Things to do in Tokyo this week

One of Tokyo's biggest and best traditional festivals is back this year for three consecutive days. First held back in 1312, the event celebrates the three men who founded Asakusa's Sensoji Temple, and it often draws close to two million visitors. 

The highlight of the festival comes on Sunday May 17, when three enormous mikoshi (portable shrines) are shuttled through the streets of Asakusa. Local residents usually take turns – and often fight each other for the chance – to carry them. Be sure to check the real-time route map (coming soon for 2026) to secure a good vantage point to see the mikoshi parade, which kicks off at 8am and continues on throughout the day until 6.30pm. 

Saturday May 16 will feature the Chonai Mikoshi Rengo Togyo, where 100 or so mikoshi from 44 districts in the area are brought together to be purified at Asakusa Shrine, followed by a procession of priests, musicians and more. The gathering will take place behind Sensoji Temple's main hall from noon. 

While Saturday’s and Sunday's events bring the most visitors, the main procession on Friday May 15 at 1pm may offer a better opportunity to photograph the mikoshi passing through the famous Kaminarimon gate, as there will most likely be smaller crowds.

Do note that a slice of Japan that usually isn't that visible to visitors is in full view here. The festival is partially known (abroad) for the number of yakuza who attend and participate. If you notice a group of very heavily tattooed, often shirtless Japanese men and women, try to not stare or offend them. Be sure to ask politely if you want to take photos. Generally speaking though, they're there to show off their strength – plus their tattoos – and thus seem to like the attention they get.

Kagoshima’s biggest festival, named after a famous folk song from the seaside city in Kyushu, takes over Shibuya with parades, songs and dance performances on May 16 and 17. The main procession takes place between 12noon and 5pm on Sunday May 17, moving along Dogenzaka-dori and Bunkamura-dori streets. Expect to see dancers in colourful yukata and happi (festival jackets) accompanied by traditional drummers.

If the festivities inspire you to take a trip to Kagoshima, make sure to visit the city’s tourist information booth right there and then in front of Uniqlo Shibuya Dogenzaka.

This year, the parade is complemented by a separate Kagoshima Shochu & Music Fest, held concurrently on both days (12noon to 7pm, 6pm on Sun) at the fifth-floor Glade Park event space above the Dogenzaka Uniqlo. Here you can enjoy shochu from 24 distilleries based in Kagoshima, which is widely regarded as Japan’s premier producer of the stuff. Prices start from ¥300 a cup and over 20 brands of shochu on offer, you’re pretty sure to find some that’s to your liking. 

This festival at Yoyogi Park Events Square brings a taste of Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa to Tokyo on May 16 and 17. Okinawan food is a major part of the event and you can feast on the likes of soki soba, taco rice, spam onigiri and Blue Seal ice cream. You'll also be able to sip on Okinawa's Orion beer. 

Take a break from the food to browse plenty of stalls where you can shop for colourful local goods from Okinawa, and get a good feel of Okinawa's unique culture and charm.

There will also be fun activities like photo booths and a kids’ play area with inflatable bouncy houses. You can also catch live music from Okinawan performers including Kiyokazu from J-pop band Mongol800, Okinawan rapper Ritto and more. The full line-up of artists is expected to be announced in early May.

The usually laid-back and refined streets of Kagurazaka are coming alive with music and revelry during this two-day celebration of Japanese traditional arts. The event revolves around the stages at Zenkokuji Temple and Akagi Shrine, but you’ll find entertainment spread out all over the area. You’ll see performances like rakugo, kodan and biwa storytelling, cross-genre collaborations between traditional Japanese and Western musical instruments, Noh theatre performances, and more.

Expect to see shinnai nagashi performers (usually comprising two singers and a shamisen player; Saturday 4.30pm and 7pm, Sunday 1pm and 3pm) strolling the neighbourhood as well as artists performing traditional Japanese storytelling at the Storytellers' theatre featuring ballads known as Gidayu-bushi, Rokuyoku storytelling and storytelling using the biwa lute. (Saturday 1.30pm and 3.30pm, Sunday 12noon and 3pm).

There will also be an area dedicated to family-friendly activities and entertainment, including an Edo-period marionette show, traditional Japanese spinning tops and kendama experiences for children. If you understand Japanese, you can learn more about Kagurazaka's history by participating in the stamp rally walking guide on Sunday.

Check the event website for the full schedule.

Tokyo is indisputably home to some of the world’s most breathtaking architecture, from iconic buildings that define past eras to boundary-pushing creations by today’s starchitects. The third annual Tokyo Architecture Festival, held over a week in May, offers an opportunity to glimpse architectural wonders usually hidden from view and get the lowdown on many other key structures. Seventy buildings will be specially opened to the public (free entry, no reservation required), while experts in the field will lead participants on some 120 guided architectural tours.

