October 2026 events and festivals in Tokyo

Roppongi Art Night returns in full force from October 31 to November 1 2026, again transforming one of Tokyo’s most vibrant districts into an all-night celebration of contemporary creativity. Launched in 2009, the festival has become a cornerstone of the city’s cultural calendar, inviting visitors to explore art installations, performances and multimedia projects from dusk until dawn.

Spanning key venues including Roppongi Hills, the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo Midtown and the National Art Center, Tokyo, the event extends into public spaces and streets, creating a dynamic urban circuit where art and city life intersect. This year marks the festival’s 15th edition and a return to its original all-night format, restoring the immersive, nocturnal atmosphere that defines its appeal.

The 2026 edition places a special focus on France, drawing inspiration from Nuit Blanche, the Parisian event that originally inspired Roppongi Art Night. Curated by José-Manuel Gonçalvès, the programme highlights a diverse selection of French artists through installations, video works and performances.

Alongside this international spotlight, the Open Call Project once again invites public participation, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to accessibility and experimentation. For one night only, Roppongi becomes a sleepless stage where Tokyo’s urban landscape is reimagined through art.

This annual design event, which this year explores the theme of ‘gazing’, sees the vast grass square adjacent to Tokyo Midtown host installations by an international cast of 19 artists and creators. Helmed by creative director and designer Taku Sato, the event also features a diverse programme of family-friendly events intended to help visitors rediscover the charm and value of design hidden in everyday life.

The main highlight is the aforementioned open-air ‘Design Live Exhibition’ on the Midtown lawn, featuring works such as ‘Sea Hammock’ by architect Yuko Nagayama, which makes its return to the event after four years. Elsewhere, catch some grooves at ‘Design Live Music’, where design and music intersect, or browse a selection of books and stationery at ‘Design Live Market’.

Continuing Tokyo’s trend of dazzling nighttime projection-mapping events, digital creative company Hitohata is bringing back its Asakusa Culture & Lights show to Sensoji Temple. This projection mapping showcase celebrates the history and culture of the iconic temple in the heart of Asakusa.

The nightly shows feature high-resolution digital animations created using cutting-edge technology and displayed at two locations within the temple grounds: the south side of Hozomon Gate facing Kaminarimon Gate, as well as Sensoji Temple's main hall. These light-ups are free to view, happening daily from October 30 to November 3 between 6pm and 9.30pm. 

Alongside the brilliant light-ups, the temple is also offering paid daytime and nighttime viewings of the Denboin Garden; the daytime session includes exclusive access to the Ema Hall, home to Edo-era votive plaques by the likes of Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hasegawa Settan and Henmi Isshin. Be sure to book tickets in advance to attend these viewings.

Always wanted to learn more about the Japanese tea ceremony but never found a suitable opportunity? Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony is a large-scale tea ceremony where even those who aren’t familiar with the custom are welcome to participate.

The event will be held at the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum on Saturday October 24 and Sunday October 25, and then a week later at the Hamarikyu Gardens on October 31 and November 1.

Seven to eight tea ceremony sessions happen daily between 10.30am and 4.15pm, and sessions cost ¥800 per person (¥500 for children's sessions, accompanied by an adult on Oct 24 & 25). Check the schedule of each venue here: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum and Hama-rikyu.

Aside from the tea ceremonies, you’ll find plenty of other cultural programmes including live performances of daikagura (traditional Shinto acrobatic dance), kodan (narrative storytelling), ikebana (Flower arrangement), kabuki (on Oct 31 at Hama-rikyu) and more across both venues.

Check the website to see what’s on at each venue. Entrance to the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is free during the event.

Try out some of the best soul-warming curries from Tokyo’s curry neighbourhoods of Kanda and Jimbocho this autumn. There are over 400 curry shops in the area and this long-running event brings together most of them to do battle for the Grand Prix title.

From August 1 to December 20, a stamp rally will be held in the area, where over 150 participating curry purveyors will have a stamp on hand to stamp your stamp card, which you can print yourself in A3 size. Visit ten curry restaurants to get a ‘Curry Buddy’ certificate featuring Rilakkuma, or 36 shops or more to become a ‘Kanda Curry Meister’. Check the curry restaurant map and list before making a visit. Get your ‘Curry Buddy’ reward by visiting the Chiyoda Tourism Office, or fill out the form to receive the more prestigious ‘Curry Meister’ award.

Additionally, on October 31 and November 1, there will be booths selling a range of curries from around the world at Ogawa Square for the Grand Prix finale, including Thai, Indian, Japanese and more – so come hungry.

Whenever winter arrives, Tokyoites look forward to snacking on warm yakiimo (roasted sweet potato). Dedicated yakiimo trucks are a common sight on the streets during the cold season, and this year, there will also be a festival dedicated to this comforting snack at the Yakiimo Fes at Nakano's Shiki no Mori Park from October 30 to November 8.

