The best things to do in Tokyo this weekend

The Kanda Furuhon (Used Book) Festival in Tokyo's booktown Jimbocho has been held annually since 1960, traditionally timing it to coincide with the Culture Day national holiday on November 3. In addition to offering a vast array of used books, the festival also encompasses a number of other book-related offers and events, including an outdoor book market, the sale of a number of specially selected rare books, and a charity used-book auction. Though the majority of the tomes on display are in Japanese, it's still easy to lose a few hours in idle browsing.

Showa Kinen Park is the most beautiful in autumn, with the maple and ginkgo trees blushing in fiery red and yellow respectively. The ginkgo trees are the first to turn and you can see two boulevards of the golden yellow trees as soon as you enter the park’s Tachikawa gate. These trees are expected to turn full yellow in mid-November. The momiji and kaede trees, however, present their signature vermillion hues a bit later towards the end of November.

During this season, the park stays open after dark, with special light-ups taking place at the Gingko Tree Avenue (near the futsal and basketball courts) and the traditional Japanese Garden from 4.30pm until 8.30pm.

While you can enjoy the light-ups at Gingko Tree Avenue with just the park's regular admission fee (¥450, free for junior high school students and younger), you need an extra ticket to enter the Japanese Garden (advance ticket online ¥1,200, primary and junior high school students ¥600; same-day tickets sold at Komorebi House close to the Japanese Garden ¥1,300, ¥700).

Tickets to enter the Japanese Garden are now available for purchase online, including park admission and Japanese Garden bundle pass for a discounted price of ¥1,600 (¥600).

Admission into the Japanese Garden is waived on October 30 and 31.

This super-popular bread festival is returning on Saturday, November 1 and 2. It’s a gathering of Setagaya ward’s many renowned bakeries and bread shops, with the support of several guest bakers and producers from other parts of Tokyo and the rest of Japan.

This neighbourhood-wide festival, taking place at Setagaya Park, Home/Work Village cultural complex and participating stores in the Mishuku area, will feature more than 130 vendors every day. You can sample local delicacies as well as baked goods and pastries from all over Japan. There are even workshops for you to learn how to make your own bread.

Komazawa Olympic Park is hosting a ramen festival with over a dozen booths serving Japanese noodles from different prefectures. You can go for a simple shoyu (soy sauce) or shio (salt) ramen, or a bowl with rich tonkotsu pork broth, or one topped generously with beef. Be warned though: some stalls are expected to have up to two hours wait time, as they are exclusive to the festival or have won the Ramen Grand Prix in recent years.

The event is split into three parts, each with a different set of vendors. The ramen restaurants that are participating in the first part (October 23 to 26) include Katsuryu from Ibaraki prefecture with its rich paitan (cloudy white chicken broth) ramen topped with uni, and Kumamoto Ramen Kokutei from Kumamoto prefecture, whose signature tonkotsu ramen is a voluminous bowl topped with seared pork belly.

The second part (October 27 to 30) features Hokkaido prefecture's Maruesu Shokudo with its Hokkaido-style miso-based bowl made with chicken and pork broth, and Hakushin from Gifu prefecture with its umami-rich miso broth made from dried shrimp.

Lastly, the third part (October 31 to 3) features Oita prefecture's Hakuryu with its rich tonkotsu (pork-based) soup, as well as Honda Shoten from Fukuoka Prefecture, serving up authentic Kurume-style tonkotsu ramen – said to be the original birthplace of the dish.

In short, you’ll find every kind of ramen that your heart desires at Tokyo Ramen Festa. Admission is free while a bowl of noodles costs ¥1,100. Meal tickets can be purchased at Seven Eleven outlets nationwide in advance or at the venue. We highly recommend purchasing tickets earlier rather than later, as it can run out towards the end of the day.

The festival runs from 10.30am to 8.30pm, with the exception of October 23 and October 27 when it opens at noon, and November 3, when it closes at 6pm.

It's not difficult to guess how Enoshima's landmark tower got its name. With its white facade and cylindrical structure, the Sea Candle observation tower – located only a short hop away from Kamakura – is a fantastic place to catch a 360-degree view of Enoshima's coast and surrounding seaside towns. This autumn, however, the towering torch won't be the island's only candle.

