Things to do in Tokyo today

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 6.30pm (Apr from 7pm, May-Aug from 7.30pm) to 9.45pm. For more details and to check the full programme of...

Niku Fes is back this Golden Week, bringing one of Tokyo's biggest meat festivals to Odaiba. The festival is being upgraded this year with more seats than ever before, plus plenty of live music as well as an extensive line-up of meat dishes. You can feast on meaty delights such as A5-ranked steak, wagyu sushi, slow-roasted beef, beefy cheeseburgers and kebabs from around two dozen restaurants across Japan. Make sure to also try dishes from one of the eleven restaurants participating in the Steak King Championship. These restaurants are serving up their own unique takes on the classic steak, and it’s up to you to crown the winner. As for the drinks, there will be craft beer from Abashiri Beer in Hokkaido and refreshing Mexican Cuervo lemon sours to accompany your meal. You can enjoy desserts, too, including churros, gelato and kakigori shaved ice.  While there are plenty of benches to sit on, including a family area which is available after buying 10 meal tickets, purchasing the VIP experience gets you a dining space for four people. This deal features table service in a comfortable, shaded seating area. You can reserve it in advance on the website for ¥9,800.  On April 28, 30, May 1 and 2, the entire facility will transform into a beer garden from 4pm to 9pm, when all beers will be ¥500. The first 500 people to enter from 4pm will receive free Niku Fes official goods.  Need a break from all the eating? Head over to the stage area for live music during the day. Headliners...

This spring and summer, Japan’s ancient aesthetic heritage meets the cutting edge of animation. On at the Tokyo National Museum from March 25 to August 3, ‘Immersive Theater on Neo-Japonism: From Ancient Art to Anime’ is an ambitious 24-minute visual experience that journeys through 10,000 years of Japanese creativity. Projected across four massive walls fitted with towering 7-metre screens, the ultra-HD installation explores the evolution of Japanese artistic expression from the clay figures of the prehistoric Jomon period to the ink paintings of the Edo period (1603–1867), culminating in the vibrant dynamism of contemporary anime. Brought to life by the innovative minds at digital art outfits Panoramatiks and Cekai, the experience highlights how Japan’s animist worldview and refined sense of space continue to influence global pop culture. The exhibition draws poignant connections between ancient scrolls, classical motifs, and works by anime legends like Osamu Tezuka, Isao Takahata and Mamoru Hosoda, serving up a distinctive blend of history, art and imagination.

The Kurayami Matsuri, or ‘darkness festival’, is a week-long event at the Okunitama Shrine out in Fuchu. The festivities take place throughout Golden Week, with float parades, performances and lots of family-friendly fun. We recommend visiting on the evening of May 5, when eight mikoshi (portable shrines) are carried through the shrine grounds to the beat of huge taiko drums. Don’t miss the spectacular yabusame (horseback archery) demonstration at 10.30pm on the same day. Check the full programme details (in Japanese) on their website. 

Head over to Komazawa Olympic Park during Golden Week to spend an entire day sampling some of Japan’s best gyoza. There will be 17 stalls offering more than 30 different styles of this quintessential Japanese dumpling. Enjoy deep fried shoyu butter corn gyoza from Hokkaido, juicy seafood squid dumplings from Fukuoka, baked xiaolongbao-style gyoza from Osaka, Hakata-style hitokuchi (bite-size) gyoza, strawberry milk cheese dessert gyoza from Tokyo, and much more. There will also be other dishes like fried rice to go with the gyoza, as well as craft beers from Hokkaido Brewing, Fujizakura Heights Beer and Fuji Premium Brewing. There’s no entry fee, so you can just pay as you go. If you want to forgo the hassle of paying at each store, there is a package deal sold online for ¥4,000, which includes five meal tickets and a fast ticket to skip one queue.

