The best things to do in Tokyo this weekend

Hatonomori Hachiman Shrine is celebrating a Bon Odori festival on the evening of July 18-19. You can expect food stalls set up by local businesses in the area, as well as games and activities for children. Plus, of course, the requisite communal dancing.

Come at 4pm to learn the choreography, and you can join in one of the Bon Odori dances happening at 5.30pm, 7pm or 7.50pm (5.30pm, 6.45pm and 8pm on Saturday).

Get ready to get your groove on this summer at Daibon on July 19, a modern rendition of the traditional Bon Odori festival held at Hachiman Shrine in Yamatocho. Here, the traditional Bon Odori festivities are fused with a line-up of DJs and contemporary artists, merging the timeless customs with the energetic pulse of new-wave beats.

Watch as the festival comes alive with live DJ sets, which have in the past featured eclectic talents like Chinbantei Goraku Shisho and the invigorating performances of Korean percussionists. Daibon takes the typical Bon Odori experience a step further, creating a fusion of sounds that strikes a chord with revellers of all ages.

The event will be postponed to July 20 in the case of rain.

The public square in front of Jiyugaoka Station is hosting a massive bon odori festival between July 19 and 21. Expect lively dancing to begin at 6.30pm each night (7pm on July 19) to the tune of bon odori classics such as ‘Tokyo Ondo’ as well as a more modern line-up of music featuring remixes of contemporary J-pop songs such as RPG from Sekai no Owari and Takaneno Hanakosan from Back Number.

New for 2025 is a special kids’ dance session beginning at 5.30pm (6.10pm on July 19), making it a fun and family-friendly night out.

Art, crafts, fashion, accessories and much more – it’s all here at the annual Handmade in Japan Festival, a massive two-day celebration of artisanal crafts and creativity. The event attracts over 3,000 artists, designers and craftsmen in addition to thousands of amateur DIYers from all over Japan.

Shop for one-of-a-kind items at the market, including clothing, homeware, handicrafts and interior decorations. Or pick up a new skill at one of the many workshops – think lamp making, building a herbarium and jewellery craft. You can also watch live painting performances, drop in on music shows, and fill up at the food stalls. It’s a full-day affair.

One-day tickets go for ¥1,500 (advance purchase ¥1,300) while two-day tickets are ¥2,500 (¥2,000). You can buy tickets in advance from KKDay.

It's not quite a Japanese summer without fireflies. Come see them at Setagaya's very own Firefly Festival which attracts a respectable 25,000 visitors every year. At the heart of the festival is the spectacle of approximately 3,000 fireflies released in a dome tent at the Setagaya Daikanyashiki parking lot. As dusk falls, watch these curious bugs illuminate the evening with their gentle glow.

With a name derived from the Okinawan phrase ‘to mix things up’, the Champuru Festival is hosting its 21st annual celebration this year around Nakano Station over the July 19-20 weekend. This is your chance to discover Okinawan culture through dance, music and cuisine right here in Tokyo.

Be sure not to miss the main highlight of the festival: a 180-metre-long michijuné (an Okinawan term meaning ‘procession’) of traditional Eisa dancers. This Eisa parade is the biggest of its kind in the Kanto region and will take over the Shiki-no-Mori Park North road on July 20 from 4pm to 6.10pm. If you can’t make it, don’t worry, as a scaled-down michijuné will take place on July 19 from 1.20pm at the Nakano Sunmall shopping arcade. Eisa performances will be held in front of Nakano Station’s north gate on both days. 

In addition to the vibrant Eisa dance, expect captivating sanshin (an Okinawan musical instrument that’s a precursor to the shamisen) performances by artists from the island prefecture, as well as more contemporary acts such as Okinawan-style DJ-ing, experimental funk and techno.

Check the festival website for the full performance schedule.

Expect a colourful, caipirinha-fuelled, energy-packed couple of days as the Brazil Festival takes over Yoyogi Park's event square. There will be plenty of dancing and live music, featuring singer-songwriters such as folk singer Kazufumi Miyazawa, Brazilian instrumentalist Moises Zamora, Brazilian band Banda Dahu, samba dancers, as well as capoeira performers. The abundant food stalls will be serving plenty of grilled meat, churros and fruity beverages.

Celebrate Tanabata (Star Festival) by launching sky lanterns at Todoroki Green Space Sports Ground on the Kawasaki side of the Tama River. 