Buildings accessible to the public include the Kyu Iwasaki-tei House in Yushima, built in 1896 for the son of the founder of the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi and designed by British architect Josiah Conder. Across the pond in Ueno, Tokyo University of the Arts Red Brick Building No. 1, believed to be the oldest surviving brick building in Tokyo, will open its second floor to visitors, revealing the original roof trusses and scars left by past earthquakes.

The festival’s guided tours explore an assortment of architecturally rich districts, with an emphasis on the urban. Areas covered include Marunouchi, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Roppongi and Ginza, with one of the must-see tours being Mon Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, which opened in March 2026 as part of Takanawa Gateway City. The tour offers a look inside the new cultural hub designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, including its vast 100-tatami room, showcasing an experimental space that blends traditional Japanese spatial design with future-facing creative programmes.

Kyu Furukawa Gardens in Tokyo’s Kita Ward is known for its colourful roses that start to bloom in May, and this festival is your best chance to enjoy them all. The Western-style garden on the upper grounds is adorned with 200 roses of 100 different varieties. In addition to your vivid red and pink blossoms, you’ll get to see pastel-coloured ones including Kinda Blue, Cinderella, Manyo and New Dawn roses, too.

There will also be musical performances held on the lawn on May 23 and June 21 from 12noon and at 3pm.  Expect to also see a market in the garden selling potted roses, rose-inspired gelato and gardening goods from 10am to 4.30pm.

Check the garden's Twitter account for the most up-to-date flowering status.

The Shiki no Kaori Rose Garden, located in the residential neighbourhood of Hikarigaoka, is home to an incredible 342 varieties of roses of various colours and species that bloom year-round. During the annual Spring Rose Garden Festival, the roses bloom especially magnificently with bright colours, using the energy they stored up during the winter dormancy period. To celebrate the garden’s 10th anniversary, expect an expanded line-up of events, including hula dancing (June 6 from 1.30pm), talk shows and a special anniversary photo spot.

The garden is separated into two sections. You can compare the rich scents of the roses at the ‘Fragrant Rose Garden,’ or enjoy the vibrant hues of red and pink roses at the ‘Colourful Rose Garden.’ Take in the beauty of the blooms with an accompaniment of live sax music on May 31, with a free concert at the Colourful Rose Garden from 11am and again at 2pm. Free guided tours of the whole garden are available on May 20, 21 and 23 from 3pm.

The annual Fuji Shibazakura Festival is returning this spring with a staggering 500,000 pink, purple and white blooms from April 11 to May 24. With its seemingly endless fields of shibazakura (pink moss) and view of majestic Mt Fuji on the horizon, it's no wonder that this annual spring festival out at Lake Motosu in Yamanashi typically attracts hordes of Tokyoites over Golden Week. 

In addition to the eight kinds of shibazakura, you’ll get to see other colourful blooms like cherry blossoms, grape hyacinth, poppy anemone, forsythia, primrose and Japanese azalea. While you’re here, it’s also worth checking out the adjacent Peter Rabbit-themed English Garden, decorated with around 300 kinds of plants as well as figurines of the characters from the storybook. 

One of the best ways to get here is by highway bus. A round-trip ticket including festival entry fee starts from ¥9,000, with the bus departing from an area in front of Kogakuin University near Shinjuku Station West exit, or a different route from Shin-Yokohama Station. It takes you directly to the Fuji Shibazakura Festival in around two and a half hours. We recommend making reservations in advance because seats can fill up quickly.

Otherwise, you can opt for the two-hour-long Limited Express Fuji Excursion train from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko Station, and hop on the Fuji Shibazakura liner shuttle bus for another 40 minutes to get to the venue.

Jindai Botanical Garden is one of only ten gardens in Japan that has been given an award of excellence by the World Federation of Rose Societies, and you can see why. It boasts a staggering 5,200 roses of 400 species that bloom in variations of pink, white, red, yellow and orange. You can catch this beautiful sight during the Rose Festival from May 2 to 31 (except Mondays).

There’s plenty to do during the event. Grab a rose ice cream at the Terrace Cafe and stop by the outdoor stalls to shop for rose-themed goods. There’s also an exhibit with rose flower arrangements on display, plus a collection of rose bonsai happening daily from May 12 to May 17.

The garden opens at 9.30am on weekdays, but you can beat the crowds on weekends by arriving at the earlier opening time of 8am.

The garden is closed on May 7, 11, 18 & May 25.

