Things to do in Tokyo this week

Showa Kinen Park is the most beautiful in autumn, with the maple and ginkgo trees blushing in fiery red and yellow respectively. The ginkgo trees are the first to turn and you can see two boulevards of the golden yellow trees as soon as you enter the park’s Tachikawa gate. These trees are expected to turn full yellow in mid-November. The momiji and kaede trees, however, present their signature vermillion hues a bit later towards the end of November.

During this season, the park stays open after dark, with special light-ups taking place at the Gingko Tree Avenue (near the futsal and basketball courts) and the traditional Japanese Garden from 4.30pm until 8.30pm.

While you can enjoy the light-ups at Gingko Tree Avenue with just the park's regular admission fee (¥450, free for junior high school students and younger), you need an extra ticket to enter the Japanese Garden (advance ticket online ¥1,200, primary and junior high school students ¥600; same-day tickets sold at Komorebi House close to the Japanese Garden ¥1,300, ¥700).

Tickets to enter the Japanese Garden are now available for purchase online, including park admission and Japanese Garden bundle pass for a discounted price of ¥1,600 (¥600).

Admission into the Japanese Garden is waived on October 30 and 31.

Whenever winter arrives, Tokyoites look forward to snacking on warm yakiimo (roasted sweet potato). Dedicated yakiimo trucks are a common sight on the streets during the cold season, and this year, there will also be a festival dedicated to this comforting snack at the Yakiimo Fes at Nakano's Shiki no Mori Park from October 31 to November 9.

This tummy-warming food fest will be serving up 30 kinds of sweet potato dessert from 14 vendors, including roasted sweet potato drizzled with honey and cheese sauce, sweet potato doughnuts, sweet potato salted butter brûlée and even a sweet potato crepe. If you're looking for something more savoury, try the sweet potato miso soup or even a Lu Rou Fan topped with cuts of roasted sweet potato. Entry is free, but don’t forget to bring your credit card or Suica, as the event is completely cashless.

Ticket bundles, including eight meal tickets worth ¥4,000, can be purchased online via KKday for visitors from outside Japan.

Shinjuku Gyoen is one of the most magnificent parks in Tokyo, and if you need another reason to visit this top attraction, this two-week-long chrysanthemum exhibition is it.

Just as cherry blossom is the representation of spring in Japan, chrysanthemum (or kiku in Japanese) is the symbol of autumn. More importantly, it is the ‘royal flower’ of Japan – the Imperial Seal of Japan is also known as the Chrysanthemum Seal. At Shinjuku Gyoen, this annual exhibition (since 1929) highlights the regal blooms under protective awnings. They are a sight to behold, and perfect for your Instagram, too.

There’s no separate ticket to see this exhibition but you do have to pay the park entrance fee of ¥500 (high school students ¥250, free for younger children).

For more information, check the official English pamphlet.

A total of 325 kinds of roses will be blooming at Shikinokaori Rose Garden in Hikarigaoka from October 11 to November 9. These autumn roses, which thrive from mid-October to mid-November, are known for their long-lasting fragrance and darker colours.

The Shiki no Kaori Rose Garden has a section called the Kaori no Rose Garden, which is dedicated to six varieties of roses, each with its own distinct scent ranging from fruity to spicy. The Shiki no Rose Garden, on the other hand, focuses on producing a wide variety of colours, all concentrated in one area. Don’t forget to seek out the garden’s exclusive Shikinokaori rose – its unusual pink and yellow marble petals have a refreshing black tea fragrance.

On weekends and public holidays, the Autumn Festival will host an outdoor market selling original merch, houseplants, baked goods, honey and jam, aroma products and rose seedlings by botanist Fuminori Nukariya, the man behind the Shikinokaori rose. The second-floor cafe will offer seasonal desserts, including a Halloween pumpkin-flavoured baked doughnut, as well as a rose soft-serve ice cream. These items are available from 10am to 4pm daily.

On October 25 and 26 from 2pm to 3pm, little'uns in costume can join a fun scavenger hunt in the rose garden, searching for hidden ghosts to score some sweet candy prizes. On October 25, don’t miss the chance to snap a photo with Nerima’s adorable mascot, Nerimaru. Then on November 9, head to the Shiki no Rose Garden for a free live concert by Waseda University’s string quartet from 11am and 2pm.

