Things to do in Tokyo this week

Known as one of the three great festivals of Edo (along with the Sanno and Kanda festivals), the matsuri at Fukagawa’s Tomioka Hachimangu shrine takes place annually, but is celebrated in its full glory only once every three years.

The festival, which boasts 380 years of history, is well known for its unique water-splashing tradition. People enthusiastically throw water at the mikoshi (portable shrines) as an act of purification, drenching everyone in the vicinity, thus creating a playful and cooling experience, especially in the summer heat.

As the full version of the festival was last celebrated in 2023, this year you can expect a scaled-down – but still impressive nonetheless – version of the festivities. The main event, which is a mikoshi parade featuring Japan's heaviest mikoshi at two tonnes, will be held on Sunday August 17 from 7am to 5.05pm. Note that there will be no water splashing this year.

The festivities in the shrine grounds begin on August 13 and continue until August 17, with notable highlights including a jazz performance on August 13 (3pm) and the koto and shamisen performance on August 15 (4pm). 

For more information including the festival schedule, check the shrine website.

Yukata-clad spectators crowd the streets of Harajuku and Aoyama during the mesmerising Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival, a display that ranks as one of Tokyo's top summer festivals. Now in its 44th year, this edition of the event will boast 10,000 fireworks.

The cluster of sports stadiums to the south of Sendagaya Station offers the best vantage points, with paid seating available at Meiji Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. Ticket prices start from ¥7,000 for single seats at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium – more details here.

Alternatively, just wander around the surrounding area until you find somewhere you can see the action for free. The fireworks display lasts for one hour from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

In case of stormy weather, the festival will be postponed to August 17.

What this music festival lacks in terms of a picturesque setting, it more than makes up for in convenience. While other festivals boast views of rolling hills or stunning lakes, Summer Sonic has easy access from the city, an abundance of clean toilets and a cracking lineup – sometimes that’s all you need.

This year's Summer Sonic is returning with an impressive lineup of international and local artists on the weekend of August 16 and 17. Fall Out Boy and Official Hige Dandism will headline in Tokyo, with performances also confirmed from American singer-songwriter Camila Cabello, K-pop girl group Aespa, Colombian reggaeton singer J Balvin, American DJ and record producer Porter Robinson, Babymetal and more.

As of mid-July, two-day have sold out but one-day passes (¥20,000 per person) are still available online.

First held at the 1946 'Festival of Recovery' when much of Tokyo was still in ruins, the mesmerising Toro Nagashi lantern light-up was revived in 2005 after a 40-year hiatus. Rooted in the tradition that floating lanterns guide the spirits of the departed safely back to the afterlife after obon, the event is now held annually on the Asakusa side of Sumida Park, near Azumabashi Bridge and the Tokyo Cruise Asakusa Pier. You can light a lantern for ¥2,000, but enjoying the magnificent view of glittering fires on the Sumida River on a cool summer night is completely free.

Lanterns are sold in advance at the nearby Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, at a discounted price of ¥1,700 until Aug 15.

The National Stadium’s swanky next-door park is hosting a summer beer garden and outdoor cinema festival this month from August 1 to August 31. During the event period, expect to see the park transformed with tables and tents for a full beer garden get-up. Hosted by Corona, the beer garden is called Corona Cero Lounge and will have the usual Corona favourites such as Corona Extra (¥750), as well as the brand’s new non-alcoholic offering, Corona Cero (¥600), and inventive Corona-infused cocktails.

While you’re there, don’t miss the free outdoor film screenings happening on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The cinema line-up consists of Academy Award-winning titles such as Green Book and Top Gun: Maverick, as well as family favourites such as Paddington, School of Rock, The Minions and more. Note that all screenings are Japanese-dubbed versions of the films.

While entry to the festival is free, a special reservation is required to enter on August 16, when the nearby Jingu Stadium is hosting the Jingu Gaien Fireworks Festival. Capacity is limited to two thousand visitors, so reserve a slot via Tablecheck before it's too late.

One of the world's largest comic fanzine sales events, Tokyo's Comiket returns for just two days this August. Everything pop culture from manga and anime to costumes, music and merch will be on display and for sale. Plus, there will be a cosplay corner where you can mingle with die-hard fans dressed up as their favourite characters. 

Similar to previous years, you can expect around 20,000 fans participating in cosplay. Additionally, one of the highlights of the event is the opportunity to purchase doujinshi manga (self-published print works) directly from indie authors.