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 May 31 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), sheng jian bao (pan-fried soup dumplings) 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 and Tainan-style vibrant lanterns to give it a Taiwanese night market feel.

Tokyo Tower’s alternative to the usual summer beer gardens kicks off the outdoor drinking season with a double dose of whisky highball festivals. Head to the terrace at the base of the tower for a wide selection of highballs alongside snacks like karaage and grilled bacon.

There’s also a meatier option on the roof of the Tokyo Tower Foot Town, where the Tokyo Tower Rooftop Highball Garden serves all-you-can-eat jingisukan, the Hokkaido-born lamb barbecue named after Mongol warlord Genghis Khan.

Two hours of all-you-can-drink alcohol and limitless jingisukan costs ¥6,300 (teens aged 13-19 ¥4,300, primary school students ¥3,300, children aged 4-6 ¥2,300, all with non-alcoholic drinks, of course).

The Tokyo Tower Ultimate Kaku Highball Garden at the base of the tower is open until October 12, from 4pm-10pm on weekdays and 12noon-10pm on Sat, Sun & holidays.

The Tokyo Tower Rooftop Highball Garden is open until October 18, from 5pm-10pm daily. Make your reservations here.

Touted as Tokyo’s highest beer garden, Mount Takao Beer Garden sits 488m above sea level beside the cable car station, with views stretching across Tokyo and even to Yokohama on clear nights. It’s a popular post-hike stop, offering an all-you-can-eat buffet of Japanese, Chinese and Western dishes, plus 90 minutes of free-flowing beer, wine and cocktails.

To say that this place gets crowded at weekends would be an understatement. The spring edition runs from mid-March to late May, with a chance of extending into summer. One thing to note: the last cable car departs at 6pm (6.30pm on weekends).

Shinjuku welcomes a brand new Korean pub-style beer garden, located on the rooftop of the Lumine Est shopping complex in the heart of the city. You can choose from four meal plans: the Pocha course (¥3,500), which includes yangnyeom chicken and bulgogi kimbap; the Korean Chicken BBQ course (from ¥4,000), offering chicken marinated in sweet and spicy miso sauce as well as salted green onion sauce; the samgyeopsal and beef galbi course (¥5,000), featuring makgeolli-aged samgyeopsal and seafood pancake; and the premium BBQ course (from ¥6,000), which builds on the samgyeopsal set with the addition of wagyu steak. All four courses come with a two-hour all-you-can-drink plan, with the options including fruit-flavoured soju, makgeolli, highballs, and both Korean and Japanese beers, along with unlimited banchan (Korean mini side dishes), French fries and curry.

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, visit here.

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).

Step into a world of vibrant chrysanthemums this spring at this free collaborative exhibition between teamLab and Galaxy. Now in its fifth year, the interactive, immersive space at Galaxy Harajuku uses cutting-edge projection mapping to depict flowers caught in an endless cycle of birth and death. Reach out to touch them and they’ll wither; stand still beside them and they’ll bloom more quickly.

Look down and you’ll see flowing currents of gold beneath your feet – traces shaped by your very presence. The movements of others create their own currents, which intertwine and form swirling vortices. The result is a constantly shifting environment where no two moments are ever the same. The Galaxy store also invites visitors to capture these fleeting scenes using the foldable smartphones available at the venue.

Internationally recognised photographer and film director Mika Ninagawa is hosting a solo exhibition at the homey and intimate DDDArt art gallery in Shimokitazawa this spring. Much smaller in scale than the likes of her recent projects in Kyoto, at Expo 2025 and Tokyo Node, the exhibition takes a step back to revisit Ninagawa’s body of work, from her early career to her latest creations.

Coinciding with the launch of her latest photo book with the same name, the exhibition brings the artist’s worldview to life in a physical space. As if the vibrant pages of the book were superimposed onto reality, the tatami-floored kominka folk house is reborn with shimmering crystal strands, red and pink paint splatters and super-saturated photo prints.

Running until May 31, the exhibit is only a short stroll away from Shimokitazawa, where Ninagawa herself spent over a decade in her formative years. Why not take a detour towards Sangenjaya for a creative journey on your next visit to the area?

Ron Mueck has long been celebrated for redefining figurative sculpture through extraordinary craftsmanship and emotional acuity. After early work in film and advertising, the Australian-born, UK-based artist emerged on the contemporary art scene in the mid-1990s, gaining international attention with Pinocchio (1996) and Dead Dad (1996-97), the latter exhibited in the landmark ‘Sensation’ show at London’s Royal Academy in 1997.