This tummy-warming food fest will be serving up 30 kinds of sweet potato dessert from 14 vendors, including roasted sweet potato drizzled with white chocolate and dried strawberries, sweet potato parfaits, sweet potato salted butter brûlée and even a sweet potato crepe. If you're looking for something more savoury, try the sweet potato tacos, sweet potato cheese pizza or even a sweet and spicy Korean-style jjigae stew topped with cuts of roasted sweet potato. Entry is free, but don’t forget to bring your credit card or Suica, as the event is completely cashless.

Ticket bundles, including eight meal tickets worth ¥5,000, can be purchased online via KKday. The bundle also gets you two 'fast lane' tickets to purchase items with using the priority lane.

School gymnasiums, churches, office lobbies, guitar shops and shrines are all considered fair game for a spot of music during Asagaya Jazz Streets, a two-day festival in which concerts are held at dozens of locations scattered across the neighbourhood.

The event has steadily grown in stature since its launch in 1995. As has become customary, veteran piano innovator Yosuke Yamashita will still be part of the festival this year, though in a different role. After announcing in January that he would take a break to focus on his health and recovery, Yamashita is instead curating a special session featuring three artists who carry on his legacy: Sugadairo, Benisuke Sakai and Tamaya Honda, performing at Shinmeiguu Shrine.

Meanwhile, performances by internationally acclaimed alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo and her quartet, the Eiji Taniguchi Quartet + Eiji Hanaoka, and the tropical 16-member big band Tawoyame Orquesta are expected to be among the festival’s standout attractions.

Note that while the open-air gigs are free, you'll need a paid wristband to get into most of the participating venues, while a drink or food order is required at many of the shows held in cafés and restaurants.

Check the event website for performance schedules and ticketing information.

The force behind smash-hit titles including Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, Japanese animation studio Mappa is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. To mark the milestone, the company is hosting its largest-ever exhibition from September 16, bringing together work from 23 titles at the newly opened Yurakucho Museum.

The exhibition features original drawings, large-scale sets and video projections that immerse visitors in the worlds of Mappa shows and films such as Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, Attack on Titan: Final Season, Jujutsu Kaisen and more.

At the Chainsaw Man exhibition area, you can feast your eyes on exclusive production materials, including drawings that follow the story of The Movie: Reze Arc, from Denji and Reze’s first encounter and the explosive battle between Chainsaw Man and Bomb to the conclusion of their story. Don’t miss the illuminated life-size figure of Bomb, which is being unveiled for the first time.

The Attack on Titan: Final Season zone features original drawings for key scenes, displays explaining the production process, and original hand-drawn watercolour artwork of the symbolic hill from the story’s ending.

The Jujutsu Kaisen area revisits some of the series’ most iconic battle scenes and memorable moments. Production materials are exhibited in the first half of this zone, including original drawings from Season 1 and Jujutsu Kaisen 0, while the second half features materials from Season 2, Hidden Inventory / Premature Death, Shibuya Incident and Season 3, The Culling Game Part 1.

The exhibition will be held in two parts: the first from September 16 to October 25, and the second from October 28 to December 7. Some exhibits will be changed between the two parts, giving you a reason to plan multiple visits.

Tickets are available for specific dates and time slots. You can currently purchase tickets for the first half of the exhibition via Lawson Ticket, and place applications for advance lottery tickets for the second half (from Aug 22).

The erotic art of old Edo returns to modern Tokyo’s most seductive ’hood with ‘Kunisada & Kuniyoshi: Shinjuku Kabukicho Shunga Exhibition – WA’. The fourth instalment in a series of exhibitions focused on Shunga, or traditional Japanese erotica, and organised by the Kabukicho-based Smappa! Group, the display showcases original ukiyo-e prints by two of the greatest masters of the form: Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Kunisada (1786-1864) is particularly renowned for depicting kabuki actors (yakusha-e) and beautiful women (bijin-ga). What’s more, his pieces are famed for their detailed portrayals of daily life in Edo, and have proved invaluable for historians researching the folksier aspects of the late feudal period.

Kuniyoshi (1798-1861), meanwhile, was dubbed ‘Edo’s ultimate graphic designer’. He illustrated the trending topics of his day – from political scandals and sexual fashions to mythical monsters – with a wit and humour that endeared him to the capital’s masses.

Curated from the collection of Mitsuru Uragami, one of Japan’s foremost ukiyo-e authorities and Shunga connoisseurs, the exhibition extends throughout the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage, incorporating bijin-ga, yakusha-e, musha-e (pictures of warriors) and illustrated books in addition to the erotica. Yasutaka Hayashi from artist collective Chim↑Pom from Smappa! Group returns as art director, bringing a hefty serving of Kabukicho flair to the table.

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