Tanabata is a traditional Japanese festival, where people write wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo branches. This seven-day event, however, is doing things differently. Here, modern sky lanterns are lit with LEDs instead of candles, making them safer and super kid-friendly. At 8.30pm, the lanterns are released into the night sky, but unlike typical floating lanterns, these are flown like kites with strings attached, making them easy to control and retrieve afterwards.

On the entertainment front, you can expect music performances each day by artists such as Chris Hart and Chay, as well as festival favourites such as shateki shooting games and food stalls serving traditional matsuri grub. While you’re there, don’t miss the chance to write and hang your wish on a tansaku paper slip. 

Tickets are available for purchase on the official website.

Listen to the soft, soothing sounds of wind chimes at Kawasaki Daishi Temple’s annual wind chime market, happening from July 17 to 21. The 30th-anniversary event this year will feature over 800 types of wind chimes collected from all over the country. The chimes, made of a variety of materials such as ceramics, glass or metal, each produce their own unique sound. While you’re there, don’t forget to purchase the temple’s very own version – the ‘Daruma wind chime for warding off evil’ – which promises to do just that.

Feel the breeze of 1,500 windmills at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya’s annual outdoor summer fest. This picturesque event features a large dome adorned with over a thousand colourful windmills made from unused clear files from the shopping centre’s tenants. Come evening, the dome as well as the staircase at the plaza are lit up with blue and white lights, while cooling mist envelopes the area to create a mesmerising sight. 

What’s more, the summer festival is hosting several family-friendly activities for everyone to enjoy on August 16 and 17, such as booths for traditional Japanese matsuri games such as rubber ball scooping, shateki shooting, ring toss and a workshop to paint your very own wind chime. The booths will be set up at the main atrium of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya.

If you’re looking for a child-friendly event in the cool indoors, head to the underground plaza on August 9 and 10 for a workshop where participants can craft their very own pinwheels using unused clear files.

While you’ll find an abundance of vintage and thrift stores in Shimokitazawa, the trendy neighbourhood also hosts a regular flea market at the Shimokita Senrogai open space, just a few minutes’ walk from the station, beside the Shimokitazawa Police Box. 

Expect to find all sorts of treasures and bargains including crafts and other handmade knick-knacks, jewellery and, of course, secondhand and vintage clothing. For when you’re feeling peckish, the market also features a café as well as a line-up of food trucks.

China’s funniest export Joe Wong is taking the mic in Tokyo on the night of July 19, bringing his hilarious blend of East and West and memorable punchlines to Shibuya’s Tokyo Comedy Bar. The self-titled ‘All-American Immigrant’ and biochemistry PhD has made audiences across the Pacific squirm with laughter for well over a decade now, including through appearances on Late Show with David Letterman, the Ellen Degeneres Show and Late Show with Stephen Colbert as well as shows on his native country’s CCTV. This is a late show you’ll want to score tickets to early.

Studio Ghibli’s immersive sculpture exhibition is returning to Tokyo to captivate a new generation of fans. Featuring 3D recreations of iconic scenes from hit animated films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle and Porco Rosso, the show is a new and improved version of Studio Ghibli’s first ever art exhibition, held in Tokyo back in 2003. 

Running from May 27 to September 23 at Warehouse Terrada’s B&C and E halls in Tennozu, the exhibition will feature mock-ups of scenes such as Chihiro’s first crossing over the bridge into the bathhouse in Spirited Away, and the thrilling scene from Ponyo where the titular character rides the waves to catch up to Sosuke in the storm. The main highlight, however, is arguably the true-to-size mock up of Porco’s Savoia S-21 seaplane from Porco Rosso.

When hunger strikes, head over to T-Lotus M, a waterfront event space adjacent to the exhibition venue, for some ham ramen inspired by a similar dish in Ponyo. Tickets can be purchased in combination with the Ghibli Museum or in conjunction with hotel accommodation plans.

For more details and ticketing information, check the event website. (Japanese only)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government No. 1 Building in Shinjuku serves as the backdrop for a jaw-dropping and record-breaking projection mapping show. Covering an area of a whopping 13,905sqm, the after-dark spectacle has been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest permanent display of its kind in the world.

The nightly showcase features a range of visual wonders created by a mix of local and international artists. Some shows are inspired by Tokyo’s rich history, while others draw on themes like the lunar cycle. 