While early bird tickets are now sold out, you can purchase morning (11am) or afternoon entry (12.30pm onwards) wristbands in advance at participating outlets, including Animate, Toranoana and Melon Books and online via eplus.

Hide from the infernal August weather at the impeccably air-conditioned Tokyo Comedy Bar, where a cast of highly capable comedians will be bringing a different kind of heat for what’s always one of Tokyo’s hardest-hitting English-language comedy nights. The Obon edition of Tokyo Roast Battle features an all-Japanese title match between Yuki Nivez and Jiro Matahira, plus four other bouts of verbal violence. Watch the capital’s greatest Roast Battlers compete for the chance to qualify for the World Championships in the last battle before what’s sure to be an epic showdown at the Tokyo International Comedy Festival in September.

Tokyo Midtown has a packed programme of summer fun this year. If you want to take it easy, cool down at Midtown Garden’s Ashimizu area. The gentle stream here has been transformed into a foot bath, open between 3pm and 9pm (closed on Tuesdays). It can accommodate up to 70 people at a time and best of all, it’s free. Towels are available at ¥100 each, but of course, you can always bring your own.

Feeling wiped out by the summer heat? Make a beeline for the restaurants and cafés at Tokyo Midtown, now hosting a refreshing summer sweets fair featuring cool desserts such as the hyuganatsu and unshu orange kakigori shaved ice at Toraya, glace au chocolat doux ice cream at Jean-Paul Hévin, amazake watermelon juice at Sake Shop Fukumitsuya and more.

Feel the breeze of 1,500 windmills at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya’s annual outdoor summer fest. This picturesque event features a large dome adorned with over a thousand colourful windmills made from unused clear files from the shopping centre’s tenants. Come evening, the dome as well as the staircase at the plaza are lit up with blue and white lights, while cooling mist envelopes the area to create a mesmerising sight. 

What’s more, the summer festival is hosting several family-friendly activities for everyone to enjoy on August 16 and 17, such as booths for traditional Japanese matsuri games such as rubber ball scooping, shateki shooting, ring toss and a workshop to paint your very own wind chime. The booths will be set up at the main atrium of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya.

If you’re looking for a child-friendly event in the cool indoors, head to the underground plaza on August 9 and 10 for a workshop where participants can craft their very own pinwheels using unused clear files.

Studio Ghibli’s immersive sculpture exhibition is returning to Tokyo to captivate a new generation of fans. Featuring 3D recreations of iconic scenes from hit animated films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle and Porco Rosso, the show is a new and improved version of Studio Ghibli’s first ever art exhibition, held in Tokyo back in 2003. 

Running from May 27 to September 23 at Warehouse Terrada’s B&C and E halls in Tennozu, the exhibition will feature mock-ups of scenes such as Chihiro’s first crossing over the bridge into the bathhouse in Spirited Away, and the thrilling scene from Ponyo where the titular character rides the waves to catch up to Sosuke in the storm. The main highlight, however, is arguably the true-to-size mock up of Porco’s Savoia S-21 seaplane from Porco Rosso.

When hunger strikes, head over to T-Lotus M, a waterfront event space adjacent to the exhibition venue, for some ham ramen inspired by a similar dish in Ponyo. Tickets can be purchased in combination with the Ghibli Museum or in conjunction with hotel accommodation plans.

For more details and ticketing information, check the event website. (Japanese only)

Enjoy a late night stroll under an artificial Milky Way at Tokyo Tower’s main deck. As an alternative experience for astronomy enthusiasts, Tokyo Tower has recreated the Milky Way using 29,000 LED lights, so you can gaze up at the (artificial) stars in the middle of the city.

Every 15 minutes, the blue LED lights that represent the starry sky turn pink and gold, while the Milky Way changes from white to a rainbow of seven colours. This special effect makes the Tokyo skyline look even more mesmerising, as if our beloved city is under a magical starry night.

The event takes place from 9.00am until 11pm.

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. 

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.

The ground-breaking Blue Man Group returns to Tokyo this summer with an unforgettable stage show blending comedy, theatre and rock rolled into one electrifying performance. The silent, blue-and-black clad men will take the stage at Kabukicho Tower’s Shinjuku Milano-za sixth floor theatre, showcasing their iconic drumming and paint splashing which have attracted over 50 million people since starting their show in 1991. While they have recently bid farewell to their New York production, the group have maintained a strong presence in Japan since 2007, captivating over a million fans to date.