Over the decades, his meticulously crafted human figures, rendered at startlingly altered scales, have probed themes of vulnerability, solitude, resilience and the fragile complexity of existence. With a rare and limited oeuvre of about fifty works, each sculpture distills months or even years of observation and reflection, resulting in pieces that feel at once hyper-real and quietly enigmatic.

From April 29 to September 23, the Mori Art Museum hosts the artist’s first solo exhibition in Japan in eighteen years. Organised in collaboration with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, the exhibition gathers eleven works tracing Mueck’s evolution, including six making their Japanese debut. Its monumental centrepiece is the Japan premiere of Mass (2016-17), an immersive installation of 100 giant skulls reconfigured to reflect the museum’s architecture. Other highlights include Angel (1997), Woman with Shopping (2013) and the iconic In Bed (2005), each inviting viewers into a deeply intimate emotional space.

Complementing the sculptures, photographs and films by Gautier Deblonde offer a glimpse into Mueck’s studio practice, revealing the quiet rigour behind some of contemporary art’s most affecting works.

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.

Brace yourselves – things are about to get intensely kawaii. From April 9 to June 21, the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Roppongi hosts the final and most expansive edition of a pink-hued exhibition that has toured Japan since 2021. Marking more than 60 years since the founding of cute character empire Sanrio, the show returns to Tokyo in an enriched version that looks back not only at the company’s history, but also at the birth and global rise of kawaii as a cultural language.

Before Hello Kitty’s debut in 1974 (!), Sanrio was already exploring new forms of visual softness, warmth and emotional connection. The exhibition traces this formative period, revealing how kawaii emerged as a distinct value through early designs, products and ideas. Subsequent sections delve into the creation of the company’s multifarious characters, the enduring appeal of Kitty-chan and Sanrio’s unique philosophy of growing characters together with their fans. Central to this story is Ichigo Shinbun, the fan mag that fostered a participatory culture long before the age of social media.

The exhibition culminates in a spectacular gathering of characters: over 200 appear on display, the largest number in Sanrio exhibition history, alongside a vast array of nostalgic merchandise. More than a celebration of cuteness, ‘The Beginning of Kawaii’ offers a thoughtful portrait of how Sanrio shaped, and continues to shape, a global cultural phenomenon.

When at the exhibition, be sure to also check out the collab café right next to the museum.

Ueno’s University Art Museum plays host to this landmark celebration of one of Japan’s most enduring art-focused TV programmes. Since its debut in 1976, NHK Sunday Museum (Nichiyo Bijutsukan) has aired more than 2,500 episodes, introducing audiences to masterpieces from across eras and cultures while elevating the voices of cast members, thinkers and performers who reflect on the meaning of beauty. The exhibition, on view from March 28 to June 21, revisits this half-century history through roughly 120 works presented across five thematic chapters.

Visitors will encounter iconic pieces that shaped the programme’s narrative, from prehistoric Jomon pottery and Edo-period (1603–1868) screens to Paul Cézanne’s Bathers, Alberto Giacometti’s Yanaihara I, Taro Okamoto’s Encounter and the haunting visions of Tetsuya Ishida. Archival footage and carefully selected quotes from past broadcasts, including reflections by literary giants, dancers and contemporary creators, illuminate how the show has continued to discover beauty across generations. High-definition projections, including a life-size rendering of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, further expand the experience.

Touching on themes such as rediscovered Japanese aesthetics, the evolution of craft, the relationship between art and disaster and the intimate space of the artist’s studio, the exhibition offers a sweeping meditation on creativity. This anniversary celebration stands as a vivid tribute to a programme that has long served as a bridge between the public and beauty.

This winter, the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo presents a landmark exhibition tracing the evolution of Japan’s landscape printmaking from the twilight of the Edo period (mid-1800s) to the dawn of modernity.

At the heart of the survey stands Kiyochika Kobayashi (1847–1915), often called ‘the last ukiyo-e artist’. Published from 1876, his Tokyo Famous Places series transformed the traditional woodblock print aesthetic by infusing it with Western notions of light and shadow. Through his ‘light ray paintings’, Kiyochika, as he was known, captured the melancholic beauty of a city in transition, the lingering spirit of Edo illuminated by the glow of modernisation.

His vision, steeped in nostalgia yet alive with innovation, profoundly influenced the shin-hanga (‘new prints’) movement that emerged in the early 20th century under artists such as Hiroshi Yoshida and Hasui Kawase. These successors revived ukiyo-e craftsmanship while reimagining Japan’s landscapes for a new era.

Drawn from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, ‘From Kiyochika to Hasui’ reunites these masterpieces with their homeland, illuminating how light, both literal and emotional, guided Japan’s printmaking into the modern age.