July 2021 events in Tokyo

This summer, Akomeya Shokudo is serving up its yearly kakigori (shaved ice dessert) summer menu. The kakigori on offer here will be more than just flavoured ice for kids – expect alcoholic options for those over 20. 

There will be four flavours available, each priced at ¥1,400, with alcoholic extras available for an additional ¥300 to spice up your experience...

Summer in Japan is hot, humid and heavy. So what could be more refreshing than some wonderful kakigori shaved ice desserts? The annual Omotesando Hills Adult Kakigori Festival, which runs from June 24 to August 31, will have some unique versions of this icy treat. Don't worry about the festival's slightly odd name – it's all about showcasing grown-up versions of this classic childhood treat...

Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi was one of the most emblematic visionaries of his time. His abstract sculptures were heavily influenced by the work of Constantin Brancusi – an artist that Noguchi admired since the start of his career – and often made to resonate with nature. 

This exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum takes a comprehensive look at three distinct phases in Noguchi's six decade-long career...

Nearly 60 years ago, Tokyo was getting ready to host its first Olympic Games in 1964. Just as we’ve seen in the lead-up to Tokyo 2020, preparations for the 1964 Games transformed the city forever. From June 29 to August 1, the JCII Camera Museum Photo Salon will hold an exhibition of photographer Masaaki Kasuga's works that captured the changing cityscape of Tokyo and its environs in 1964...

Suspended in the atrium of Ginza Six is the department store’s latest public art installation by Kyoto-based artist Kohei Nawa. The installation features a sculpture of a deer floating above clouds, a creature that has appeared at the centre of many of Nawa’s coveted works for its symbolic ties to Shintoism and ancient Japanese history. 

There is more to the installation than meets the eye, with a corresponding app you can download to see the work come to life through your smartphone...

Rainy season is approaching, and there are 1,200 colourful umbrellas lining the 200-metre long path in Moominvalley Park, just waiting for you to walk underneath them. The stretch of colourful umbrellas creates stunning light and shadow scenes – perfect for your Instagram feed. Some of the umbrellas even come with different Moomin characters attached. The project is supervised by world-renowned textile designer Masaru Suzuki...

Centered on the evolution of Japanese fashion, this stylish exhibition spans from the years immediately following World War II until now. Through roughly 300 articles of clothing and 820 photographs that appeared in ads and magazines over the last 70 years, you'll learn about how seamstressing came to be so popular in the post-war years, as well as how contemporary styles are tied to popular trends from half a century ago...

This exhibition shines a light on 16 female artists from 14 different countries around the world, who began their careers in the turbulent postwar years from the 1950s to 1970s, and who remain active today in 2021. The works offer a multifaceted look at the artists' last five decades of practice, through early and well-known works, as well as new pieces created for the exhibition...

This exhibition introduces the Artizon Museum’s recent acquisitions and consists of a total of 201 artworks, many of which are being exhibited for the first time. The collection covers a broad range of artistic movements, from highly prized abstract works by female artists to Australian Aboriginal art.

Highlights include Cubist paintings by Picasso, drawings by Henri Matisse and contemporary works by Shuzo Takiguchi’s experimental studio, as well as French abstract art from the post-war period...

Finally – a dedicated DC Comics exhibition worth getting excited about. In this comprehensive exhibition at Tokyo City View, you can marvel at roughly 400 pieces of artwork, comic scripts and film props from the DC Universe. There's a lot of ground to cover with the exhibition divided into five sections, including a Batman section, Suicide Squad section, Superman section, Wonder Woman section and Justice League section...