Things to do in Tokyo today

Traditional Japanese erotic art – shunga – flourished during the Edo period (1603–1867), along with the rise of ukiyo-e woodblock printing. Some of the greatest artists of the time, including Kitagawa Utamaro and Katsushika Hokusai, employed ukiyo-e to depict Edo’s hedonistic ‘floating world’ of geisha, kabuki, sumo – and sex. Shunga was in great demand and widely available, despite an official ban, and developed into a highly sophisticated genre in which artists incorporated references to waka poetry and the Chinese classics while tiptoeing around taboos and government censorship. But once Japan opened itself up to the Western world after centuries of isolation, Shunga was deemed ‘obscene’ and purged from the culture – for nearly 150 years, it turned out. Only after several critically acclaimed exhibitions had been held overseas did the first major display of Shunga open on these shores – at the Eisei Bunko Museum in 2013. That landmark show slowly cleared the way for similar exhibitions, and now Tokyo’s getting perhaps the most rousing (sorry) Shunga show to date. From July 26 to September 30, visitors to the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage can rest their eyes on around 100 pieces by the likes of Hokusai, Utamaro and Hishikawa Moronobu. Curated from the collection of Mitsuru Uragami, one of Japan’s foremost Shunga connoisseurs, the exhibition extends throughout the distinctive venue – from the Noh stage itself to the auditorium and dressing rooms. Yasutaka Hayashi from...

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.  Currently, on weeknights, you can catch striking visuals synchronised to ‘Idol’ and 'Butai ni tatte' by hit Japanese pop duo Yoasobi as well as ‘Pac-Man eats Tokyo’, ‘Lunar Cycle’, ‘Synergy’, ‘Poetic Structures’ and ‘Golden Fortune’. On weekends, you can look forward to a showcase featuring 'Godzilla: Attack on Tokyo!', the aforementioned ‘Butai ni tatte (Yoasobi)’ as well as ‘Tokyo Concerto’ and ‘TYO337’, a display featuring motifs of traditional Japanese performing arts such as Kabuki paired with electronic beats.  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. Shows take place every night at half-hour intervals from 7.30pm (Sep from 7.30pm, Oct from 6pm, Nov & Dec from 5.30pm) to 9.45pm. For more details and to check the...

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...

Held in the Tokyo Node creative complex on the upper floors of the Toranomon Station Tower, the Design Ah! exhibition by national broadcaster NHK transforms its acclaimed educational TV programme (of the same name) into a vivid hands-on experience. Suitable for visitors of all ages, the exhibition reimagines everyday actions like walking or eating through a design lens, fostering curiosity, creative thinking, and a sharper awareness of the world around us. While you’re there, don’t miss the chance to try out the interactive gesture screen, where visitors are invited to use gestures to interact with subjects in a video in an immersive and responsive way. With immersive 360-degree audiovisual installations, visual puzzles and interactive zones, the show offers a playful yet thought-provoking way to explore how design influences daily life.

Tokyo Midtown Yaesu is hosting a summer soirée at its first-floor outdoor plaza in front of Tokyo Station, featuring matsuri-themed festivities and free live performances from August 29 to September 7. This summer’s lineup features two to three acts per day, spanning a wide range of genres, including acts by Japanese hip-hop trio Dos Monos, Arisa Ushimaru from J-rock band yonige, DJ and singer Yonyon, chef DJ troupe Ginza Takeuchi, and many more. Expanded for 2025, the stage lineup also features daily weekday DJ sessions. Head to Tokyo Midtown Yaesu’s lantern-lit first-floor Galleria Plaza for summer bites and drinks – think fresh fruit sours, spicy mackerel sandwiches and piping-hot Hokkaido fries. On weekend evenings, the atrium next to the Galleria Plaza transforms into Yoimachi Shoten, a night market with Japanese crafts, from traditional fans and Arita pottery to tenugui hand towels, accessories, and other Japanese sundries. You can also take part in the Yaesu Lantern Walk, where visitors can stroll around the Tokyo Station’s Yaesu Exit with lanterns in hand. Opening night kicks off with the Yaesu Lantern Procession as local children light up the streets in a glowing parade. Lanterns are available to borrow from special counters at both Tokyo Midtown Yaesu and Tokyo Station’s Granroof. Check the event website for the most up-to-date performance line-up. Closed Sep 4.