From October 11 to November 3, roughly 10,000 wax candles will be placed along Enoshima Sunset Terrace and lit up to illuminate the promenade leading to the tower. Weather permitting, the candles will be there every evening from 5pm, though an announcement will be posted at around 12noon on the venue website if the illumination has to be cancelled.

Nine Shibuya venues, including heavy hitters Enter, Ruby Room, Womb and Harlem, join hands for this one-night celebration of club culture. Pick up a wristband at any of the participating venues and you'll get free access to or a discount on the cover charge at all nine clubs between 8pm and 4.30am on the Sunday night before the Culture Day holiday in early November. For newcomers, this one should work as a great introduction to the Tokyo club scene, while veteran night owls are sure to appreciate the appearances of local DJ celebrities. As of October, the 2025 DJ line-ups are unannounced. Be sure to purchase a ticket before October 14 midnight for a ¥1,000 discount.

Tickets are available for purchase via E-plus and Zaiko.

Admire the autumn full moon this autumn in the beautifully illuminated gardens of Hamarikyu. This sprawling Tokyo green space, which once belonged to the powerful Tokugawa shogunate, will stay open until 9pm from October 31 to November 5. This special night opening is held to celebrate Kurimeigetsu (November 2), believed to be the second most beautiful evening to catch the harvest moon. 

Stemming from the moon-viewing tradition known as tsukimi, which dates back to the Heian period (794-1185 AD), the event will begin with an offering ceremony on October 31 at 6pm at the lawn near the Shiojiri pond. This will be followed by a flute performance by Kagura performer Yuya Ishimori.

Guided moon viewing tours (¥500, cash only) in English are available on November 1 at 6.30pm. The meeting point is at the Matsu no Ochaya teahouse. Spaces are limited, based on a first-come, first-served basis through an online booking form.

The Nakajima no Ochaya teahouse, which boasts spectacular views of the garden, is also offering a special tsukimi-themed nerikiri sweet and tea set for the duration of the event, a perfect light evening snack. Afterwards, enjoy traditional instrumental music performed near the Umashide no Mikoto statue. There are multiple 30-minute performances from two gagaku bands daily, from 6pm to 8.30pm.

Kagurazaka is coming alive with a variety of activities happening between October 11 and November 3. Its main “Painting on the Hill” event on November 3 is returning this year for the 27th time. The entire 700 metre-long Kagurazaka-dori street will be lined with a long roll of white paper for everyone to draw and paint on for free. Painting tools and equipment will be provided every few metres so you can contribute to this piece of community art.

On October 26, visit Bishamonten Zenkokuji Temple for the Kagurazaka Art Square. Local artists will exhibit their work from paintings, calligraphy and illustrations to installations, paper cutouts, photography and prints. Visitors, however, are encouraged to vote for their favourite pieces from 10am to 4pm. 

Note that the painting event on November 3 may be cancelled in the event of rain.

Paulo Calle was deep in Tokyo’s scene before you knew how just how cool it was. The LA-based designer and photographer behind Rare Panther, and longtime collaborator of Verdy’s for Girls Don’t Cry and Wasted Youth, returns to where it all started with his first photo book, Calle Tokyo.

Shot in 2015, the series captures a Tokyo that still feels close but already belongs to another era. The photos move through parties, streets, studios, and small moments with friends — Verdy, Takashi Murakami, Kiko Mizuhara — all part of a creative world that was just beginning to define itself.

The image are nostalgia instilling,  like you’re standing in the room or walking those streets yourself. Calle Tokyo is an iconic depiction of what made that time so electric — and how much of that iconicism still runs through the city today.

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 31 to November 9.

This tummy-warming food fest will be serving up 30 kinds of sweet potato dessert from 14 vendors, including roasted sweet potato drizzled with honey and cheese sauce, sweet potato doughnuts, sweet potato salted butter brûlée and even a sweet potato crepe. If you're looking for something more savoury, try the sweet potato miso soup or even a Lu Rou Fan 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 ¥4,000, can be purchased online via KKday for visitors from outside Japan.

