Things to do in Tokyo today

The new Immersive Museum in Tokyo lets you walk into Post-Impressionist paintings The Immersive Museum reopened on July 7 following the success of its inaugural exhibition in 2022, which welcomed over 200,000 visitors for its mesmerising showcase of Monet’s Water Lilies. This time, the exhibition will feature digital renditions of roughly 80 masterpieces from the Post-Impressionist movement.  Post-Impressionism diverged from its predecessor's preoccupation with the natural depiction of light and scenes. This era bore witness to artists such as George Seurat, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin and Vincent Van Gogh, who ventured towards the unexplored realms of emotive colours, distinctive brushwork and symbolic themes. This shift significantly redirected the trajectory of visual art history. Inside the museum, visitors can traverse through the transformative landscapes of these visionaries. Immerse in the pointillist precision of Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte', the revolutionary bridging of Impressionism and Cubism in Cezanne's 'Mont Sainte-Victoire', the rich symbolism and bold hues of Gauguin's 'Vision After the Sermon', and the vibrant empathy and colour of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' in a wholly new way.

The Earth Garden gallery on the ground floor of the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation East Building is currently hosting an exhibition centred on the theme of 'depicting humanity'. This is the second instalment of the SMBC Art HQ initiative, led by the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, which focuses on showcasing portraits. The exhibition is organised into three sections, spanning from the past to the present. Centred around the 'Obayashi Collection' curated by Goro Obayashi, the chairman of the Obayashi Foundation, the show brings together works from 30 contemporary artists including Hiroshi Sugimoto, Cindy Sherman, Ryan Gander and Go Watanabe. On display are paintings and a broad array of pieces including photographs and antiques. Visitors can discover the evolution of human representation and its diverse expressions by tracing both the past and the future.

Step into an enchanted digital forest in this collaborative exhibition between teamLab and Galaxy. Now in its third iteration, the interactive experience is based on the concept of catching different digital creatures to study them before releasing them back into their habitat. As it's a digital art experience, you'll be using an app on the Galaxy smartphone to collect different prehistoric animals in the mystical forest. Be gentle when approaching these critters! If you try to touch them they might run and disappear into the forest. If you're lucky, they might become curious instead and turn towards you. Nevertheless, the exercise here is to point your phone camera at them, release a Study Arrow in their direction, and capture them onto your screen so that you can learn more about their nature. You can also work together with other visitors and shepherd the dinosaurs projected on the floor. This allows you to then deploy the Study Net and capture them into your phone. Once you've done studying them, you can release them back into the space. While the exhibit is free, reservations are required so as to avoid overcrowding the venue. Each session is an hour long, with the exhibition open from 11am until 7pm daily. You can book a timeslot as early as three days in advance via the event website.

This summer, The National Art Center Tokyo will be hosting an exclusive exhibition of about 120 works from the renowned Tate museum in the UK. Featured installations all relate to the theme of light and span 200 years of art history using mediums such as painting, photography, sculpture, drawing and motion picture. Expect works from artists famous for their mastery of depicting light in natural environments, such as John Constable and Claude Monet, as well as those who work with light in a more abstract sense using modern technology. This includes contemporary visionaries like James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson and Yayoi Kusama, who will be presenting one of her iconic infinity rooms, ‘The Passing Winter’.

The exhibition features 130 stunning pieces of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art from the Matsuoka Collection, such as Monet and Renoir. Installations will include Renoir's delicate pastel painting 'Portrait of Lucien Daudet' and Monet's early masterpiece 'Cliffs at Sainte-Adresse'. Additionally, visitors can appreciate works from Post-Impressionist artists like Paul Signac, Henri Martin and Henri-Edmond Cross.  In conjunction with this exhibition, there is also a special focus on antique ceramics in 'Ceramics of the Edo Period: Old Imari'. Here you can explore the permanent collection, which includes ancient Roman sculptures, ancient Egyptian art, and modern sculptures by artists such as Henry Moore.

