Things to do in Tokyo this week

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 rich bowl with tonkotsu pork broth, or one topped with generous amounts of beef.

You’ll find every kind of noodle that your heart desires at Tokyo Ramen Festa. Admission into the festival is free while a bowl of ramen costs ¥1,000. Meal tickets can be purchased online in advance or at the venue. 

The festival runs from 10.30am to 8.30pm, with the exception of October 31 and November 11, when it closes at 6pm.

Mt Takao is one of the best locations in Tokyo to see autumn leaves. And one of the best ways to do that is by taking the scenic cable car ride, which brings you closer to the mountain’s Yakuoin temple. Here you can sample shojin ryori, a traditional Japanese Buddhist vegetarian meal. The seasonal Momiji-zen (¥2,900) includes a variety of small dishes made with ingredients typical of autumn. It’s served on weekdays between 11am and 2pm until December 9.

Throughout the duration of the festival, you can also look forward to a host of free events at Kiyotaki Station, the cable car stop at the base of Mt Takao, including musical and dance performances by local university students. Check the website for the schedule.

As it’s the case every year, the base of Mt Takao will be crowded in autumn, so it’s best to arrive via public transport.

Showa Kinen Park is the most beautiful in autumn, with the maple and ginkgo trees blushing in fiery red and yellow. The Ginkgo trees are the first to turn and you can see two boulevards of the golden yellow trees as soon as you enter the park’s Tachikawa gate. The momiji and kaede trees, however, present their signature vermillion hues a bit later towards the end of November.

During this season, the park stays open after dark, with special light-ups taking place at the Gingko Tree Avenue (near the futsal and basketball courts) and the traditional Japanese Garden from 4.30pm until 8.30pm.

While you can enjoy the light-ups at the Gingko Tree Avenue with just the park's regular admission fee (¥450, free for junior high school students and younger), you need an extra ticket to enter the Japanese Garden (advance ticket ¥1,100, primary and junior high school students ¥600; same-day tickets sold at Komorebi House close to the Japanese Garden ¥1,300, ¥700). However, between October 28 and November 2, you can enter the Japanese Garden with just the park's regular admission fee.

Tickets will be available closer to the event period on the website.

Note that during 4.30pm and 9pm, you can only use the Nishi-Tachikawa gate to enter the park. On Saturday, Sunday and holidays, however, the Sunagawa gate will stay open as well. 

Held along the Meguro-dori street, this year’s Meguro Marche has a ‘Harvest Festival’ theme, where local restaurants and shops set up tables on the sidewalk in front of their stores to create a lively market. 

There are stalls offering local coffee, wine, fresh produce and street food, in addition to homemade crafts and antique. You can also sign up for workshops and learn how to create leather accessories and flower wreaths. Parents might want to make a beeline for the Kidnia zone, where kids can experience making popcorn and cotton candy.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Do note that the market will be cancelled in the case of rain.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

The Peninsula Tokyo's signature grill restaurant Peter is teaming up with the Montreux Jazz Festival Japan to host The Peninsula Tokyo Stage, a live music night happening over dinner. 

The November 3 event is set to welcome the outstanding Gretchen Parlato Quartet featuring Grammy-nominated American singer Gretchen Parlato, David Cook (piano), Alan Hampton (bass) and Mark Guiliana (drums).

The evening has two seatings. The 6pm session offers a four-course dinner and free-flow Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne. The 9pm session, on the other hand, is more casual, with canapes served alongside free-flow Ruinart bubbly.