Free things to do in Tokyo this week

Taking place every other weekend at the renovated Shibuya Municipal Kitaya Park, this outdoor vintage market is the place to pick up everything from American Levi's and handmade knit sweaters to candles and unique artisanal accessories. Boasting approximately 20-30 booths, the market offers a curated selection of shops selling on-trend vintage outfits and trinkets from local artists, making it an exciting day out for fashion fiends. Dates are subject to change. Check the event Instagram for more details.

The UNU farmers’ market is one of Tokyo’s longest running and best-attended markets. Taking place every weekend in front of the university’s Aoyama headquarters, this one always attracts a knowledgeable crowd. Organic and local fare is readily available every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, with the farmers themselves happy to provide details about their wares. Plus, there's always a few food trucks on hand if you wish to enjoy a quick meal.

Step into a world of vibrant chrysanthemums this spring at this free collaborative exhibition between teamLab and Galaxy. Now in its fifth year, the interactive, immersive space at Galaxy Harajuku uses cutting-edge projection mapping to depict flowers caught in an endless cycle of birth and death. Reach out to touch them and they’ll wither; stand still beside them and they’ll bloom more quickly. Look down and you’ll see flowing currents of gold beneath your feet – traces shaped by your very presence. The movements of others create their own currents, which intertwine and form swirling vortices. The result is a constantly shifting environment where no two moments are ever the same. The Galaxy store also invites visitors to capture these fleeting scenes using the foldable smartphones available at the venue.

Held in Nagoya, Kyoto and Tokyo, this fully vegan festival is a welcome celebration in meat-mad Japan. The Tokyo event, which is held both in spring and autumn, is Japan's biggest plant-based festival. Expect a strong line-up of 79 stalls at Kiba Park, selling everything vegan including veggie burgers, curries, burritos, doughnuts, ice cream, gelato and plenty more. Every food stall will list the ingredients used (in Japanese), so you can be 100 percent sure that no animal was harmed or involved in the process of making your meal.

Yamepi's illustrations are basically a portrait of Tokyo youth that trend reports keep trying and failing to write: decked-out headgear, tracksuits, cigarettes and nail polish; all of it sitting inside a Tekkonkinkreet-adjacent energy where rebellion is the move. Sora Aota, on the other hand, has got the star-signed approval: a graphic artist who went viral as a teenager off a Travis Scott fan art post on X, who then ended up on Young Thug's album cover and even landed on Forbes Japan's 30 Under 30, and has been working across a number of huge names and brand collabs ever since. The two of them are showing together at The Plug in Jingumae from April 15 to 19 in the perfect intersection of what the Tokyo youths art scene has to offer.