Things to do in Tokyo this weekend

Now that cherry blossom season has official started in Tokyo, it's time to go, go, go!

Nakameguro is one of Tokyo’s most popular sakura spots, with cherry blossom trees lining the Meguro River through this neighbourhood. This year, get ready for a particularly vibrant cherry blossom season with the return of the Meguro River Sakura Festival for the first time since 2019.

The festival was cancelled the last three years due to Covid-19 restrictions, but is back this spring from March 18 to April 9. This area is renowned for its cherry blossom trees, which create a canopy of pink over the water. You’ll also find local restaurants and shops with stalls set up along the river, and the sakura trees lit up with pretty pink lanterns from 5pm to 8pm.

This part of Nakameguro gets very crowded during the festival, especially on weekends during peak bloom, so there will still be some restrictions in place to manage the crowds. Eating and drinking while walking is discouraged, as is putting down a sheet to have a picnic under the trees.

Even among Tokyo's innumerable flower-viewing spots, Ueno Park stands out with its sheer scale and tasteful lantern decorations. Turned on at sunset, these beautiful lights help make Ueno's nighttime sakura a must-see spectacle in itself, while the dance performances and flea markets taking place during the event period add extra flavour. Note that festival dates may be altered according to when the cherry blossoms open.

From March 24 to April 4, this cherry blossom festival takes over the 700m-long Chidorigafuchi Ryokudo promenade near the Imperial Palace, which has around 250 sakura trees. During the day, you can stroll along the Chidorigafuchi moat or even hop on a rowboat to see the cherry blossoms from the water.

Boats are available at the Chidorigafuchi Boat Parking from 10am-5pm (except Mondays); rental costs ¥800 for 30 minutes and ¥1,600 for an hour. Keep in mind that it gets super busy during sakura season, so be prepared to queue.

Come nightfall you can enjoy the pink sakura trees lit up in LED lights. If you get tired from walking around, hop on the Sakura Matsuri-go, a free shuttle bus that takes you through the best cherry blossom viewing spots in the area.

You’ll also find a special sakura information booth at the Chiyoda Tourist Information Center, from where you can get information on the neighbourhood's cherry blossom-viewing spots and also shop for exclusive sakura merchandise.

Celebrate the arrival of spring at Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi. The centrepiece of this annual event is the 200m cherry-blossom-lined avenue through the Garden Area of Tokyo Midtown. It’s especially magical after 5pm when it’s all lit up.

One of the best ways to enjoy the flowers is at The Blossom Lounge. You can grab a drink or something to eat at this outdoor venue while enjoying views of the cherry blossoms and other spring blooms such as white daisies, windflowers and lavender. Enjoy original spring-themed cocktails, desserts, paninis and curries made by the skilled chefs of the Ritz-Carlton. The lounge is open daily from 12noon to 8pm (last entry 7.30pm) and until 9pm (last entry 8.30pm) on Fridays and Saturdays when the sakura are in full bloom. 

Check out the first floor Tokyo Midtown Galleria to see some glamorous spring flower displays. These impressive displays are made by flower artists Takayuki Fukazawa and Naoki Mitarai.

Happo-en has been around for 400 years and was once part of a warlord’s estate, but today it’s a peaceful Japanese garden used for events, such as this festival to celebrate the coming of spring. From March 17 to April 9, you can see the garden’s 80 or so cherry blossom trees illuminated with baby pink lights between sundown and 9pm. 

Drop by on March 17 for a free koto (Japanese zither) performance in the evening. The weekends from March 24 to April 1 and April 7 to 9 are also great times to visit, when you can see the cherry blossom while enjoying sakura-themed foods and cocktails.

On April 2, there’s a one-night-only event with local jazz DJ Shuya Okino from 6.30pm to 9pm. Advanced tickets start from ¥1,500 (¥2,000 on the day) with one drink, or ¥4,500 (¥5,000 on the day) with all-you-can-drink Moët & Chandon champagne.

Experience the ultimate fusion of art and automotive engineering at BMW's latest pop-up gallery in the bustling Jingumae district. Created under the direction of Highsnobiety founder David Fischer, the exhibition explores the connection between urban luxury and the zeitgeist of Tokyo and the intriguing modern fusion of Japanese and Western-oriented cultures.

The first-floor gallery showcases BMW's evolution of the 'M' series, featuring the iconic 1970s M1 car alongside the shiny new BMW XM, making its debut in Japan. For the second-floor gallery space, BMW invited seven new-generation Japanese artists whose art evokes progressive energy. Among the creatives are Kengo Kito, Goro Kakei, Takeshi Higashijima and Tomoo Hirose.

While there, you can also grab a coffee at the pop-up café or browse exclusive merchandise by Luka Sabbat in collaboration with BMW.

The National Museum of Nature and Science is bringing back the Dino Expo following its success in 2019. This year you’ll get to see a near-complete fossil of the armoured dinosaur Zuul Crurivastator, which is being displayed in Japan for the first time. This 76-million-year-old fossil was discovered in the United States and this is the first time it has been exhibited outside the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.

You can also see rare carnivorous dinosaurs including full-body reconstructions of Gorgoaurus and Maip Macrothorax as well as everyone’s favourite Tyrannosaurus Rex. At this exhibit, you can even find out more about how dinosaurs went extinct and explore the most recent findings related to these fascinating creatures.

This highly anticipated architecture showcase features the innovative designs and projects of Heatherwick Studio, one of the most closely-watched architectural firms in the world. Established in London in 1994, the studio has undertaken projects in many cities worldwide, including New York, Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. 