Pat Market is one of Harajuku’s most iconic select and archive stores, known for shaping how Tokyo’s youth actually dress. Their Ikebukuro location focuses on womenswear – a curated mix that spans Tokyo girl, e-girl, cyber girl, hime gyaru and a touch of punk attitude.

For two days, they’re turning the space into a flea market, bringing some of the city’s best-dressed girls to sell from their own closets. Expect racks packed with individuality and the kind of finds that disappear in minutes.

Get a glimpse of daily German life at the annual Deutschland Festival, held at Aoyama Park this year. Co-sponsored by the German Embassy, the event features a variety of live music performances, traditional German craft workshops, market stalls, and of course, food and drink. Try local delicacies such as German beer, wine, pretzels, sauerkraut and sausages.

For 2025, you can also look forward to thrilling cage football matches on November 1 and 2 as part of a mini Bundesliga Cup tournament—a fast-paced version of football played with fewer players on a compact 7-by-9-metre enclosed court.

Department H has held Tokyo’s fetish line for decades. The Halloween edition makes the Showa cabaret setting feel like the city’s strangest catwalk, with latex, leather, drag and performance art spinning around from cieling to stage and a market for gear.

Costume effort gets rewarded at the door. If you look regular, budget more. If you’ve planned your outfit for a week, the entrance staff will notice.

The regulars include icons, lifers, and first-timers who finally worked up the courage to go. It’s welcoming, it’s theatrical, and it runs late enough to feel like a secret even when the room is full.

The highly acclaimed contemporary jazz trio led by pianist Pablo Held is making its way to Japan for the first time this November, bringing a powerful and innovative jazz improvisation session that pushes the boundaries of jazz.

Taking place at Baroom in Minami-Aoyama on November 1st, expect performances by the Pablo Held Trio that embody the inherent dynamism of contemporary jazz, with spontaneity and natural interplay between Robert Landfermann, Jonas Burgwinket and Pablo Held, who play double bass, drums and piano respectively.

The evening will also see a special collaboration with the Masaki Hayashi Trio, a unique opportunity to see two leading jazz trios from Germany and Japan in one sitting.

A total of 325 kinds of roses will be blooming at Shikinokaori Rose Garden in Hikarigaoka from October 11 to November 9. These autumn roses, which thrive from mid-October to mid-November, are known for their long-lasting fragrance and darker colours.

The Shiki no Kaori Rose Garden has a section called the Kaori no Rose Garden, which is dedicated to six varieties of roses, each with its own distinct scent ranging from fruity to spicy. The Shiki no Rose Garden, on the other hand, focuses on producing a wide variety of colours, all concentrated in one area. Don’t forget to seek out the garden’s exclusive Shikinokaori rose – its unusual pink and yellow marble petals have a refreshing black tea fragrance.

On weekends and public holidays, the Autumn Festival will host an outdoor market selling original merch, houseplants, baked goods, honey and jam, aroma products and rose seedlings by botanist Fuminori Nukariya, the man behind the Shikinokaori rose. The second-floor cafe will offer seasonal desserts, including a Halloween pumpkin-flavoured baked doughnut, as well as a rose soft-serve ice cream. These items are available from 10am to 4pm daily.

On October 25 and 26 from 2pm to 3pm, little'uns in costume can join a fun scavenger hunt in the rose garden, searching for hidden ghosts to score some sweet candy prizes. On October 25, don’t miss the chance to snap a photo with Nerima’s adorable mascot, Nerimaru. Then on November 9, head to the Shiki no Rose Garden for a free live concert by Waseda University’s string quartet from 11am and 2pm.

Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the most magnificent parks in Tokyo, and if you need another reason to visit this top attraction, this two-week-long chrysanthemum exhibition is it.

Just as cherry blossom is the representation of spring in Japan, chrysanthemum (or kiku in Japanese) is the symbol of autumn. More importantly, it is the ‘royal flower’ of Japan – the Imperial Seal of Japan is also known as the Chrysanthemum Seal. At Shinjuku Gyoen, this annual exhibition (since 1929) highlights the regal blooms under protective awnings. They are a sight to behold, and perfect for your Instagram, too.

There’s no separate ticket to see this exhibition but you do have to pay the park entrance fee of ¥500 (high school students ¥250, free for younger children).

For more information, check the official English pamphlet.

