Things to do in Tokyo this week

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 from 6pm to 9pm. 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. 

Kachiya Matsuri commemorates the Heian court bureaucrat Fujiwara no Hidesato's prayer for victory, after which he successfully quelled an uprising spearheaded by samurai rebel Taira no Masakado.

The festival dates back to Hidesato's offering of his bow and arrow to the shrine after his victory in battle. In today's modern iteration of the festival, you’ll witness the dedication of a kachiya (victory arrow) and a traditional warrior parade. Here's the samurai procession route on Google Maps, starting at 1pm from Kamede Shrine in Ojima.

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 18 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 6-metre-long 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.

You can catch free movies at Shibuya Stream this spring at the outdoor main staircase and Inaribashi Square from April 28 to May 10. Two to three different films will be screened each day, including the likes of ‘Green Book’, ‘Wicked' (2024), ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home, 'The Intouchables’ and 'Back to the Future'. 

Most movies will be in English with Japanese subtitles, but there will also be a few dubbed in Japanese. Screening times depend on the day, but you can check the schedule on the event website.

The event is free and no tickets are required. However, reservations aren't accepted and space is limited, so we recommend arriving earlier to guarantee a seat.

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 fifth-floor Block 12 event space near Space 634, children can participate in a fun workshop to colour their own koinobori with guidance from carp streamer artisans for ¥500 (April 11-12). Additionally, other activities will also be taking place at venues around Tokyo Skytree Town, including a Taiwanese food festival, a workshop to make full-length embroidered carp streamers at Kyototo, and a carp streamer candy sculpting workshop at the Asakusa Amezaiku Ameshin store.

Head over to Komazawa Olympic Park during Golden Week to spend an entire day sampling some of Japan’s best gyoza. There will be 16 stalls offering more than 30 different styles of this quintessential Japanese dumpling. Enjoy grounded wagyu beef and the meaty keema curry gyoza from Tokyo's Tamagawa Meat, juicy Shinshu wasabi and miso dumplings from Nagano, tangy and succulent lemon gyoza from Kyoto, Hakata-style hitokuchi (bite-size) gyoza 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, Yatsugatake Beer and Kanagawa's Brimmer 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 ¥4,500, which includes five ¥700 meal tickets, five ¥100 tickets, and one fast-pass ticket that lets you skip a queue.

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 three 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 Hong Kong action film 'Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In' featuring Sammo Hung and Louis Koo on May 3, 'The Straight Story' by the late David Lynch on May 5 and an A24 4K restoration of the 1984 concert film 'Stop Making Sense' featuring David Byrne on May 6. All three showings start at 6.40pm (doors open 2pm) 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.

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.

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 blooms are usually at their best from mid- to late April, but they are still a magnificent sight if you catch them a bit earlier or even right after peak bloom. According to this year's forecast, the flowers will be in their full glory between April 16 to 25.

Along with the flowers, the park has gone all-out with blue food and drink for you to enjoy during your visit. Sample blue ramune-soda-flavoured soft cream served with nemophila-shaped cookies, pretty blue iced tea, blue dango skewers, lattes and even a blue-tinged crêpe. While you're at it, pick up a few souvenirs to take home with you including nemophila cotton candy, cookies and jewellery featuring the flower of the season. 

The park is home to various other spring flowers, too, including daffodils and tulips, which also bloom between late March and late April.

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.

Held all across Germany to celebrate the coming of spring, Frühlingsfest is also a familiar feature on Yokohama's Golden Week calendar. This year's edition features taps serving many types of German beer that you can't find anywhere else in Japan, such as Hofbräu's Maibock lager and Krombacher & Plank's pale lager.

Pair your brews with an extensive selection of food, including sausages, schnitzel, roast beef and diced steak with frites. New this year, the festival will also feature an outdoor barbecue area by the seafront, sponsored by outdoor gear brand Coleman. Enjoy a variety of skewered meats, locally sourced seafood and vegetables in an authentic camp-style setting, complete with a campervan, plus a dedicated grill and table for each slot. Reservations and details regarding the menu will be announced on April 10 at 10am on the official website.

There’s plenty to keep kids entertained, with this year’s edition featuring a bungee trampoline, craft workshops, a petting zoo and a laser tag booth. Meanwhile, adults can look forward to live oom-pah music.

Entry to the event is free and you just pay for food and drink as you go.

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.

Tokyo Tower is collaborating with digital art collective Naked Inc for a stunning projection mapping display this spring. This event takes place on the main deck's second floor and features projections of animals like deers, rabbits and giraffes walking among a forest covered in spring wildflowers and cherry blossom trees in vibrant pink. You can also see a Sakura Candle Monument produced by Japanese artist Candle June, which will be lit up in front of the main deck windows.

It starts at 6pm from February 28 to March 22, 6.30pm from March 23 to April 26 and 6.45pm from April 27 to May 6. Tickets cost ¥1,500 (¥1,200 for high school students, ¥900 for children, ¥600 for younger children) and can be purchased online or at the venue.

Catch the sight of cherry blossoms before anywhere else at the 60th floor observatory of Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City this spring. From February 26 to May 10, the relaxing indoor park with artificial turf will be decorated with colourful cherry blossom decorations, including branches from real Somei Yoshino cherry trees nearby. These will be set up mainly around the Tembo no Oka (‘observatory hill’) area.

Since the observatory’s whole hanami experience can be enjoyed indoors, there’s no need to worry about the weather or any irritating pollen flying around. During the event period, the Tembo Park Cafe will be offering a special hanami menu featuring treats such as the Sakura Peach Soda Float and the Haruno-otozure (coming of spring) parfait. You can borrow a picnic blanket at the venue and sit down on the turf with your refreshments. 

If you’re visiting after nightfall, don’t miss the chance to try the glowing Yozakura Soda, which is inspired by illuminated cherry blossoms in the night sky. It’s the perfect complement to the beautifully lit cherry blossom ornaments and eye-catching views of Tokyo. Handheld lanterns are also available to borrow after dusk, further enhancing the atmosphere.

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?

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.