From April 26, ‘Tokyo Gundam in the Future’, a brand new projection mapping show featuring a Gundam with a newly reimagined Mobile Suit colour scheme, will begin on weekends and holidays every hour from 7pm (7.30pm from May 10). Be sure to check the event website for more details.

Enjoy a late night stroll under an artificial Milky Way at Tokyo Tower’s main deck. As an alternative experience for astronomy enthusiasts, Tokyo Tower has recreated the Milky Way using 29,000 LED lights, so you can gaze up at the (artificial) stars in the middle of the city.

Every 15 minutes, the blue LED lights that represent the starry sky turn pink and gold, while the Milky Way changes from white to a rainbow of seven colours. This special effect makes the Tokyo skyline look even more mesmerising, as if our beloved city is under a magical starry night.

The event takes place from 9.00am until 11pm.

No trip to Tokyo or Japan is complete without a shopping spree at the iconic Don Quijote. But if browsing the aisles isn’t enough to satisfy your Donki cravings, you’ll want to book a table for this playful Don Quijote-themed afternoon tea at Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya.

Available at the hotel’s 11th-floor all-day dining restaurant, Gallery 11, this fun afternoon tea spread is inspired by Don Quijote’s beloved mascots, Donpen and Donko, with an array of colourful sweets and fun surprises. 

Desserts include unique creations like the passion fruit chocolate and pink pepper marshmallow, honeycomb red velvet cupcake and candy apple filled with a rich caramel – all served on a mini skateboard. You can also enjoy a tastebud-tingling cake made with popping candy featuring images of Donpen and Donko, alongside a savoury herb roast chicken served with lemon and caper sauce.

Time to don those wizardly robes. From April 18 to September 8, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo are bringing the set of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' to life to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary. The tour will feature recreations of props, costumes and locations from the film, such as the Great Hall, the Prefects' Bathroom and the Goblet of Fire itself. Themed food and merch will be available for purchase.

Times and ticket prices vary, so be sure to check their website for availability, as tickets must be purchased in advance and currently are only available until June 30.

The sleek designer toilets that took Tokyo by storm in 2020 – and later even inspired the film Perfect Days – will host a unique photography exhibit this summer, showcasing works by world-famous B&W photographer Daido Moriyama from July 19 to September 23.

The main exhibition space, where Moriyama’s photographs of the designer toilets are displayed, will be the Hatagaya Public Toilet. Miles Pennington, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s DLX Design Lab, designed this toilet specifically with multifunctionality in mind. Envisioned to be used as an exhibition space or a pop-up kiosk – in addition to its primary function, of course – the toilet will now play the role of a photo gallery.

Moreover, don’t miss this opportunity to check out the 10 other designer toilets in Shibuya ward, which for the duration of the event will all feature toilet paper adorned with imprints of Daido Moriyama’s photographs.

In the news for his role as the designer of the Expo 2025 site, Sou Fujimoto is an architect whose work explores the relationship between nature and architecture. Born in Hokkaido, he is inspired by the natural landscapes of his childhood and seeks to integrate organic forms into the built environment through an approach he calls ‘primitive future’.

This philosophy translates into an exploration of the limits between indoors and outdoors and the natural and the artificial, creating spaces that invite a new experience of inhabiting it. Fujimoto’s residential projects in Japan, such as House N, House O and House T, as well as international projects such as the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London, illustrate this desire to blur spatial boundaries. His work is characterised by the use of simple materials, often only one per project, implemented in innovative ways to create complex and intriguing shapes. The balance between a defined program and the freedom of appropriation by the occupants is at the heart of his approach.

Fujimoto’s first major Tokyo retrospective takes over the Mori Art Museum from July 2 to November 9. The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of the architect’s journey over the past quarter century, showcasing his achievements. Models, plans and documentary photographs sit alongside life-size models and installations, providing an immersive visual and spatial experience of the essence of his work. The exhibition highlights projects such as the Musashino Art University Museum & Library, the Arbre Blanc in Montpellier, France, the House of Music in Budapest, and – yes – the Expo site on Osaka’s Yumeshima.

This spring and summer, Japan’s ancient aesthetic heritage meets the cutting edge of animation. On at the Tokyo National Museum from March 25 to August 3, ‘Immersive Theater on Neo-Japonism: From Ancient Art to Anime’ is an ambitious 24-minute visual experience that journeys through 10,000 years of Japanese creativity.