One of Japan’s premier design and art festivals is returning to Tokyo this autumn from October 31 to November 9, taking over an array of trendy neighbourhoods including Omotesando, Gaienmae, Harajuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Ginza and the Tokyo station area. The festival brings together a diverse group of creators from around the world, who present works that transcend the boundaries between genres such as art, architecture, interior design, fashion and food.

One standout event is the Designart Gallery exhibition at Media Department Tokyo, a cultural hub located in the heart of Shibuya. An information centre will also be open during the event's duration. The exhibition spans three floors and is accompanied by a massive outdoor advertisement space exceeding 450 square metres, which is sure to leave a strong impression on anyone walking by.

Also, don’t miss the exhibition of fresh works from up-and-coming creators. The ‘Under 30’ program, which supports young artists, will showcase five groups selected from Japan and abroad. Among them is Yuki Kanamori, a Tokyo-based designer, who will unveil an installation inspired by overlooked moments and motifs in urban Japanese landscapes.

With this year’s theme being ‘Brave – Pursuit of Instinctive Beauty’, the festival invites visitors to explore what beauty really means through bold and personal works by each artist. With exhibitions dotted throughout the city, Designart Tokyo is the perfect excuse to have an artistic adventure through Tokyo’s most creative districts.

Check the event website for more details.

The Tokyo Biennale returns with an invitation to explore the city through the theme ‘Wander for Wonder’. From October 17 to December 14, the international art festival transforms the capital into a living gallery, bringing together 38 artist groups from seven countries in a city-wide celebration of walking, discovery and creativity.

Taking place across two main venues – Ueno’s 400-year-old Kan’eiji Temple and the Etoile Kaito Living Building – alongside six exhibition areas including Ueno, Kanda, Nihonbashi and Marunouchi, the Biennale blends contemporary art with Tokyo’s deep cultural layers. Installations emerge at temples, across public spaces, in shops and vacant properties, creating a unique urban tapestry of expression and memory.

Curated to be a ‘social dive’, the Biennale encourages visitors to encounter art through movement, echoing the artistic legacies of walking-based practices by figures such as Yoko Ono and Gabriel Orozco. As people stroll through neighbourhoods and engage with their surroundings, each step becomes part of a creative process.

Tokyo Biennale 2025 looks set to be a journey of serendipitous encounters, offering a fresh lens on the city’s untold stories and its vibrant potential for connection through art.

Many of the exhibitions and events at the Tokyo Biennale are free. However, select exhibitions charge entrance fees. For those seeking a comprehensive experience, all-access passes are available for ¥3,000 per adult (or ¥2,500 if purchased in advance) and ¥1,800 for students (advance passes ¥1,500). These passes grant unlimited access to all venues during the festival period.

For a detailed program and more information, visit the Tokyo Biennale’s website.

Mt Takao is one of the most picturesque destinations in Tokyo to see autumn leaves. And one of the best ways to do that is by taking the scenic cable car ride, which brings you closer to the mountain’s Yakuoin temple. Here you can sample shojin ryori, a traditional Japanese Buddhist vegetarian meal. To secure a lunchtime seat, be sure to book a reservation for two or more people at least two days in advance via phone.

The best time to see the autumn leaves for 2025 is mid to late November, when the foliage around the cable car tracks turns deep orange and red.

Throughout the duration of the festival, you can also look forward to a host of free events at Kiyotaki Station, the cable car stop at the base of Mt Takao, including musical and dance performances by local university students. While details are yet to be announced for 2025, check the event's English website for the latest updates.

As is the case every year, the base of Mt Takao will be crowded in autumn, so it’s best to arrive via public transport.

Everyone loves Chiikawa right now. Get your fill of the mischievous characters created by Japanese illustrator Nagano in Shibuya, where the franchise’s official ramen shop returns for a limited time. Located on the basement floor of Shibuya Parco, it deals in ramen of the pork variety, hence the buta (pig) in the name. The ramen is served in three sizes: Chiikawa (mini), Hachiware (small) and Usagi (large). Each bowl will come with a novelty sticker, featuring either Chiikawa, Hachiware or Usagi depending on the bowl you ordered.

