Things to do in Tokyo today
The day's best things to do in Tokyo, all in one place
Not sure what to do this evening? Well, you're in the right place now: Tokyo always has plenty of stuff going on, from festivals to concerts and art shows, activities and more. Read on for our pick of the best things to do, and if you're planning further ahead, check out our weekly picks.
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David Lynch – From the Fringes of the Mind
Gyre Gallery in Omotesando is hosting this exhibition by David Lynch, one of our era’s most prolific auteur, known for boundary-pushing films such as ‘The Elephant Man’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive’. The works on display, curated by Lynch and artist Takayo Iida, include seven paintings, three drawings, 22 photographs and 12 watercolors by Lynch himself. The pieces reflect the dark and bizarre overtones of his 1977 experimental film ‘Erasehead’, now a cult classic. Many of the photographs were shot in the industrial zones of Philadelphia where the movie was filmed.
#008 Sony World Photography Awards
As the largest annual photo competition in the world, Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) receives submissions from both professional and amateur photographers. SWPA 2019 saw enormous interest, with 326,997 photos submitted. Ginza Sony Park is displaying the very best entries to the public with a three-floor exhibition. B1 will introduce the back stories of the exhibited photos with numerous slideshows. B2 will showcase the best shots from both professional and amateur divisions. B3, on the other hand, will feature the best works from the student, Japanese and youth categories.
Bizarre Film Festival Freak and Geek
What is the weirdest movie that you have ever seen? We bet it cannot top the offerings in the Bizarre Film Festival, held at K’s Cinema Shinjuku. For a limited time, the independent theatre is bringing together the weirdest, most bizarre, confusing and mysterious films ever made from around the world. Highlights include ‘Glen or Glenda’ (1953), American director Ed Wood’s semi-autobiographical film on transsexuality and cross-dressing, which is plea for tolerance. The film, though considered one of the worst ever, has achieved cult status for its quirky style and low production value. Also, don’t miss the bizarre sci-fi horror film ‘Bride of the Monster’ (1955) by the same director. Leave behind all your prejudice and bias about what constitutes a good movie, and come enjoy some of the most thought-provoking works in film history.
The 30th Anniversary of the Yokohama Museum of Art
Founded back in 1989, the Yokohama Museum of Art is one of the largest art institutions in the country. The museum possesses more than 12,000 modern and contemporary artworks including paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, drawings, photography, video and crafts. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, it’s presenting over 300 chosen works from its collection. Selected Japanese artists have been invited to create some unique pieces inspired by their encounters with the collection to convey the diverse ways one can view and interact with art.
Video Game Tokyo Pop-Up Store
Fans of video games from the '80s and '90s will love this pop-up store by creative brand Video Game Tokyo. A group of Japanese designers have created their own illustrations of characters and motifs taken from a variety of games, and putting them on clothes and accessories. You can shop for T-shirts with special prints or embroidery as well as caps and bags boasting illustrations of Space Invaders, Pac-Man or The Tower of Druaga.
Short Shorts Film Festival
One of the biggest international short film festivals in Asia returns to Tokyo in June, taking place at Omotesando Hills Space O, Laforet Museum Harajuku and Roppongi Hills Mori Tower throughout the month. More than 9,000 films from over 140 countries competed for entry into the main programme and around 250 shorts will be screened during the festival. Practically all events and viewings are free, and most films are screened either in English or with English subtitles, so there’s no stopping you from taking in the best of mini-movies from all over the world. And if June feels like a long way off, you can stream a bunch of the short films for free right now on the event website.
Tom Sachs Tea Ceremony
NYC-based artist Tom Sachs puts his own twist on the traditional Japanese tea ceremony in this quirky exhibition, which was first displayed in 2016 at the Isamu Noguchi Art Museum in New York. Sachs, who has been active since 1990, uses a unique combination of irony and humour to ridicule capitalist society through his work. His iconic ‘Prada Toilet’ was sculpted using reconstructed Prada boxes, while a fast food value meal was made with Hermes packaging. Sachs’ interpretation of a traditional tea house includes quintessential elements such as a rock garden and koi pond, but his use of everyday modern objects presents a new perspective on what Japanese culture looks like in our ever-globalising world.