Projected across four massive walls fitted with towering 7-metre screens, the ultra-HD installation explores the evolution of Japanese artistic expression from the clay figures of the prehistoric Jomon period to the ink paintings of the Edo period (1603–1867), culminating in the vibrant dynamism of contemporary anime. Brought to life by the innovative minds at digital art outfits Panoramatiks and Cekai, the experience highlights how Japan’s animist worldview and refined sense of space continue to influence global pop culture.

The exhibition draws poignant connections between ancient scrolls, classical motifs, and works by anime legends like Osamu Tezuka, Isao Takahata and Mamoru Hosoda, serving up a distinctive blend of history, art and imagination.

Ukiyo-e superstar Katsushika Hokusai’s legacy continues to ripple through and beyond the art world even today, centuries after his death – the meme-ification of Under the Wave off Kanagawa being only the most obvious example. But what makes Hokusai a standout among the many Edo-period (1603–1867) masters who captured the lives, dreams and landscapes of the city?

This summer, the Sumida Hokusai Museum invites visitors to explore answers to that very question through an interactive exhibition highlighting the craftsmanship of Hokusai and his disciples. ‘Wow, Hokusai!’ encourages close observation, helping viewers notice shared motifs, subtle differences and clever compositional techniques across the artist’s oeuvre.

The show zooms in on key elements in Hokusai’s work – from thunderous skies to bustling riverbanks, from swirling waves to architectural wonders – to provoke moments of discovery. As such, it offers a vivid introduction to ukiyo-e and an intimate look into Hokusai’s genius.

Step into the masterful world of Japan’s most celebrated woodblock print artist this spring at ‘Hokusai: Another Story’, held at Shibuya’s Tokyu Plaza. Utilising the latest in high-definition imaging, spatial audio and Sony’s state-of-the-art sensory technology, the exhibition promises to bring Hokusai’s iconic works to life.

The main highlight of the exhibition is the vivid scenery of Hokusai's ‘Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji’, with ultra-high-definition visuals and Sony's Crystal LED displays recreating the intricate details of the work. Visualise, hear and feel the sensation of jumping on puddles or walking on dry sand, thanks in part to haptic floor technology developed by Sony PCL. Then, follow a path illuminated by bamboo lights to reach a room where you can browse master replicas of iconic ukiyo-e prints. Each replica is crafted using DTIP (3D Texture Image Processing) technology that scans every fibre of the traditional washi-paper originals to preserve the works digitally. This multisensory experience allows visitors to not only see, but truly feel, the world Hokusai depicted.

Tickets must be purchased in advance through the event website.

Few would argue against the late Leiji Matsumoto as one of Japan’s most visionary manga artists. Born in 1938, Matsumoto grew up fascinated by the night sky, a passion that would later shape his iconic stories such as Galaxy Express 999 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock. His work blends space-faring adventure with profound philosophical themes, exploring concepts of life, mortality and human perseverance, and has inspired creatives worldwide, even shaping the dreams of future astronauts.

From June 20 to September 7, Tokyo City View at Roppongi Hills will host ‘Leiji Matsumoto: A Creative Journey’, the first major exhibition dedicated to the prolific career of an artist who left an indelible mark on the world of sci-fi with his rich storytelling and strikingly detailed art. Marking the beginning of a series of events celebrating the upcoming 50th anniversary of Galaxy Express 999, this exhibition will immerse visitors in Matsumoto’s imaginative universe. Featuring over 300 original drawings, including early works, rare materials and never-before-seen sketches, the display offers an opportunity to dig deep into the Fukuoka native’s creative process and experience the timeless magic of his work.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- marks a bold new chapter in the world-conquering franchise. As the first-ever collaboration between two titans of Japanese animation – Evangelion creators Studio Khara and Gundam’s Sunrise – this highly anticipated production fuses two distinct creative legacies into a dynamic reimagining of the mecha genre.

To celebrate this ground-breaking project, Anime Tokyo Station is hosting an exclusive exhibition from May 24 to August 11. Visitors will be treated to a curated collection of scene stills from the film version, immersive life-size displays recreating pivotal moments, and production materials such as original scripts. Standees of key characters and mobile suits bring the universe to life, while an AR photo zone invites fans to pose alongside motifs from the series for an interactive experience.

With free admission and content tailored for both long-time fans and newcomers, the show offers the perfect opportunity to step into the world of giant robots.