The best things to do in Tokyo this weekend

This massive festival is famous for its colourful parade, which boasts around 2,000 participants marching through the streets of Chuo-dori between Kyobashi 3-chome and Nihonbashi-Muromachi 3-chome. Expect a variety of performances by traditional dance troupes from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The event starts at 11am and goes on until 4pm.

Kagurazaka is coming alive with a variety of activities happening between October 15 and November 3. Its main ‘“Painting on the Hill” event on November 3 is returning for the first time since the pandemic. The entire 700 metre-long Kagurazaka-dori street will be lined with a long roll of white paper for everyone to draw and paint on for free. There will be painting tools and equipment provided every few metres for you to contribute to this piece of community art. Even if you can’t be here in person, you can participate online by drawing on your smartphone. Your work will then be printed out and pasted onto the paper.

On October 30, visit Zenkokuji Temple for the Kagurazaka Art Square. Local artists will exhibit their work from paintings, calligraphy and illustrations to installations, paper cutouts, photography and prints. Visitors, however, are encouraged to vote for their favourite pieces from 10am to 4pm. 

Whatever time of year, Koenji can comfortably bask in the knowledge that it's one of Tokyo's coolest neighbourhoods. For the uninitiated, there are few better times to visit than during this annual autumn festival, in which the area's streets are flooded with performers, while local shops lure visitors with digital 'stamp rallies' (notch up stamps on your card for a chance to take part in a raffle), and gig venues throw free concerts.

There's also markets, live performances and even pro wrestling matches (2.35pm and 4pm on October 29) outside Koenji Station. Check the festival site for details.

Komazawa Olympic Park is hosting a ramen festival with over a dozen booths serving Japanese noodles from different prefectures. You can go for a simple shoyu (soy sauce) or shio (salt) ramen, or a bowl with rich tonkotsu pork broth, or one topped generously with beef. 

In short, you’ll find every kind of noodle that your heart desires at Tokyo Ramen Festa. Admission is free while a bowl of ramen costs ¥1,000. Meal tickets can be purchased at Seven Eleven outlets nationwide in advance or at the venue.

The festival runs from 10.30am to 8.30pm, with the exception of October 31 and November 5, when it closes at 6pm.

Tsukimi, or moon viewing, has been a popular tradition in autumn since the Edo period (1603-1868). This year, Hamarikyu Gardens is celebrating this Japanese custom with a five-day moon-viewing event between October 25 and October 29.

Go on a nighttime stroll within the lit-up garden, which once served as the residence for the shogun family. Just as in the past, old Japanese court music will be performed live on boats floating on the garden’s pond at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm on October 27-29.

During your stroll, look out for the various garden-themed motifs that are projected onto the walls and shoji sliding doors at the two teahouses. On October 29, you can participate in a tea ceremony at Matsu No Ochaya teahouse. It’s held every 30 minutes from 10.30am to 6.30pm, and you must book in advance via the registration form which will be posted on Twitter.

If you’d like to learn more about tsukimi and Hamarikyu Gardens, join the English-language tour on October 25 at 5pm. It costs ¥500 per person – just sign up at the information centre an hour prior.

Feeling peckish? Order a wagashi (Japanese tea confectionery) and matcha set at the teahouse during the day. In the evening, the matcha will be swapped out for a serving of sake instead. There will also be food trucks offering light bites and souvenirs.

Hamarikyu Gardens is extending its opening hours until 9pm throughout the event.

This super-popular bread festival is returning on October 29 and 30. It’s a gathering of Setagaya ward’s many renowned bakeries and bread shops, with the support of several guest bakers and producers from other parts of Tokyo and the rest of Japan.

The festival will feature around 60 vendors every day. You can sample local delicacies as well as baked goods and pastries from all over Japan. There are even workshops for you to learn how to make your own bread.

Nihonbashi Kabutocho, also known as the ‘former Wall Street of Tokyo’, has been reinventing itself in the past few years with new shops, restaurants and bars. If you have yet to explore this neighbourhood, we recommend checking it out during this three-day festival. 