This year, you can also look forward to special performances with guest appearances by voice actress and singer Nana Mizuki, heavy metal band Lovebites vocalist Asami, and singer Yuki Koyanagi. 

Check the official website for performance schedules and ticketing information.

No trip to Tokyo or Japan is complete without a shopping spree at the iconic Don Quijote. But if browsing the aisles isn’t enough to satisfy your Donki cravings, you’ll want to book a table for this playful Don Quijote-themed afternoon tea at Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya.

Available at the hotel’s 11th-floor all-day dining restaurant, Gallery 11, this fun afternoon tea spread is inspired by Don Quijote’s beloved mascots, Donpen and Donko, with an array of colourful sweets and fun surprises. 

Desserts include unique creations like the passion fruit chocolate and pink pepper marshmallow, honeycomb red velvet cupcake and candy apple filled with a rich caramel – all served on a mini skateboard. You can also enjoy a tastebud-tingling cake made with popping candy featuring images of Donpen and Donko, alongside a savoury herb roast chicken served with lemon and caper sauce.

Time to don those wizardly robes. From April 18 to September 8, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo are bringing the set of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' to life to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary. The tour will feature recreations of props, costumes and locations from the film, such as the Great Hall, the Prefects' Bathroom and the Goblet of Fire itself. Themed food and merch will be available for purchase.

Times and ticket prices vary, so be sure to check their website for availability, as tickets must be purchased in advance and currently are only available until June 30.

Traditional Japanese erotic art – shunga – flourished during the Edo period (1603–1867), along with the rise of ukiyo-e woodblock printing. Some of the greatest artists of the time, including Kitagawa Utamaro and Katsushika Hokusai, employed ukiyo-e to depict Edo’s hedonistic ‘floating world’ of geisha, kabuki, sumo – and sex. Shunga was in great demand and widely available, despite an official ban, and developed into a highly sophisticated genre in which artists incorporated refrences to waka poetry and the Chinese classics while tiptoeing around taboos and government censorship.

But once Japan opened itself up to the Western world after centuries of isolation, Shunga was deemed ‘obscene’ and purged from the culture – for nearly 150 years, it turned out. Only after several critically acclaimed exhibitions had been held overseas did the first major display of Shunga open on these shores – at the Eisei Bunko Museum in 2013. That landmark show slowly cleared the way for similar exhibitions, and now Tokyo’s getting perhaps the most rousing (sorry) Shunga show to date.

From July 26 to September 30, visitors to the Shinjuku Kabukicho Noh Stage can rest their eyes on around 100 pieces by the likes of Hokusai, Utamaro and Hishikawa Moronobu. Curated from the collection of Mitsuru Uragami, one of Japan’s foremost Shunga connoisseurs, the exhibition extends throughout the distinctive venue – from the Noh stage itself to the auditorium and dressing rooms. Yasutaka Hayashi from artist collective Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group will be serving as art director, bringing a hefty serving of Kabukicho flair to what’s already looking like a show perfect for Tokyo’s most stimulating entertainment district.

Early-bird tickets are available for ¥1,900 (vs ¥2,200 on the door) via ArtSticker until July 25.

Note that the exhibition is off limits to visitors under the age of 18.

Held in the Tokyo Node creative complex on the upper floors of the Toranomon Station Tower, the Design Ah! exhibition by national broadcaster NHK transforms its acclaimed educational TV programme (of the same name) into a vivid hands-on experience. Suitable for visitors of all ages, the exhibition reimagines everyday actions like walking or eating through a design lens, fostering curiosity, creative thinking, and a sharper awareness of the world around us. While you’re there, don’t miss the chance to try out the interactive gesture screen, where visitors are invited to use gestures to interact with subjects in a video in an immersive and responsive way.

With immersive 360-degree audiovisual installations, visual puzzles and interactive zones, the show offers a playful yet thought-provoking way to explore how design influences daily life.

Few would argue against the late Leiji Matsumoto as one of Japan’s most visionary manga artists. Born in 1938, Matsumoto grew up fascinated by the night sky, a passion that would later shape his iconic stories such as Galaxy Express 999 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock. His work blends space-faring adventure with profound philosophical themes, exploring concepts of life, mortality and human perseverance, and has inspired creatives worldwide, even shaping the dreams of future astronauts.

