The Time Out Tokyo editors pick the best events and exhibitions in the city this weekend
Weekend plans? We're all anxious to get out and about after being cooped up at home for the last few months, and events in Tokyo have finally started to pick up again. We've compiled a list of the best events, exhibitions and places to check out in the capital on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Just remember to check the event and venue websites for the latest updates.
Note: venue opening hours and capacity limits may change depending on current Covid-19 situation.
A festival dedicated to all things – you guessed it – beautiful and artistic, Designart Tokyo is back for its fifth edition this year. It's set to take over central Tokyo, across 84 venues in major neighbourhoods like Shibuya, Roppongi and Ginza.
The brainchild of creative director Akio Aoki, artist Shun Kawakami and architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, Designart Tokyo will see shops, galleries, cafés, restaurants and other venues host work by artists from Japan and around the world...
Demon Slayer is taking over Tokyo Skytree this autumn and winter. From October 21 to 23 and every Sunday (except January 2) between 4.45pm and 9pm, the Tokyo Skytree will be lit up in seven different colour patterns, each representing a different character from the series.
Head inside to find artwork from the anime, video screens showing classic scenes, themed food, exclusive merchandise and even a Demon Slayer shrine at the Skytree's highest point.
It's easy to see why Daikanyama was named Tokyo's coolest neighbourhood in 2021 – it's a mash-up of all of Tokyo’s best bits. You’ve got niche art galleries you might find in Roppongi mixed with the underground music venues of Shimokitazawa, lively Shibuya-style bars and enough trendy boutiques to rival Ginza – all in one place.
To get you started exploring the neighbourhood, check out these cool spots in Daikanyama.
For a citywide festival that’s actually a month long, the event title of Tokyo Cocktail 7 Days couldn’t be more misleading.
From October 14 to November 13, roughly 80 bars in the city will be serving up 320 kinds of boozy beverages specially crafted for the occasion. You can bet the bar will be set high for this one – many of the participating watering holes were ranked in the most recent World’s 50 Best Bars list, including The SG Club and Bar Benfiddich...
At Malibu Farm restaurant in Zushi, Kamakura, you can book a yurt for a two-hour lunch or dinner course on a waterfront terrace.
Though the venue is just an hour away from Tokyo’s city centre, the palm trees lining the waterfront and yachts bobbing on the water will make you feel as though you’re thousands of miles away from Tokyo’s busy streets. The menu at Malibu Farm has an emphasis on sustainable, organic produce with plenty of vegan options...
This sauna and bathhouse is filled with interactive digital art by the one and only teamLab. Even better, the installation has been extended until November 23 2021.
It’s a popular attraction, so if you’d rather avoid squeezing into the steamy sauna rooms with a dozen other people, you can now opt to book a ticket for weekday mornings for the discounted price of ¥2,400, or book a private sauna room for up to four people for ¥20,000...
Make sure to drop by this special exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum focussed on Tokyo’s long history, dating back over 30,000 years.
There are ancient tools on display, all made of stone, wood and soil between the Paleolithic period and the Kofun period (300-538 AD). You’ll learn about the development of Edo (the city now known as Tokyo) and see how it became a modern-day capital.
Throughout October, Sumida Aquarium’s kaleidoscope-like jellyfish tunnel transforms into a spooky Halloween spectacle. The 50m-long space features about 5,000 mirrors attached to walls and the ceiling, complete with eight aquariums embedded into the walls.
Each tank will be outfitted with background panels, showing motifs of bats, witches and pumpkins, while ghost-like jellyfish float in front of them...
French restaurant Beige in Ginza serves luxurious multicourse meals designed by legendary chef Alain Ducasse. The restaurant, which is inside the Chanel Ginza building, also has a rooftop terrace called Le Jardin De Tweed.
Until October 31, the terrace is offering an exclusive collaboration menu with Champagne brand Perrier Jouët. Between 2pm and 10pm, you can enjoy an afternoon tea set filled with six sweet treats and two savoury canapes, along with a glass of Perrier Jouët Blanc De Blancs for ¥10,000. If you don’t think you can finish all that, you can get a smaller assortment of sweets, coffee or tea, and a glass of Perrier Jouët Grand Brut for just ¥6,000.
You wouldn’t think that a kissaten-inspired cocktail bar would come to offer some of the best sushi in town, but The Bellwood in Shibuya has always been full of surprises. Served in The Bellwood Lab – the bar’s private backroom reserved for experimental pop-ups – Bellsushi features eight pieces of nigiri served with two cocktails for a reasonable ¥6,050 (tax included).