Kabuto One is hosting a night market, where over a dozen restaurants on the first floor and neighbouring eateries are participating in a ‘nomiaruki’ (‘walking and drinking’ in Japanese) event. You’ll get to eat and drink while walking around the area just like at a typical Japanese festival – though instead of cash, you’ll have to redeem food and beverages with tickets instead, which are ¥3,000 for three tickets. The night market section at the first-floor atrium , on the other hand, is dedicated to booths selling lifestyle goods, apparel, cosmetics, glassware and more.

Specific stores including B by the Brooklyn Brewery, Human Nature, Neki and Kabeat will also be hosting live music stages with DJs spinning from 3pm to 11pm on Saturday, and 2pm to 10pm on Sunday.

Now in its 39th edition, the annual Hello Halloween Pumpkin Parade will be attended by more than 1,000 children under twelve years old, who dress up to form a parade that spans the length of approximately one kilometre along the zelkova tree-lined avenue in Omotesando. 

What’s more, there’s a special Okashi Rally Map, which lists participating shops in the Omotesando and Harajuku area that are giving away free okashi (sweets) to kids. There are also booths for the little ones to partake in fun activities. If you’re looking for a meal, many restaurants and cafés in the area are serving special Halloween-themed menus throughout October.

Roppongi Hills's annual Halloween parade is returning for the first time in four years, so come dressed up in your favourite costume and join the celebration from 11am.

The parade is only open to children 12 years old and under, along with the accompanying parents, of course. Costume is a must and remember to get a participation ticket, which will be handed out for free at the Arena on the day at 10am. You'll be assigned to a group, and together you’ll then strut around the area for a good 25 minutes. Participants will receive a handful of free candy, while grown-ups might want to check out the plentiful festival food and drink on offer.

Throughout the day, you can expect various stage performances, like a magic show by Junya as well as fun science experiments by Einstein Labo. Younger kids can participate in Lego playtime and workshops including paper art.

Cosplayers who love dressing up as their beloved anime or game characters – instead of the usual witches, mummies and creepy clowns – will love this massive Halloween party in Ikebukuro on October 29 and 30. Expect more than 20,000 cosplayers parading the streets of Ikebukuro East, an area which is gaining ground as an incubator of subcultures.

If you want to show off your costume, participate in the Cosplayer of The Year competition online and you could become the face of the competition for the following year.

Get into the Halloween spirit at Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome’s annual pumpkin exhibition, where over 100 pumpkins from Ibaraki prefecture are on display all over the garden. These pumpkins are much larger than the average Japanese kabocha, and can weigh up to 100kg each. Feel free to sit on them, take pictures with them, and even roll them around.

On October 28 and 29, you can participate in an exclusive Halloween flower arrangement workshop and make your own autumn-themed bouquets. It costs ¥2,500 per person with a limit of 20 people per session, so we recommend booking in advance online.

Tokyo's art scene is alive and vibrant, thanks to the ongoing Tokyo Biennale which began on September 23 and runs until November 5, 2023. Building on the success of its 2021 debut, this year's Biennale further establishes its prominence on the international art stage.

The 2023 theme, 'Linkage: Creating Connections', explores the pivotal role of art in nurturing societal relationships. As you navigate the exhibits, you are encouraged to unearth and interpret their 'linkages' or connections.

This iteration of the Biennale presents a rich tapestry of both international and local artistic prowess. A standout piece is Risaku Suzuki's 'Mirror Portrait – Lighting up a Corner', elegantly showcased at the iconic Toeizan Kan'ei-ji Temple. With mirrors as his medium, Suzuki crafts images that transcend time and space. In the same location, Yusuke Nishimura's 'Echo Works' features a pagoda meticulously fashioned from temple soil.

Meanwhile in Nihonbashi, media artist Marco Barotti will be exhibiting sculptures that mimic the behaviour of coral using AI. Through the movement, sound and vibration of this work, you’ll become aware of the climate crisis and its impact on the oceans. This exhibition aims to deepen the relationship between humans and nature.