Yokohama's Minatomirai area will be transformed into a Star Wars galaxy over Golden Week to celebrate Star Wars Day on May 4. For fans of the iconic space saga, May 4 is known as Star Wars Day, as the iconic line ‘May the force be with you’ cheekily sounds a lot like ‘May the 4th be with you’.  Celebrations include a host of events and exhibitions that will take place across Minatomirai, at venues such as Landmark Plaza, Mark Is Minato Mirai, Yokohama City Hall, Grand Mall Park and around Sakuragicho Station. At Landmark Plaza, you’ll find an exhibition featuring images of famous scenes from the movies showcased along with music. The plaza will also host a Yoda statue on the third floor as well as posters for all the movies. There'll also be a Star Wars Pop-up Store where you can pick up merch like T-shirts, tote bags, figurines and smartphone accessories. A special screening of all nine Star Wars movies will be held at the new United Cinemas theatre in Mark Is Minato Mirai from April 25 to May 6. The movies will be in English with Japanese subtitles. Additionally, don't miss the 3D lifesize Lego models of spacecraft like the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and the iconic speeder bike, shown at the Mark Is Minato Mirai Grand Galleria. At the adjacent Grand Mall Park, there will be a character meet and greet, where you can take memorable photos with costumed fans dressed as popular Star Wars characters, as well as live performances of Star Wars-themed songs from May 3 to...

This Golden Week, an outdoor cinema festival is taking place at six different locations around Yokohama’s seaside neighbourhood of Minato-Mirai. You’ll be able to catch both Japanese and international movies at the various venues across the holidays from May 2 to May 6. While most films are dubbed in Japanese, there are four movies that will be screened in English with Japanese subtitles. All of the English-language movies are being screened at the Marine & Walk Yokohama. You can catch the Korean romantic drama 'Past Lives' featuring Greta Lee on May 3, French-Japanese comedy drama 'Super Happy Forever' on May 4, Spanish-French animated film 'Robot Dreams' on May 5 and the 2024 Japanese action comedy film 'Baby Assassins: Nice Days' on May 6. All three showings start at 6.40pm and no ticket is required – just show up and enjoy the film.  You can also catch movies at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Pacifico Yokohama, Bay Quarter and World Porters. A live broadcast talk show will also be taking place at Yokohama Hammerhead. For more information about the screenings, check the website.

One of Tokyo’s largest koinobori festivals takes place at the foot of Tokyo Skytree, with 1,000 carp streamers fluttering in the air. The traditional koinobori carp streamers are put up to celebrate Children’s Day, which happens every May 5 during Golden Week.  If you visit the Postal Museum on the ninth floor, you can participate in a fun workshop to make your own koinobori from used stamps for ¥300 (¥150 for high school students and under) until May 5. Additionally, other activities will also be taking place at venues around Tokyo Skytree Town including a fake food workshop at Ganso Shokuhin, a workshop to make hand-painted carp streamers at the Tokyo Solamachi East Yard, and a carp streamer candy sculpting workshop at the Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin store.

If you’re craving some Taiwanese food this spring, then drop by Tokyo Skytree Town for its Taiwan Festival. Head over to the fourth floor of Sky Arena until June 1 to feast on Taiwanese food throughout the day. Several stalls are offering popular Taiwanese festival cuisine such as lu rou fan (braised pork over rice), cong you bing (scallion pancake) and da ji pai fried chicken. You can also shop for Taiwanese goods and even enjoy massages and fortune telling. The dining area is decorated with red lanterns to give it a Taiwanese night market feel.

The colourful Children’s Day koinobori carp streamers are an annual sight at Tokyo Tower, and this year you can see them at the main entrance from March 25 through Golden Week until May 6. There are 333 streamers set-up here, signifying the 333m height of the iconic tower.  Among the 333 streamers, there's one that's not a carp – see if you can spot the sanma (pacific saury) nobori. This unique inclusion is Tokyo Tower's way of sending hope to the region affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. As this display is held right outside the tower on the ground level, you don't need a ticket to see this joyous sight.