From June 20 to September 7, Tokyo City View at Roppongi Hills will host ‘Leiji Matsumoto: A Creative Journey’, the first major exhibition dedicated to the prolific career of an artist who left an indelible mark on the world of sci-fi with his rich storytelling and strikingly detailed art. Marking the beginning of a series of events celebrating the upcoming 50th anniversary of Galaxy Express 999, this exhibition will immerse visitors in Matsumoto’s imaginative universe. Featuring over 300 original drawings, including early works, rare materials and never-before-seen sketches, the display offers an opportunity to dig deep into the Fukuoka native’s creative process and experience the timeless magic of his work.

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.

The sleek designer toilets that took Tokyo by storm in 2020 – and later even inspired the film Perfect Days – will host a unique photography exhibit this summer, showcasing works by world-famous B&W photographer Daido Moriyama from July 19 to September 23.

The main exhibition space, where Moriyama’s photographs of the designer toilets are displayed, will be the Hatagaya Public Toilet. Miles Pennington, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s DLX Design Lab, designed this toilet specifically with multifunctionality in mind. Envisioned to be used as an exhibition space or a pop-up kiosk – in addition to its primary function, of course – the toilet will now play the role of a photo gallery.

Moreover, don’t miss this opportunity to check out the 10 other designer toilets in Shibuya ward, which for the duration of the event will all feature toilet paper adorned with imprints of Daido Moriyama’s photographs.

At 8.15am on August 6 1945, a single atomic bomb dropped by the US military obliterated Hiroshima, claiming an estimated 140,000 lives by the year’s end. Marking eight decades since the devastation, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum’s ‘Hiroshima 1945’ consists of 160 haunting photographs and two films that document the A-bomb’s human cost: bodies shattered by radiation, survivors wandering in shock, the cityscape reduced to ashes.

These materials, many of which were preserved against the odds during the censorship regime imposed by the US occupation after the war, form part of the Visual Archives of the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing, which was submitted as a candidate for the Unesco Memory of the World register in 2023. The images were captured in the immediate aftermath of the bombing by survivors, photojournalists and photographers.

The exhibition – a collaborative effort bringing together major Japanese media organisations – marks the first time such a comprehensive visual record has been assembled for public viewing. As nuclear threats persist and conflicts rage around the world, ‘Hiroshima 1945’ is an urgent reminder of the devastating power of nuclear weapons, and amplifies the pleas of Japan’s nuclear survivors for the world to never repeat the tragedy of Hiroshima.

For over a decade, My Hero Academia has captivated fans worldwide with its gripping narrative, compelling characters and high-octane battles. Created by Kohei Horikoshi, the manga debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2014 and quickly became a cornerstone of modern shonen storytelling. Its success spawned a multimedia empire, including an anime adaptation by Studio Bones, multiple animated films, spin-off manga and an upcoming live-action adaptation.

With the anime’s grand finale set to air in late 2025, Kohei Horikoshi’s ‘My Hero Academia Original Art Exhibition’ serves as both a celebration of and farewell to a franchise that has left an indelible mark on the world of anime and manga. The expansive exhibition, set to run from June 21 to August 31 at Creative Museum Tokyo, promises an in-depth look at the creative process behind the beloved series. Visitors will have access to original manga pages, concept art and exclusive materials from Horikoshi himself.

Head to the Tokyo National Museum’s Heiseikan this summer for a sweeping exploration of the secretive inner chambers of the Tokugawa shogunate. On show from July 19 to September 21, ‘Ooku: Women of Power in Edo Castle’ takes viewers into the secluded quarters that housed the wives, concubines and ladies-in-waiting of the shoguns – women who navigated a world of rigid hierarchy, political intrigue and quiet resilience behind locked doors and copper-clad walls.

Though immortalised in popular culture through kabuki, television dramas and manga, the real ooku was far more nuanced than fiction suggests. The exhibition sheds new light on reality through approximately 180 rarely seen artefacts, including historical documents, architectural diagrams, exquisite kimonos, personal effects and intricate ceremonial textiles.

Highlights include 31 embroidered cloths (kakefukusa), which were placed upon important gifts exchanged in the palace, from the Genroku era (1688–1704); elegant garments worn by women from samurai families; and the complete Chiyoda no Ooku (1894–1896) series of ukiyo-e prints by Toyohara Chikanobu, which depict daily life in Edo Castle as imagined by the artist some 30 years after the fall of the shogunate. Visitors can also view kabuki costumes worn by women actors who performed within the Ooku itself.

Highlighting personal stories and treasured objects alike, the exhibition reveals the complexities of life within the shogun’s harem, where power, duty and emotion quietly shaped history. It’s a rare opportunity to step beyond the myth and into the true world of the Ooku.