Some artists are displaying their work across several neighbourhoods, like the Melbourne-based Slow Art Collective led by Chaco Kato and Dylan Martorell. Their art projects often revolve around multicultural coexistence and include elements of public participation.

Many of the exhibitions and events at the Tokyo Biennale are free. However, select exhibitions charge entrance fees ranging from ¥300 to ¥2,500. For those seeking a comprehensive experience, full-access passes are available for ¥5,000 per adult (or ¥4,500 if purchased in advance) and ¥2,500 for students (advance passes ¥2,000). These passes grant unlimited access to all venues during the festival period and include three ¥500 discount coupons applicable to paid events and official merchandise.

For a detailed program and more information, visit the Tokyo Biennale's website.

From fields of colourful tulips to a sea of blue nemophila, the sprawling Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki has something to see every season. In summer, the park starts growing kochia, or summer cypress. These fluffy little bushes look like something out of a Dr Seuss book. 

Currently, there are approximately 33,000 kochia bushes growing at the park’s Miharashi no Oka Hill area, covering roughly 1.9 hectares. During summer, the bushes are in a fresh, vibrant green colour, but come autumn, they'll turn brilliant red.

These 'fur balls' will be starting to change colour in the next few days. The best time to see them in their full red glory is in mid-October. Later into the month, they'll start to take on a dusty golden hue.

The large fountain at the centre of Fuchu no Mori Park will be decked out with partially submerged boxes of red and white sun-patiens. The promenade leading up to the fountain however, will be lined with Tuberous Begonia of five different colours.

In the evening from 5.30pm to 9pm, the park will look especially pretty when it’s all lit up with Sonnen Glass lanterns. Make sure to walk by Nijiiro Hiroba, too, as the area will be illuminated in rainbow colours all night long.

A total of 325 kinds of roses will be blooming at Shikinokaori Rose Garden in Hikarigaoka from October 7 to November 5. These autumn roses, which thrive from mid-October to mid-November, are known for their long-lasting fragrance and darker colours.

The Shikinokaori Rose Garden has a section called the Kaori no Rose Garden, which is dedicated to six varieties of roses, each with its own distinct scent ranging from fruity to spicy. The Shiki no Rose Garden, on the other hand, focuses on producing a wide variety of colours, all concentrated in one area. Don’t forget to seek out the garden’s exclusive Shikinokaori rose – its unusual pink and yellow marble petals have a refreshing black tea fragrance.

Throughout the Autumn Festival, there will be an outdoor market selling aroma products and exclusive goods by botanist Dr. Tomitaro Makino. The second-floor cafe will be offering seasonal desserts like a Halloween parfait made with layers of pumpkin and sweet potato paste, as well as a rose soft-serve ice cream. These items are available from 10am to 4pm daily.

On October 28, families with kids can participate in a Halloween parade and take photos with Nerima city’s mascot, Nerimaru. On October 29, you can enjoy a free concert featuring Waseda University’s string quartet.

Renowned for its cherry blossoms by the Sumida River, Sumida Park has always attracted locals and tourists alike, especially during the spring. But beyond its scenic beauty, the park has a poignant history, with the land it occupies having undergone significant redevelopment following the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. This disaster claimed the lives of approximately 105,000 individuals, with 48,000 of those tragedies occurring in the Honjo district of Sumida ward alone.

As we mark the earthquake's 100th anniversary, Sumida's community is gearing up to pay homage to this history. Through the Sumida River Momotose-no-se festival, the community will present parades, dances, and heartfelt performances. These acts will not only honour those who were lost but also highlight the resilience and unity of Sumida, celebrating the progress made since those challenging times.

Among the highlights are the Sumiyume Dance Parade on October 28, taking place at Sumida Plaza Park from 2pm-8pm. Additionally, artist Chiharu Mizukawa will showcase her unique aburidashi paintings at Ushijima Shrine from 9.30am to 4.30pm between October 22 and October 28. Originally a ninja technique for sending secret messages with invisible ink, Mizukawa uses aburidashi to depict trees, mountains, and cityscapes. For a detailed schedule and more, visit the official website.

