June 2020 events in Tokyo
Plan your June in Tokyo with our events calendar of the best things to do, including early-summer festivals, food events and rainy season fun
June in Tokyo is best described as damp, as this is usually when the dreaded rainy season rolls along. Although you'll have to wait a little longer until the city's summer festivals really kick into gear, all is not lost: June is usually packed with interesting exhibitions, gigs and openings, plus seasonal favourites like Tanabata, hydrangea and rose festivals, as well as firefly-viewing events all over the city. Grab an umbrella and make sure you don't miss out with our guide to all the best events going on in Tokyo this June.
RECOMMENDED: Get your tickets to events and gigs here
Our June highlights
Peter Doig exhibition
Contemporary Scottish figurative painter Peter Doig is having his maiden exhibition in Japan at the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo, where you can see a range of his works, from his earliest to some of his most recent. His style draws on artists like Paul Gaugin, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Edvard Munch while incorporating imagery inspired by movie scenes and advertisements to create art with a romantic yet mysterious feel...
Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London
London’s National Gallery is revered far and wide for its comprehensive collection of European master painters, and ranks as one of the ten most visited art museums in the world. This show, held in Tokyo before travelling to Osaka in July, is the very first time in the institution’s almost two-century-long history that a large-scale exhibition of highlights from its bountiful collection has been held outside of the National Gallery’s own walls...
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Christopher Wheeldon
A deviation from more classical ballets, this adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first performed by the Royal Ballet in 2011. The ballet was devised by dramatist Nicholas Wright and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who aimed to create a lighter and friendlier production than the company is usually accustomed to...
‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’ Summer Festival Opera 2019-20 Japan-Tokyo-World
This is a joint international production bringing together the New National Theatre, Tokyo with Salzburg Easter Festival, Semperoper Dresden and Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’, written and composed by Richard Wagner, has a runtime of approximately five hours and is one of the longest operas commonly performed. In this love story, a knight falls in love with a goldsmith's daughter, but the goldsmith has promised his daughter to the man who wins the town’s song contest...
Maruko & Cojicoji Cafe
Both long-running manga series by Momoko Sakura, Chibi Maruko-chan and Coji Coji are getting their own pop-up café at Sunday Brunch to celebrate the release of their collaborative picture book. Expect meals and desserts inspired by adventures in the books, such as a baked cheesecake topped with Mt. Fuji crackers and a keema curry decorated to look like sunflowers. The café is decked out with art from the manga series and also sells exclusive merchandise...