Things to do in Tokyo this week

Head up to Ibaraki's Hitachi Seaside Park from mid-April to early May and see a whopping 5.3 million 'baby blue eyes' – also known as nemophila – flowers in full bloom. The hilly grounds span 3.5 hectares and are almost completely covered with the little blue blossoms, making for a pretty spectacular sight. The current flowering forecast predicts that the blooms will be at their best between April 16 and 24, but they are still a magnificent sight if you catch them a bit earlier or even right after peak bloom...

While several flower festivals around Japan have been cancelled due to coronavirus, the annual Fuji Shibazakura Festival is still scheduled to run from April 17 to May 30 this year.

With its seemingly endless fields of shibazakura (pink moss) and views 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 strolling around the expansive flower fields, you can try themed foods like a Mt Fuji-shaped hanpen (fish cake), sakura jelly cider and a plethora of sweets made by a hotel patissiere...

The fields of Kurihama Flower Park in Yokosuka are covered in colourful poppies and nemophila blooms from April 10 to May 30. There are about one million poppy flowers here including Iceland poppies, California poppies and shirley poppies that bloom simultaneously starting in early April, covering 18,000sqm of of the park in bright pink, red, orange and yellow...

The immersive digital art at teamLab Borderless in Odaiba is ever-changing as it adapts to how the museum visitors interact with the space. The cutting-edge museum is designed in such a way that no visuals will be repeated in the exact same way.

There’s more: while the artwork shifts continuously with viewer participation, it also changes along with the seasons. Starting March 1, the exhibits at teamLab Borderless will reflect the spring season with a fresh array of flowers and scenery...

Rainy season is approaching, and there are 1,200 colourful umbrellas lining the 200-metre long path in Moominvalley Park, just waiting for you to walk underneath them. The stretch of colourful umbrellas creates stunning light and shadow scenes – perfect for your Instagram feed. Some of the umbrellas even come with different Moomin characters attached. The project is supervised by world-renowned textile designer Masaru Suzuki...

Visit indoor amusement park Joypolis Odaiba to experience the iconic scene of Godzilla attacking Tokyo right before your eyes. This temporary attraction allows you to watch a 3D projection of Godzilla overlayed on a physical 1/150-scale diorama of Tokyo. With the XR Magic Leap 1 headset, you’ll be able to see  Godzilla make his way through the city as he destroys each building...

This first large-scale solo exhibition by art collective Rhizomatiks includes a host of multimedia works that utilise visual design and programming to give a new perfpective on our ever-changing world in an increasingly digitised society. 

Exhibition highlights include creative data visualisations that draw comparisons between contemporary society and art, installations using robots, and interactive works involving machine learning...

This exhibition features both recent works by currently active artists as well as older pieces from the 1995 public art showcase Ripple Across the Water '95. The 1995 exhibition, which was held across 40 different venues, was organised in the wake of the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack to help restore a sense of hope to the city...

Contemporary art museum What hosts its first exhibition since opening in December 2020. It features about 70 artworks on loan from local collectors such as psychiatrist Ryutaro Takahashi who has a selection of pieces surrounding the theme of kakizome (the first calligraphy of the year). Some notable artists include Makoto Aida, Kei Imazu, Kazuki Umezawa and Enrico Isamu...

Make use of the Four Seasons Otemachi’s sky-high terrace for a relaxing afternoon over coffee, tea and beautiful confectionery. Look forward to desserts crafted by Est's pastry chef Michele Abbatemarco, including fresh madeleines hot from the pan, macaroons and sorbet. A highlight of the spread is Chef Michele's merveilleux...

This exhibition introduces the Artizon Museum’s recent acquisitions and consists of a total of 201 artworks, many of which are being exhibited for the first time. The collection covers a broad range of artistic movements, from highly prized abstract works by female artists to Australian Aboriginal art...

Not unlike some Impressionist paintings, the photographs at the Myd Gallery’s latest exhibition are centered on the depiction of light and its varied qualities. The two photographers featured are Kyoto-based Takeshi Sumi and Swiss-born Louise Claire Wagner; they both place light at the core of their latest works using a variety of techniques to capture their subjects and Tokyo’s urban landscapes...

‘Frolicking Animals’ (Choju-giga) is the title of a set of four picture scrolls created sometime between the mid-12th and early 13th centuries. Sometimes referred to as the first-ever work of manga, the scrolls depict anthropomorphic rabbits, frogs and other animals in various scenes, including being involved in Heian-period ceremonies and celebrations. Recently restored to their original glory, all four scrolls are displayed side by side at the Tokyo National Museum throughout summer at this exhibition, which is co-presented by the Japan Cultural Expo...

Dutch artist Mark Manders originally set out to be a writer before he found it was easier and more interesting to convey messages via three-dimensional objects. Taking into consideration the way objects dictate our way of thinking, Manders created a series of sculptures as self portraits frozen in time...

This exhibition commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Piet Mondrian. It features 50 works from the Kunstmuseum Den Haag in the Netherlands, as well as 20 other Mondrian and related works owned by domestic and overseas art museums.

There are works from every stage of his life, following the evolution of his works from figurative to abstract, and to the point where his work was reduced to compositions of simple vertical and horizantal lines...

The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon boasts one of the best views of the city skyline with Tokyo Tower looming large at the front. The hotel's swanky Lobby Bar is the hottest place in the city to catch up over cocktails, but the sky-high venue also offers an afternoon tea set for when you're feeling indulgent. With countless plants filling the space, it's easy to feel like you've been transported to a lush tropical resort as you relax on lavish sofas, cocooned away from other diners (and chatter)...

Add a royal touch to your afternoon tea at The French Kitchen at Grand Hyatt Tokyo. The afternoon tea set features a selection of colourful sweet and savoury items including a couple of desserts said to have been Marie Antoinette's favourites. These desserts include a pink apple pound cake and a decadent chocolate cake made with the essence of rare apples and roses from the King's Kitchen Garden at the Palace of Versailles...

Indulge in a sweet afternoon tea at the stunning sky-high lounge at Four Seasons Otemachi. Celebrating all things spring, this afternoon tea offers a menu of tea-infused sweet and savoury bites such as smoked salmon camembert sandwiches with apple, cucumber and lychee Earl Grey, jasmine tea mousse served with raspberry jelly, and an apricot tart with lavender tea cream...