This autumn, The National Art Center in Tokyo is hosting an exclusive retrospective dedicated to the life and work of acclaimed French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Saint Laurent became a pivotal figure in fashion at just 21, leading the House of Dior before establishing his eponymous brand in 1962.

Crowned the ‘King of Fashion’, Saint Laurent revolutionised 20th-century women’s fashion with iconic creations like the 1965 Mondrian dresses and the introduction of safari pantsuits. This retrospective is the first comprehensive showcase of the designer’s work in Japan, offering insight into his 40-year illustrious career and distinctive style through various artefacts and photographs.

A collaborative effort with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, the exhibition showcases around 110 pieces of the designer's seminal work, including garments, accessories and sketches.

The Immersive Museum will be reopening on July 7 following the success of its inaugural exhibition in 2022, which welcomed over 200,000 visitors for its mesmerising showcase of Monet’s Water Lilies. This time, the exhibition will feature digital renditions of roughly 80 masterpieces from the Post-Impressionist movement. 

Post-Impressionism diverged from its predecessor's preoccupation with the natural depiction of light and scenes. This era bore witness to artists such as George Seurat, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh, who ventured towards the unexplored realms of emotive colours, distinctive brushwork and symbolic themes. This shift significantly redirected the trajectory of visual art history.

Inside the museum, visitors can traverse through the transformative landscapes of these visionaries. Immerse in the pointillist precision of Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte', the revolutionary bridging of Impressionism and Cubism in Cezanne's 'Mont Sainte-Victoire', the rich symbolism and bold hues of Gauguin's 'Vision After the Sermon', and the vibrant empathy and colour of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' in a wholly new way.

Step into an enchanted digital forest in this collaborative exhibition between teamLab and Galaxy. Now in its third iteration, the interactive experience is based on the concept of catching different digital creatures to study them before releasing them back into their habitat. As it's a digital art experience, you'll be using an app on the Galaxy smartphone to collect different prehistoric animals in the mystical forest.

Be gentle when approaching these critters! If you try to touch them they might run and disappear into the forest. If you're lucky, they might become curious instead and turn towards you. Nevertheless, the exercise here is to point your phone camera at them, release a Study Arrow in their direction, and capture them onto your screen so that you can learn more about their nature.

You can also work together with other visitors and shepherd the dinosaurs projected on the floor. This allows you to then deploy the Study Net and capture them into your phone. Once you've done studying them, you can release them back into the space.

While the exhibit is free, reservations are required so as to avoid overcrowding the venue. Each session is an hour long, with the exhibition open from 11am until 7pm daily. You can book a timeslot as early as three days in advance via the event website.

A festival dedicated to all things – you guessed it – beautiful and artistic, Designart Tokyo is back this year with its biggest event yet. It's set to take over central Tokyo, with an itinerary that's spread out across 100 venues in major districts including Shibuya, Roppongi and Ginza. 

This multi-location exhibition features works by 300 artists and designers, including Honoka’s innovative use of 3D printing for the 'Tatami Refab Project'. The list of participants has expanded this year to include contemporary craft artists from Bornholm Island, Denmark, who are showcasing their work for the first time in Nihonbashi's K-Five from October 26 to October 28.

Brands like Muuto, Sanlorenzo and the internationally acclaimed Issey Miyake are also contributing to the festival's diverse offerings. The essence of connection and collaboration still remains a crucial element, and with the expansive range of exhibitions, there's something for every art and design enthusiast. 

For the full programme, check out the event's website.

British artist David Hockney is set to unveil his first large-scale solo exhibition in Japan in 27 years this summer at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. The artist, who is regarded as one of the most versatile artists of our time, has spent the last 60 years of his career producing paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and even digital art to explore nature, landscapes, and human relationships.

This upcoming showcase will feature more than 100 of Hockey’s works, making it the artist’s most comprehensive exhibition ever held in Japan. Works will range from his early masterpieces painted on the west coast of the United States in the 1960s to a series of large-scale paintings created during the Covid-19 lockdown in Normandy, northern France.