As for drinks, the Shisa Mandarin Soda is a must-try, named after the hard-working lion dog and ramen shop assistant in the Chiikawa universe. Each drink comes with a novelty character card, which you can draw at random from a selection of 10 characters.

Visitors who grab a bite of the ramen are also allowed exclusive access to the adjacent merch shop, complete with limited-edition goods – think T-shirts, ramen bowls, beer jugs and towels featuring the adorable Chiikawa.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo celebrates its 30th birthday by gathering together over 30 artists and collectives from diverse generations and geographies to reflect on how contemporary art can illuminate the hidden structures of daily life while opening new possibilities for collective imagination.

Foregrounding domestic, institutional and urban contexts from households shaped by gender norms to the contested spaces of Okinawa and Mumbai, ‘Choreographies of Everyday’ investigates how subjectivity is formed, constrained and transformed. Newly commissioned works developed through research in Tokyo will join pieces by artists including Satoru Aoyama, Jonathas de Andrade, Mako Idemitsu, Shilpa Gupta and the Rice Brewing Sisters Club. Together, these works confront systemic violence and oppression while highlighting acts of resistance, creativity and humour that endure in the everyday.

The exhibition’s title signals both mechanisms of social control and the agency to subvert or transcend them. In that spirit, the show unfolds as a dynamic platform, enriched by performances, talks and workshops throughout its duration.

Creator of the iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa – and more than 30,000 other works across a remarkable 90-year life – Katsushika Hokusai was known for his restless spirit (he moved 93 times) and ever-evolving identity (he used more than 30 artist names). And by the way, the ukiyo-e impresario’s prolific genius also laid the foundation for what we now recognise as manga and anime.

This autumn, ‘Hokusai’ at Creative Museum Tokyo offers an immersive journey into the artist’s seemingly boundless world. With over 300 pieces on display, including the complete Hokusai Manga (from the world-famous Uragami Collection), all three volumes of One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, and a set of 16 newly discovered hand-painted works from his final years, the show promises unprecedented depth.

And as we’ve come to expect from this venue, the artworks on display will be accompanied by some certifiably contemporary exhibits. These include animated adaptations of Hokusai prints by top Japanese animators, highlighting how the visual storytelling of Edo’s greatest artist continues to resonate. Be sure to exit through the gift shop for a look at some 150 pieces of exclusive merch, including collaborations with Peanuts, Chums and Swiss Army knife maker Victorinox.

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.

Kanagawa-born, NYC-based Aki Sasamoto’s decompartmentalised artistic practice explores performance, sculpture, dance, and any other medium conducive to the expression of her ideas. At the intersection of visual and performing arts, her work involves collaborating with musicians, choreographers, scientists and academics, and she often takes on multiple roles: performer and sculptor, but also professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Sculpture at Yale University.

In her work, Sasamoto constantly reflects on the design and configuration of sculptures and devices that she uses as scores during improvised performances within immersive installations. As she describes it, her creative process is akin to fishing: she ‘casts a net and waits for a perfect alignment of events’, letting several elements float before grasping the connections by relating them to seemingly foreign references.

On from August 23 to November 24, ‘Aki Sasamoto’s Life Laboratory’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo explores the interplay between sculptural creation and performance that has characterised the artist’s work for two decades. From landmark early works to more recent creations that emphasise kinetic elements, the exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Sasamoto’s journey and unique approach, where the boundaries between artistic disciplines blur in favour of captivating hybrid expression.

Few artists have touched the soul of modern art as profoundly as Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890). In a mere decade, the Dutchman produced an astonishing body of work, including vivid landscapes, tormented portraits and expressive still lifes, that continues to resonate deeply with audiences worldwide.

Yet Van Gogh’s posthumous fame owes much to those closest to him: his brother Theo, Theo’s wife Johanna, and their son Vincent Willem. Together, they ensured that the painter’s vision and legacy would endure for generations.

The first exhibition in Japan to focus on the Van Gogh family and their collection, ‘Van Gogh’s Home’ at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum features over 30 of its protagonist’s works, from early drawings to late masterpieces, as well as four letters shown on these shores for the first time. The display traces the journey of the collection from the artist’s death to the present day, with highlights including immersive digital experiences and rarely seen works by Van Gogh’s contemporaries.