Mt Takao is one of the most picturesque destinations in Tokyo to see autumn leaves. And one of the best ways to do that is by taking the scenic cable car ride, which brings you closer to the mountain’s Yakuoin temple. Here you can sample shojin ryori, a traditional Japanese Buddhist vegetarian meal. To secure a lunchtime seat, be sure to book a reservation for two or more people at least two days in advance via phone.

The best time to see the autumn leaves for 2025 is mid to late November, when the foliage around the cable car tracks turns deep orange and red.

Throughout the duration of the festival, you can also look forward to a host of free events at Kiyotaki Station, the cable car stop at the base of Mt Takao, including musical and dance performances by local university students. While details are yet to be announced for 2025, check the event's English website for the latest updates.

As is the case every year, the base of Mt Takao will be crowded in autumn, so it’s best to arrive via public transport.

Everyone loves Chiikawa right now. Get your fill of the mischievous characters created by Japanese illustrator Nagano in Shibuya, where the franchise’s official ramen shop returns for a limited time. Located on the basement floor of Shibuya Parco, it deals in ramen of the pork variety, hence the buta (pig) in the name. The ramen is served in three sizes: Chiikawa (mini), Hachiware (small) and Usagi (large). Each bowl will come with a novelty sticker, featuring either Chiikawa, Hachiware or Usagi depending on the bowl you ordered.

As for drinks, the Shisa Mandarin Soda is a must-try, named after the hard-working lion dog and ramen shop assistant in the Chiikawa universe. Each drink comes with a novelty character card, which you can draw at random from a selection of 10 characters.

Visitors who grab a bite of the ramen are also allowed exclusive access to the adjacent merch shop, complete with limited-edition goods – think T-shirts, ramen bowls, beer jugs and towels featuring the adorable Chiikawa.

The Tokyo Biennale returns with an invitation to explore the city through the theme ‘Wander for Wonder’. From October 17 to December 14, the international art festival transforms the capital into a living gallery, bringing together 38 artist groups from seven countries in a city-wide celebration of walking, discovery and creativity.

Taking place across two main venues – Ueno’s 400-year-old Kan’eiji Temple and the Etoile Kaito Living Building – alongside six exhibition areas including Ueno, Kanda, Nihonbashi and Marunouchi, the Biennale blends contemporary art with Tokyo’s deep cultural layers. Installations emerge at temples, across public spaces, in shops and vacant properties, creating a unique urban tapestry of expression and memory.

Curated to be a ‘social dive’, the Biennale encourages visitors to encounter art through movement, echoing the artistic legacies of walking-based practices by figures such as Yoko Ono and Gabriel Orozco. As people stroll through neighbourhoods and engage with their surroundings, each step becomes part of a creative process.

Tokyo Biennale 2025 looks set to be a journey of serendipitous encounters, offering a fresh lens on the city’s untold stories and its vibrant potential for connection through art.

Many of the exhibitions and events at the Tokyo Biennale are free. However, select exhibitions charge entrance fees. For those seeking a comprehensive experience, all-access passes are available for ¥3,000 per adult (or ¥2,500 if purchased in advance) and ¥1,800 for students (advance passes ¥1,500). These passes grant unlimited access to all venues during the festival period.

For a detailed program and more information, visit the Tokyo Biennale’s website.

One of Japan’s premier design and art festivals is returning to Tokyo this autumn from October 31 to November 9, taking over an array of trendy neighbourhoods including Omotesando, Gaienmae, Harajuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Ginza and the Tokyo station area. The festival brings together a diverse group of creators from around the world, who present works that transcend the boundaries between genres such as art, architecture, interior design, fashion and food.

One standout event is the Designart Gallery exhibition at Media Department Tokyo, a cultural hub located in the heart of Shibuya. An information centre will also be open during the event's duration. The exhibition spans three floors and is accompanied by a massive outdoor advertisement space exceeding 450 square metres, which is sure to leave a strong impression on anyone walking by.

Also, don’t miss the exhibition of fresh works from up-and-coming creators. The ‘Under 30’ program, which supports young artists, will showcase five groups selected from Japan and abroad. Among them is Yuki Kanamori, a Tokyo-based designer, who will unveil an installation inspired by overlooked moments and motifs in urban Japanese landscapes.

With this year’s theme being ‘Brave – Pursuit of Instinctive Beauty’, the festival invites visitors to explore what beauty really means through bold and personal works by each artist. With exhibitions dotted throughout the city, Designart Tokyo is the perfect excuse to have an artistic adventure through Tokyo’s most creative districts.

