Things to do in Tokyo today

Martin Margiela is one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in contemporary creative culture. The Belgian rose to prominence with the founding of Maison Martin Margiela in 1988, redefining fashion through deconstruction, anonymity and radical reinterpretation of form. Having left the fashion industry in 2008, Margiela turned fully toward visual art, where he continues to explore themes of the human body, absence, time, transformation, and the poetry of the overlooked Showing from April 11 to April 29, ‘Martin Margiela at Kudan House’ marks the artist’s first large-scale solo exhibition in Japan. Set within a registered cultural property completed in 1927, the exhibition unfolds as a series of ephemeral installations staged throughout the historic residence. Margiela was drawn to the charged contrast between contemporary artworks and the intimate atmosphere of a lived-in architectural space. Collage, painting, drawing, sculpture, assemblage and video coexist across the mansion’s rooms, inviting visitors into a close and contemplative encounter with the works. Reuse, fragmentation and metamorphosis remain central concerns, as everyday materials are subtly transformed into poetic propositions. Conceived and curated entirely by the artist, the exhibition reflects Margiela’s enduring desire not to provide answers, but to pose questions, with disarming intimacy.

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.  Currently, on weeknights, you can catch striking visuals synchronised to ‘800’ and 'Zankyosanka' by hit Japanese pop singer and lyricist Aimer as well as ‘Pac-Man eats Tokyo’, ‘Lunar Cycle’, ‘Synergy’, ‘Tokyo Resonance’ and ‘Evolution’. On weekends, you can look forward to the aforementioned ‘Zankyosanka (Aimer)’, as well as ‘Godzilla: Attack on Tokyo’ and ‘TYO337’, a display featuring motifs of traditional Japanese performing arts such as Kabuki paired with electronic beats.  From March 20, Pokémon Trading Card Game ‘Tokyo Luminous Night’, a brand-new projection-mapping show featuring Pokémon cards on a massive scale, has been running on weekends and holidays from 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 9pm. Be sure to check the event website for more details. Shows take place every night at fifteen-minute intervals from 6pm (Mar from 6.30pm, 7pm from Apr, 7.30pm from May to Aug) to 9.45pm. For more details and to check the full programme of daily projection mapping shows,...

This expansive exhibition is the largest in the Doraemon franchise’s 56-year history, bringing together manga panels, animation, sculptures, limited-edition merch and a themed food menu all starring the world’s favourite blue robot cat and his friends. It launched in Hong Kong in July 2024, attracting over five million visitors during its month-long run. Since then, it has continued to captivate fans across Asia, making its way through several cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Bangkok, and Kaohsiung in Taiwan.The exhibition space contains over 100 distinct Doraemon figures, each with its own expression and costume. In addition to showcasing the content from the previous cities, the Tokyo exhibition also features Japan-exclusive works. Here you can see Doraemon transformed into a shiba inu, a sumo wrestler and a few other forms inspired by Japanese culture, as well as view two original animations not seen elsewhere.‘100% Doraemon & Friends’ runs until September 30 and is open from 10am to 6pm daily (last entry 5.30pm). Tickets start from ¥2,400 for adults, ¥1,800 for primary and secondary school students and ¥1,600 for children four years old and below – purchase yours here. As an added bonus, upon arrival exhibition visitors receive one of nine Doraemon-themed acrylic pins and one of four promotional cards (both chosen at random).

As the temperature rises and the trees start to green, it’s only natural to gravitate towards quenching your thirst with craft beer. In good news for Tokyo brewheads, the inaugural Tokyo Craft Beer Week is set to take place at Yoyogi Park’s Be Stage for 10 consecutive days from April 20 to April 29. The event is expected to be a massive one, with 150-odd beer pubs and bars from the Tokyo area participating. What’s more, be sure to visit on April 25 or 26 to try out some cross-cultural collaboration beers between Japan and South Korea. On those two days, expect to see familiar Japanese brewers like Vertere, West Coast Brewing and Kyoto Brewing pull out only-here beers created together with South Korean brewers and brewpubs. Accompany your pint with eats from food stalls selling Korean festival grub, and settle in for one of the live performances taking place at the venue. While the regular pints from local brewpubs can be purchased directly on site, the special collaboration beers on April 25 and 26 are available by reservation only due to limited supply; book yours now via Peatix.