Born in Llanelli, Wales, in 1958, Cerith Wyn Evans pursued his artistic education in London, notably at Saint Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art. Initially known for his involvement in experimental filmmaking and assisting famed director Derek Jarman, Evans transitioned into visual art in the 1990s, yet his cinematic roots left an indelible mark. His oeuvre stands out for its exploration of form, be it through photography, neon-lit texts, sound, or video installations. Often invoking post-symbolist and avant-garde literature, his works serve as enigmatic interplays of light and shadow, fact and fiction. 

Evans is celebrated for his nuanced use of light and has carved a niche with his sculptural creations that challenge perceptions, blending the tangible and intangible. His mastery in manipulating neon, sound, photography and glass to shape immersive environments renders a unique sensory experience. With several accolades under his belt, including notable exhibitions at prestigious institutions worldwide, Evans' artworks grace the permanent collections of iconic institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, and of course, the Fondation Louis Vuitton. This Tokyo exhibition, encapsulating works curated before the foundation's opening in 2007, promises an enriching experience of Evans’ unparalleled artistic journey.

Cubism’s groundbreaking inception by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque revolutionised art in the early 20th century, offering a geometric perspective that birthed abstract art and Surrealism. The Centre Pompidou in Paris, globally revered for its modern art collection, brings this transformative movement to Japan with over fifty works making their debut appearance here.

Featuring masterpieces from the likes of Picasso and Braque, the exhibition showcases around 140 works, encapsulating the movement’s rich diversity. Highlights include Braque’s impactful ‘Grand Nu’ and Picasso’s exemplary ‘Femme assise dans un fauteuil’. Moreover, Robert Delaunay’s magnificent ‘La Ville de Paris’ will grace Japan for the first time, alongside exemplary works by Chagall.

With a kaleidoscopic showcase of Cubism’s most influential artists including Constantin Brancusi, Marc Chagall, Sonia Delaunay and Amedeo Modigliani, this event marks the first comprehensive showcase of Cubism in Japan in fifty years. 

This exhibition at Tokyo National Museum offers a first glimpse into 102 never-before-seen pieces by Japanese contemporary artist Tadanori Yokoo. Born in Hyogo in 1936, Yokoo’s influential artistry has graced the globe, with exhibitions in New York, Paris, Venice and beyond, earning him prestigious accolades, including the Asahi Prize.

In a series marking a pinnacle in his artistic journey, Yokoo masterfully reimagines the legendary tales of two eccentric Tang dynasty poets called Hanshan and Shide. Immersed in creative fervour during the pandemic's solitude, Yokoo transcends time and space, weaving enthralling narratives and posing myriad questions to the observer. Each piece is a gateway to a vivid spiritual journey, reflecting the allure of these legendary personalities across Japanese and Chinese traditions.

If you’re looking to immerse in Japanese culture, visit Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park to partake in a variety of traditional Japanese experiences. This sprawling institution holds a vast collection of Japan’s National Treasures, including the Okyokan, a well-preserved heritage house located on the north side of the museum grounds. This traditional dwelling was built in 1742 and later donated to the museum in 1933. It’s home to reproduced fusuma (vertical panels that act as sliding doors) murals by Maruyama Okyo, a famous Japanese painter during the Edo period (1603-1867).

This secluded part of the museum is usually closed to the public, but it’s now open for this special cultural event until January 28 2024. So take this opportunity to see this beautiful traditional Japanese house and participate in the daily workshops. Experiences include how to prepare matcha, how to wear kimono, zen breathing and bonsai growing. While walk-ins are welcome, it’s best to secure a spot in advance via the website. 

Okyokan also has a café and it’s open to everyone, even if you’re not here for the workshops. There are soba noodles, inari sushi and miso soup on the menu, along with Ichiro’s Malt Japanese Whisky, Aramasa sake, Choya Umeshu plum wine as well as classic Japanese desserts such as warabi mochi and wagashi.

While Okyokan is free to visit, you’ll need a ticket (adults ¥1,000, university students ¥500) to enter the Tokyo National Museum compound.