Check the event website for more details.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo celebrates its 30th birthday by gathering together over 30 artists and collectives from diverse generations and geographies to reflect on how contemporary art can illuminate the hidden structures of daily life while opening new possibilities for collective imagination.

Foregrounding domestic, institutional and urban contexts from households shaped by gender norms to the contested spaces of Okinawa and Mumbai, ‘Choreographies of Everyday’ investigates how subjectivity is formed, constrained and transformed. Newly commissioned works developed through research in Tokyo will join pieces by artists including Satoru Aoyama, Jonathas de Andrade, Mako Idemitsu, Shilpa Gupta and the Rice Brewing Sisters Club. Together, these works confront systemic violence and oppression while highlighting acts of resistance, creativity and humour that endure in the everyday.

The exhibition’s title signals both mechanisms of social control and the agency to subvert or transcend them. In that spirit, the show unfolds as a dynamic platform, enriched by performances, talks and workshops throughout its duration.

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 Musashino Art University Museum & Library, the Arbre Blanc in Montpellier, France, the House of Music in Budapest, and – yes – the Expo site on Osaka’s Yumeshima.

Creator of the iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa – and more than 30,000 other works across a remarkable 90-year life – Katsushika Hokusai was known for his restless spirit (he moved 93 times) and ever-evolving identity (he used more than 30 artist names). And by the way, the ukiyo-e impresario’s prolific genius also laid the foundation for what we now recognise as manga and anime.

This autumn, ‘Hokusai’ at Creative Museum Tokyo offers an immersive journey into the artist’s seemingly boundless world. With over 300 pieces on display, including the complete Hokusai Manga (from the world-famous Uragami Collection), all three volumes of One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji, and a set of 16 newly discovered hand-painted works from his final years, the show promises unprecedented depth.

And as we’ve come to expect from this venue, the artworks on display will be accompanied by some certifiably contemporary exhibits. These include animated adaptations of Hokusai prints by top Japanese animators, highlighting how the visual storytelling of Edo’s greatest artist continues to resonate. Be sure to exit through the gift shop for a look at some 150 pieces of exclusive merch, including collaborations with Peanuts, Chums and Swiss Army knife maker Victorinox.

Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa has long been recognised as one of contemporary cinema’s most uncompromising and visionary voices. Emerging in the 1980s, Costa quickly established a distinctive style defined by stark contrasts of light and shadow, rigorously composed frames, and an unflinching gaze at the margins of society.

His films, such as In Vanda’s Room (2000), which captured the daily struggles of Cape Verdean immigrants in Lisbon’s Fontainhas district, marry documentary intensity with painterly precision. Acclaimed internationally, Costa’s work has extended beyond the cinema screen to major exhibitions, including ‘Company’ (Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, 2018) and ‘The Song of Pedro Costa’ (Spain, 2022-23).

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum presents Costa’s ‘Innervisions’ until December 7. Inspired by Stevie Wonder’s 1973 album of the same name, which profoundly influenced Costa’s youth, the exhibition reflects on the interplay between individual lives and wider social realities. The show introduces characters that play vital roles in the artist’s oeuvre, alongside the environments they inhabit, situating Costa’s cinema within its broader sociohistorical context.

Complementing the exhibition, the museum will host Carte Blanche, a film series curated by Costa, together with screenings of his own seminal works. Offering rare insight into the filmmaker’s creative universe, ‘Innervisions’ invites audiences to rediscover the power of cinema as both art and social critique.

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.

Anime fans are in for a thrilling mission this autumn as Spy x Family takes over Anime Tokyo Station until November 9. Celebrating the global phenomenon that has captivated audiences with its blend of action, comedy and heart, the exhibition offers an immersive journey into the lives of the Forgers (Loid, Yor and Anya) and their unforgettable escapades.

Visitors can relive iconic scenes from the hit series through scene panels and dynamic displays. Life-size character panels and themed photo spots invite guests to step directly into the world of Spy x Family, making the exhibition a must for fans eager to snap shots with their favourite characters.

A standout feature is the interactive AR experience, where you can uncover hidden character dialogues as you explore the exhibit space, adding a new layer of depth to the viewing experience.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer to the series, this exhibition should deliver an engaging and stylish encounter with the intersection of espionage, family ties and comedy that Spy x Family so uniquely offers.