Studio founder Thomas Heatherwick, whose designs are imbued with elements of the natural world, is inspired by the ‘soulfulness’ of small objects by the craftspeople and artisans he observed during his upbringing. He strives to bring the same sense of humanity to large buildings and urban spaces by creating a flow between work, leisure and living spaces. 

At the exhibition you'll find 28 major projects of Heatherwick Studio, each resulting from an elaborate trial and error process, where familiar structures and functions are reassessed, and new ideas are realised. The projects are be presented from six different viewpoints, including ‘Coming Together’, ‘Connecting with Everyone’,  ‘Experiencing Sculptural Space’, ‘Feeling Nature in Urban Space’, ‘Bringing Memories to the Future’ and ‘Playing and Using’. 

As the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic and re-evaluates its relationship with both the built and natural environments, Heatherwick Studio's designs feel more evocative and relevant than ever.

The latest addition to the city’s skyline is the shiny new Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, a convenient shopping and dining complex right across the street from Tokyo Station. Making a grand statement on the ground level are two massive public art installations: the 10m-tall 'Star' by Tokujin Yoshioka and 'Mountain Range' by Takashi Kuribayashi. Wondering what you’ll find inside Tokyo Midtown Yaesu? Here are some of our favourite restaurant and shops at the exciting new commercial hub.

Love is in the air at The National Art Center, where a series of paintings borrowed from the Louvre in Paris have been curated based on their fiery portrayals of passion and romance. The series will include a total of 70 masterpieces created between the 16th and mid-19th century. Featured artists include François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Gérard, among other visionaries from Europe. 

The exhibition launches at the beginning of March, so it won’t be open in time for Valentine’s Day, but that only reaffirms the fact that impassioned displays of affection shouldn’t be confined to just one commercial holiday. 

If you struggle to grasp the messages behind wacky, contemporary art but still enjoy looking at weird sculptures made of everyday objects, you might relate to Japanese businessman and Misumi Group founder Hiroshi Taguchi. Taguchi had no fundamental knowledge or background in contemporary art but took great pleasure in collecting and acquiring elaborate contemporary art pieces in the '80s and '90s. Today, the Taguchi Art Collection (or, Tagukore for short) comprises about 500 works by some of the world's most significant contemporary artists, from Andy Warhol to Keith Haring.

Rather than storing these valuable artworks away, the art collection's managers, including Taguchi's daughter Miwa, strive to honour the owner's belief that art should be accessible to all. Therefore, they have organised a grand exhibition at the Kadokawa Culture Museum.

Highlights range from Superflex's facetious 'It Is Not The End of the World' sign to Tadashi Nishino's towering installation in which a set of bedside cabinets, bed, sofa and streetlight are stacked on top of a section of a car. There are about 52 works to see, and you don't have to worry about having an in-depth knowledge of art to appreciate any of it. Each piece is accompanied by easy-to-understand explanations, rejecting the notion of pretentious art culture and bringing viewers of all ages and backgrounds closer to the featured artists and their stories.

Following its success at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from 2017 to 2018 and its visits to London and New York in 2019, the touring exhibition dedicated to the life and legacy of French designer Christian Dior is finally coming to Tokyo this winter.

Opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art on December 21, this mammoth retrospective will celebrate 75 years of Dior couture with a collection of timeless dresses and iconic designs from the post-war era to now. There will be a lot to take in, but the exhibition will thankfully run until May 28 2023 to give couture lovers ample time to view the collection.

For the past 18 months, the NewMake project has collaborated with about 900 artists, designers and patternmakers to upcycle products at its lab in Harajuku. This spring you’ll get to see some of the works at Tokyu Plaza Shibuya.

The exhibition, which runs from March 22 to 28, showcases 100 pairs of upcycled footwear. The shoes were donated by well-known brands including Adidas, Asics, All Birds, Under Armour, New Balance, Puma and Teva. The shoes were repurposed, redesigned or upcycled by various creators to raise awareness on environmental issues.

You are encouraged to vote for your favourite sneakers via Instagram (until March 26)account. The pair with the most likes will win the crown of 100 Sneakers 100 New Makers 2023.

The Mitsubishi Ichogkan Museum is set to close temporarily for a massive renovation, with plans to reopen in the autumn of 2024. Prior to the closure, the museum is hosting a final exhibition dedicated to Ochiai Yoshiiku (1833-1904) and Tsukioka (Taiso) Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), two artists who trained under the renowned ukiyo-e master Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). 

Between 1866 and 1867, Yoshiiku and Tsukioka worked closely to document the violent societal turmoil during the collapse of the shogunate through traditional woodblock prints. The pair later became friendly rivals, with Yoshiiku moving on to produce multicoloured woodblock prints for the Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun newspaper, while Yoshitoshi expanded upon the musha-e warrior depictions he inherited from Kuniyoshi and created ukiyo-e works with historical themes.

Both artists represent the last generation of true ukiyo-e masters in the Meiji Restoration, and this exhibition primarily features works from the Asai Collection that showcase their efforts to resist the decline of ukiyo-e.

Japanese artist Yuko Higuchi has spent the last 20 years of her career creating a bizarre yet intriguing world of fantastical characters, creatures and plants. Her intricate illustrations have caught the attention of numerous brands, including Gucci, who commissioned Higuchi's designs for its 2018 Spring/Summer Children's Collection and the wall art for the Gucci Osteria restaurant in Ginza, among other projects.

This showcase at the Mori Arts Center Gallery is the final leg of Higuchi's exhibition tour for 'The Circus' and will feature roughly 1,000 artworks. Highlights include illustrations from her recently published picture books and never before seen tableaus of wild cats, flower folk and sea monsters that live in Higuchi's extraordinary imagination.