The Treasures of Engaku-ji: Art in Kamakura Zen Temples
Kamakura developed its own culture, art and religious practices through centuries of exchange with China, a fact that is often underappreciated in modern Japan concerned with Western imports and indigenous creations. To shed on how Zen, once considered the quintessential Japanese Buddhist sect, is influenced by international exchange, the Mitsui Memorial Museum in Muro-machi, Nihonbashi, is bringing together the best collections from Kamakura’s Engaku-ji Zen temple for a special exhibition. Check out how Zen Buddhism rooted itself in Japan from the 13th century onwards through sculptures, calligraphy and crafts, many of which have been designated as national treasures.
Fermentation Tourism Nippon
Fermentation is a process that is almost indispensable to Japanese food. Sake, miso, soy sauce and natto cannot exist without fermentation. But there are also many other fermentation techniques and practices from around the country that are little known outside their native regions. This exhibition at the d47 Museum attempts to features the various local fermented specialties in a group show. Curated by fermentation experts, the local food found at the exhibition are also available for sale. The adjacent restaurant, on the other hand, will also serve fermented food and sake.
Techno Circus
The golden buzzer act from ‘America’s Got Talent’ season 10 is putting on a circus this season – think Cirque du Soleil but with break-dancing and high-tech projection mapping. The energetic non-verbal performance blends mime, visual effects and a techno soundtrack for a bizarre but weirdly riveting experience. // !function(d,s,id){var Js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://zaiko.io/widgets/all.js.php";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","ZAIKO-jssdk"); // // !function(d,s,id){var Js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://zaiko.io/widgets/all.js.php";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","ZAIKO-jssdk"); // Time Out Tokyo Tickets2019-06-19TECHNO CIRCUS(June 19th 21:00~) @ 新宿角座BUY NOW // !function(d,s,id){var Js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://zaiko.io/widgets/all.js.php";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","ZAIKO-jssdk"); // Time Out Tokyo Tickets2019-06-25TECHNO CIRCUS(June 25th 18:30〜） @ 新宿角座BUY NOW // !function(d,s,id){var Js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://zaiko.io/widgets/all.js.php";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","ZAIKO-jssdk"); // Time Out Tokyo Tickets20
Free things to do in Tokyo today
David Lynch – From the Fringes of the Mind
Gyre Gallery in Omotesando is hosting this exhibition by David Lynch, one of our era’s most prolific auteur, known for boundary-pushing films such as ‘The Elephant Man’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive’. The works on display, curated by Lynch and artist Takayo Iida, include seven paintings, three drawings, 22 photographs and 12 watercolors by Lynch himself. The pieces reflect the dark and bizarre overtones of his 1977 experimental film ‘Erasehead’, now a cult classic. Many of the photographs were shot in the industrial zones of Philadelphia where the movie was filmed.
#008 Sony World Photography Awards
As the largest annual photo competition in the world, Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) receives submissions from both professional and amateur photographers. SWPA 2019 saw enormous interest, with 326,997 photos submitted. Ginza Sony Park is displaying the very best entries to the public with a three-floor exhibition. B1 will introduce the back stories of the exhibited photos with numerous slideshows. B2 will showcase the best shots from both professional and amateur divisions. B3, on the other hand, will feature the best works from the student, Japanese and youth categories.
Fermentation Tourism Nippon
Fermentation is a process that is almost indispensable to Japanese food. Sake, miso, soy sauce and natto cannot exist without fermentation. But there are also many other fermentation techniques and practices from around the country that are little known outside their native regions. This exhibition at the d47 Museum attempts to features the various local fermented specialties in a group show. Curated by fermentation experts, the local food found at the exhibition are also available for sale. The adjacent restaurant, on the other hand, will also serve fermented food and sake.
The Story of Seibei Kajima, the ‘Millionaire Photographer’ in the Meiji Period
First introduced in the early Meiji era, photography, an entirely foreign technology at the time, quickly achieved popularly in a Japan that was opening up to the world. The many Japanese photographers of the time played a pivotal role in popularising the medium. A special exhibition at the Fujifilm Square traces the career of Seibei Kajima, one of those influential Meiji photographers. With 25 original artefacts, including best-known works of Mount Fuji and kabuki drama actors, the exhibition reveals the great achievement of a man nicknamed the ‘Millionaire Photographer’. Talks on traditional photography by curator Naomi Izakura will be held on June 29, July 20 and August 10.