For 11 months of every year, Nezu Shrine doesn't attract all that much attention from the outside world. Then spring rolls around, and its remarkable crop of azaleas bursts into bloom. The shrine precincts are home to some 3,000 azalea plants – roughly 100 varieties in total, including rare breeds such as the black karafune flower – and has to find space for at least as many flower aficionados during the month-long Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri.  Another highlight of Nezu Shrine is its red torii gate tunnel, similar to the ones at Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine but on a much smaller scale. For the latest flowering status, visit Nezu Shrine's Instagram. While entry to the shrine is free, access to the azalea garden requires a donation of ¥500 to ¥1,000, depending on the flowering conditions.

Flower and Light Movement is an initiative by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government aimed at creating new and attractive – and eye-catchingly large – flowerbeds in city parks. The project is returning to Toneri Park in Adachi from April 10 to April 26 for a spectacular display of illuminated baby blue eyes (nemophilia). Both this vast field and the park’s two fountains will be illuminated from 6pm to 8pm (until 8.30pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). With several photo spots on site, be sure to bring a camera for that perfect Instagram photo-op.

Tokyo’s Kameido Tenjin Shrine is famous for its wisteria flowers, and with good reason – the shrine has over 50 wisteria trees, which usually reach their flowering peak between mid-April and early May.  This annual festival features a handful of food stalls and an evening wisteria light up (from sundown to 9pm). The purple blooms also look quite stunning during the day, when you can get a spectacular view of Tokyo Skytree in the background. The shrine is in the shitamachi (old downtown) part of Tokyo, so while you’re there, make sure to take a stroll around the area to explore the old-fashioned local shops and eateries. To check the current flowering status, visit the shrine's Instagram.

The 7,800sqm azalea garden at Jindai Botanical Garden has around 12,000 flowers that reach peak bloom from mid-April through to the beginning of May. You can see around 270 kinds of azalea that cover the entire field in shades of pink, red and white. There’s also a viewing platform from where you can get a 360-degree view of the azalea garden.

Having spent over four decades redefining the relationship between art, technology and desire, Hajime Sorayama is one of Japan’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Noted for his iconic Sexy Robot series and his pioneering fusion of human sensuality and mechanical precision, Sorayama’s work has influenced generations of creators across art, design and popular culture – from RoboCop to Dior. His visionary approach, uniting the sensual with the synthetic, has earned him international acclaim and a lasting place in the subcultural art canon. Opening this spring at the Creative Museum Tokyo, ‘Sorayama: Light, Reflection, Transparency -Tokyo-’ marks the artist’s largest retrospective in Japan to date, following its acclaimed debut in Shanghai. The exhibition traces Sorayama’s artistic evolution from his first robot painting in 1978 to his latest digital and sculptural works. Visitors will encounter highlights such as the original Aibo robot design for Sony, the artwork for Aerosmith’s Just Push Play album, and an immersive installation that embodies Sorayama’s lifelong pursuit of capturing light, air and reflections. By blending futuristic imagination with classical mastery, Sorayama invites viewers to contemplate a world where human emotion and machine form merge in radiant harmony.

The Tokyo Station Gallery presents the first major exhibition in Japan to feature the works of Swiss artist Karl Walser (1877–1943), who built a multifaceted career that spanned painting, illustration, book design and stage production. Bringing together approximately 150 pieces, many shown for the first time, the retrospective is especially notable for its focus on the time Walser spent in Japan. Closely associated with the Modernist Berlin Secession movement, Walser’s art blends the somber tonalities of fin-de-siècle aesthetics with refined, luminous colour, producing images marked by an enduring sense of mystery. Long overshadowed by his younger brother, the writer Robert Walser, his oeuvre is now receiving renewed scholarly and public attention. The exhibition traces Walser’s evolution from his early Symbolist-inflected paintings and Jugendstil-inspired drawings to his prolific output as an illustrator and designer for major literary figures. But its most compelling part highlights the artist’s 1908 journey to Japan, undertaken during a period of personal crisis. Travelling through Tokyo, Kyoto and Miyazu, Walser produced a remarkable body of watercolours and sketches depicting festivals, landscapes and everyday scenes. Rarely exhibited, these works stand out for their vivid chromatic sensitivity and documentary value. Further sections explore his collaborations in theatre and mural painting, revealing an artist whose practice consistently bridged visual art, literature...