The Roppongi Museum invites visitors to step into a parallel past this summer with the chilling and poetic ‘1999: Memories of a Day that Doesn’t Exist’, which runs from July 11 to September 27. Inspired by the apocalyptic prophecy of Nostradamus, who famously predicted the world’s end in July 1999, the exhibition explores a question both eerie and alluring: what if it really happened? Brought to life by the newly formed horror creators’ unit Bermuda 3 – novelist Sesuji, Siren screenwriter Naoko Sato and rising director Masaki Nishiyama – the exhibition offers a sensory narrative that blurs the boundaries between memory and imagination, and reality and fiction. Guests are led by a mysterious ‘End-Time Girl’ through immersive environments and surreal soundscapes into a world suspended in time: a forgotten room in 1999, phantom voices from a vanishing landscape, and visions from a train window that never existed. Illustrated by animator and illustrator Mai Yoneyama, the exhibition culminates in a limited-edition short story written by Sesuji, gifted to those who experience the ‘end’. At once unsettling and strangely beautiful, this otherworldly journey dares visitors to remember what never happened, and discover who they might have been.

The whimsical world of Moomin returns to Tokyo this summer with ‘Tove Jansson and the Moomins’, opening at the Mori Arts Center Gallery from July 16 to September 17. Held in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the first Moomin novel, the exhibition offers an opportunity to explore the artistic universe of Tove Jansson, the Finnish creator behind one of the world’s most beloved literary families. Organised in cooperation with the Helsinki Art Museum, the exhibition brings together approximately 300 items that trace Jansson’s multifaceted career. From early, surrealist-inspired oil paintings and satirical cartoons from the pre- and post-war periods to original illustrations and sketches for the Moomin books and comics, the show reveals the depth and diversity of her creative legacy. Personal items and lesser-known works, many being shown in Japan for the first time, provide further insight into Jansson’s imaginative world. Visitors will also be treated to immersive installations that bring the Moomin Valley to life, inviting both long-time fans and new visitors to step into the poetic and philosophical realm of the Moomins – a world shaped by Tove Jansson’s personal values, humour and enduring artistry.

Head to the Tokyo National Museum’s Heiseikan this summer for a sweeping exploration of the secretive inner chambers of the Tokugawa shogunate. On show from July 19 to September 21, ‘Ooku: Women of Power in Edo Castle’ takes viewers into the secluded quarters that housed the wives, concubines and ladies-in-waiting of the shoguns – women who navigated a world of rigid hierarchy, political intrigue and quiet resilience behind locked doors and copper-clad walls. Though immortalised in popular culture through kabuki, television dramas and manga, the real ooku was far more nuanced than fiction suggests. The exhibition sheds new light on reality through approximately 180 rarely seen artefacts, including historical documents, architectural diagrams, exquisite kimonos, personal effects and intricate ceremonial textiles. Highlights include 31 embroidered cloths (kakefukusa), which were placed upon important gifts exchanged in the palace, from the Genroku era (1688–1704); elegant garments worn by women from samurai families; and the complete Chiyoda no Ooku (1894–1896) series of ukiyo-e prints by Toyohara Chikanobu, which depict daily life in Edo Castle as imagined by the artist some 30 years after the fall of the shogunate. Visitors can also view kabuki costumes worn by women actors who performed within the Ooku itself. Highlighting personal stories and treasured objects alike, the exhibition reveals the complexities of life within the shogun’s harem, where power, duty and emotion...

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.