2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the renaming of Edo to Tokyo and of Tokyo’s designation as a prefecture. To celebrate this milestone occasion, there will be a festival at the Hamarikyu Garden this weekend.
There are lots to see and do, but do not miss the multimedia visual spectacle ‘Playing with Time: A Journey through Time and Space’. For this special show, a 30m-wide and 15m-tall water screen will be set up on the lake while images will be projection-mapped onto the Nakajima-no-ochaya teahouse on the central island and the trees behind it. What’s more, renowned virtual singer Hatsune Miku will be performing a song as she showcase the fashion from Tokyo’s various eras: Meiji (1868-1912), Taisho (1912-1926), Showa (1926-1989) and Heisei (since 1989).
On Saturday and Sunday, you could easily spend a whole day here. Take part in an outdoor tea ceremony amidst the crisp autumn air; discover traditional Tokyo produce and crafts such as kumihimo textiles and edi-kiriko cut glass; and learn more about the upcoming Paralympic games.
There will also be booth exhibitions exploring Tokyo’s past, present and future. You could take a walk down memory lane and appreciate the heritage behind the historic Sumida River Bridges, particularly the Eitai, Kachidoki and Kiyosu bridges that were designated National Important Cultural Properties. Or, you could fast forward and get familiarised with the revolutionary hydrogen energy; this new form of sustainable energy is especially gentle on the environment as it leaves no other byproduct but water.