Things to do in Tokyo today

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.

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 element

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.

The new Immersive Museum in Tokyo lets you walk into Post-Impressionist paintings The Immersive Museum reopened 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.

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.

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.

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.

French artist Claude Monet was initially ridiculed for his Impressionism, which consisted of painting thin, rapid strokes using vivid colours. Still, he is now recognised as one of the greatest artists of his time. 2024 will mark 150 years since the world’s first Impressionist exhibition was held in Paris in 1874. This year, Japan is hosting two significant retrospectives dedicated to Monet and his works in Tokyo and Osaka to celebrate the momentous anniversary. The exhibition in Tokyo will be held at the Ueno Royal Museum from October 20 to January 28 2024, and showcase everything from his early portraits to late landscapes, including pieces from his famous ‘haystacks’ series.

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.

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. Some stalls are expected to have up to two hour waits, as they are exclusive to the festival, or have won the Ramen Grand Prix in recent years. The event is split into two parts. The first part (October 26 to 31) will feature bowls including Katsuryu from Ibaraki prefecture with its rich paitan (cloudy white chicken broth) ramen with uni, and a voluminous ramen topped with seared char siu pork and hida beef from Mame Tengu in Gifu prefecture. Meanwhile the second part (November 1 to 5) features award-winning paitan shrimp dan dan noodles by Sinsyunya from Yamagata prefecture and a unique lobster and rich tonkotsu broth ramen by Kodawari Ramen from France. 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. We highly recommend purchasing tickets earlier rather than later, as it can run out towards the end of the day. The festival runs from 10.30am to 8.30pm, with the exception of October 31 and November 5, when it closes at 6pm.