light, airy and perfectly blistered pizza crust made from dough fermented for 24 hours.

REFRESHING BREAK

Cool confections at Kajitsu to Koori Iwasawa

In Japan, where kakigori (shaved ice concoctions) is considered a serious form of edible art, the name Iwasawa is synonymous with inventiveness and creativity. Keep your cool in the summer heat with large bowls of soft, icy flakes of homemade milk topped with sweet and succulent summertime melons and other seasonal fruit. Founder Maiho Iwasawa, a former goorer (shaved ice connoisseur) who had visited 300 kakigori shops and consumed a whopping 500 bowls in the name of research, brought all her knowledge and expertise to the creation of her own brand.