Tachikawa's Showa Kinen Park has the most impressive fields of cosmos flowers in Tokyo and this is the ideal time to see them all in full bloom. The hilly grasslands of the park are usually draped in colour from mid-September with various types of cosmos flowers, and the multicoloured scenery can be enjoyed well into October. There are four main gardens: The Lemon Bright field, which is covered in vivid yellow sulfur cosmos; Autumn Bouquet Garden, which has a mixture of 20 different cosmos; the Akatsuki and Hinomaru cosmos field; and the Cosmos Sensation filled with lilac blooms. Don't miss the picturesque soap bubble event, where you can see countless small bubbles floating over the flower gardens. This special spectacle happens on October 21 (at 10.30am and 12noon at the Lemon Bright field) and October 22 (at 10.30am and 12noon at the Autumn Bouquet Garden). 

This autumn, The National Art Center in Tokyo is hosting an exclusive retrospective dedicated to the life and work of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Saint Laurent became a pivotal figure in fashion at just 21, leading the House of Dior before establishing his eponymous brand in 1962. Crowned the ‘King of Fashion,’ Saint Laurent revolutionised 20th-century women’s fashion with iconic creations like the 1965 Mondrian dresses and the introduction of safari pantsuits. This retrospective is the first comprehensive showcase of the designer’s work in Japan, offering insight into his 40-year illustrious career and distinctive style through various artefacts and photographs. A collaborative effort with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, the exhibition showcases around 110 pieces of the designer's seminal work, including garments, accessories and sketches.

Among the many Japanese incarnations (perhaps 'interpretations' would be more accurate) of Munich's world-famous beer festival, the Yokohama Oktoberfest has traditionally stuck closest to the schedule of its Teutonic forebear. Yokohama Oktoberfest is Japan's largest beer festival, and you can expect over a dozen stalls offering both German and local brews. On top of the standard pints, some will be offering glasses of wine, highball and cocktails, too. Pair your drinks with platters of sausages and goulash, among other hearty meals. As always, a separate tent will be set up to host live performances and other forms of entertainment. Entry costs ¥500 at the door, or ¥300 if purchased via the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse app. Your first beer will include the cost of a beer glass, which you’ll need to use throughout the day. Once you’re ready to leave, you can return the beer glass to get your deposit back. 

Born in Llanelli, Wales, in 1958, Cerith Wyn Evans pursued his artistic education in London, notably at Saint Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art. Initially known for his involvement in experimental filmmaking and assisting famed director Derek Jarman, Evans transitioned into visual art in the 1990s, yet his cinematic roots left an indelible mark. His oeuvre stands out for its exploration of form, be it through photography, neon-lit texts, sound, or video installations. Often invoking post-symbolist and avant-garde literature, his works serve as enigmatic interplays of light and shadow, fact and fiction.  Evans is celebrated for his nuanced use of light and has carved a niche with his sculptural creations that challenge perceptions, blending the tangible and intangible. His mastery in manipulating neon, sound, photography and glass to shape immersive environments renders a unique sensory experience. With several accolades under his belt, including notable exhibitions at prestigious institutions worldwide, Evans' artworks grace the permanent collections of iconic institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, and of course, the Fondation Louis Vuitton. This Tokyo exhibition, encapsulating works curated before the foundation's opening in 2007, promises an enriching experience of Evans’ unparalleled artistic journey.

If you’re looking to immerse in Japanese culture, visit Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park to partake in a variety of traditional Japanese experiences. This sprawling institution holds a vast collection of Japan’s National Treasures, including the Okyokan, a well-preserved heritage house located on the north side of the museum grounds. This traditional dwelling was built in 1742 and later donated to the museum in 1933. It’s home to reproduced fusuma (vertical panels that act as sliding doors) murals by Maruyama Okyo, a famous Japanese painter during the Edo period (1603-1867). This secluded part of the museum is usually closed to the public, but it’s now open for this special cultural event until January 28 2024. So take this opportunity to see this beautiful traditional Japanese house and participate in the daily workshops. Experiences include how to prepare matcha, how to wear kimono, zen breathing and bonsai growing. While walk-ins are welcome, it’s best to secure a spot in advance via the website.  Okyokan also has a café and it’s open to everyone, even if you’re not here for the workshops. There are soba noodles, inari sushi and miso soup on the menu, along with Ichiro’s Malt Japanese Whisky, Aramasa sake, Choya Umeshu plum wine as well as classic Japanese desserts such as warabi mochi and wagashi. While Okyokan is free to visit, you’ll need a ticket (adults ¥1,000, university students ¥500) to enter the Tokyo National Museum compound.