The best things to do in Tokyo this weekend

Whether it’s visual art, fashion, handicrafts or avant-garde performances that capture your interest, you’ll find it at this sprawling cultural jamboree, held at Tokyo Big Sight every spring and autumn. This design festival first took place in 1994 and is now gearing up to host its 62nd edition. About 6,500 booths are set up at the conference centre each day, in an event that can be exhilarating and overwhelming in equal measure.

The festival spans the first and second floors of the west and south halls of the venue, where you'll find sections divided into categories such as accessories, illustrations, photography, figurines, paintings and handmade interior goods. One-day tickets are ¥1,000 (advance ¥800), while two-day tickets are available for ¥1,500 – all are available online, at Design Festa Gallery Harajuku or at convenience stores.

This is one of the most popular spots in the whole of Tokyo for autumn leaves. Stretching for 4km from Hachioji's Oiwakecho to the foot of Mt Takao (near north exit of Takao Station), this road is flanked by over 700 ginkgo trees (known as icho in Japanese), and they look stunningly yellow around this time of year.

The autumn colours provide the perfect backdrop for a range of activities at the annual Hachioji Ginkgo Festival on November 15 and 16. There will be a classic car parade on November 16 from 12noon to 1pm, as well as yosakoi dance and wadaiko drum performances, a stamp rally and more. The abundance of kid-friendly attractions makes it a good option if you're looking for something to do with the family, and naturally there will be plenty of food stalls to keep everybody well sated.

The festival starts at 9am and ends at 4.30pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday.

Suit up in your cheeriest Santa outfit for a fun holiday run (or walk) at Tokyo’s Santa Run, an annual charity event popular worldwide during this year-end season. The ticket includes your Santa get-up, while a portion of the proceeds goes to hospitalised children in Japan and Maasai communities in Kenya.

The run from 12.45pm takes you on a 2.5km loop from Yoyogi Park Event Square through Koen Dori and Meiji Dori to Jingumae Intersection before ending back at the park. After the run, you can reward yourself with food, drinks and activities at Yoyogi Park's Fiesta de España, which is happening at the same time.

Keep an eye out for Rilakkuma, as he'll make an appearance at the event dressed up as Santa. Ready, get set and ho ho ho. 

Event start times are subject to change. Check the event website for the latest details.

Established in 2013 to celebrate 400 years of relations between Spain and Japan, this vibrant and scrumptious food fest takes place at Yoyogi Park Events Square. Having attracted approximately 80,000 visitors last year, this popular fiesta is set once again to showcase last year’s expanded program of live performances, now joined by a brand-new all-day flamenco program featuring passionate performances from morning until night. While details of this year’s food lineup have yet to be announced, last year’s event featured 35 food and drink stalls, complemented by about 20 booths selling various Iberian goods and crafts. 

This is the time to sample a wide variety of Spanish delicacies, from the world-famous paella to tapas and more. Spanish beer is, of course, a must while watching elegant flamenco.

Make your way to Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse this November for a food and sports festival celebrating the land of freedom and fast food. Held for the first time on November 15 and 16 at the event space between the warehouses, the festival will feature food trucks serving up hearty double cheeseburgers by Chronic Burger and This is B (more to join). Alongside the eats, you can catch skateboarding and breakdancing competitions, plus BMX and parkour performances to keep the energy high.

Tokyo’s annual exposition celebrating all things arcade is returning to Odaiba’s Tokyo Big Sight this November. Amusement Expo features the latest in arcade entertainment, from crane games and video game machines to purikura photo booths and more. While the event runs for two days, from Friday November 14 to Saturday November 15, only the latter day is open to the general public.

Visitors can try out crane games from major manufacturers such as Sega and Taito and test their luck at the free-play zone, where anyone can enjoy crane games and win prizes (while supplies last). To mark 60 years since the invention of crane games, the organisers are also hosting a special stamp rally.

Tickets for the Amusement Expo are now on sale via Lawson Ticket and Ticket Pia.

Taking place every other weekend at the renovated Shibuya Municipal Kitaya Park, this outdoor vintage market is the place to pick up everything from American Levi's and handmade knit sweaters to unique artisanal accessories. Boasting approximately 20-30 booths, the market offers a curated selection of shops selling on-trend vintage outfits and trinkets from local artists, making it an exciting day out for fashion fiends.

Dates are subject to change. Check the event Instagram for more details.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This winter, the Sagamihara City Museum invites visitors on an interstellar adventure where science meets imagination, plus more cuddly Pokémon than you can shake a stick at. ‘Pokémon Observatory’ is organised in collaboration with the Pokémon Company, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and JAXA, transforming the mysteries of the universe into a playful, educational journey guided by the beloved creatures of the Pokémon world.

From the familiar glow of the Moon and Sun to distant galaxies, the exhibition employs the world of Pokémon to explain celestial phenomena in engaging, accessible ways. Visitors of all ages will get to explore how the fantastical ecologies of Pokémon mirror the diversity and wonder of the cosmos. And yes, of course – there’ll be limited-edition merch available. Among the highlights is the debut of Starry Sky Pikachu, a plush mascot sold exclusively at the venue.

With interactive displays and imaginative storytelling, ‘Pokémon Observatory’ captures the spirit of discovery, and invites young and old to gaze upward and ask new questions about the universe.

Pop art impresario Andy Warhol (1928–1987) blurred the boundaries between high culture and mass consumption, transforming everyday objects and the faces of celebrities into icons of contemporary art. His fascination with fame, beauty and repetition made him both a mirror of his age and a relentless critic of it, leaving behind a body of work that continues to resonate in today’s image-saturated culture.

Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo’s ‘Serial Portraits’ showcase is part of the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s Hors-les-murs program, which brings highlights from its Paris collection to audiences worldwide. This free exhibition focuses on Warhol’s radical reinvention of portraiture, from his playful photo booth experiments in the early 1960s to the spectral self-portraits he made shortly before his death.

Highlights like the Self-Portraits series (1977–1986) are displayed alongside both celebrated and lesser-known works to offer insight into Warhol’s evolving exploration of identity, celebrity and the endless possibilities of repetition. By juxtaposing iconic images with hidden gems, the exhibition reveals how Warhol turned portraiture into a stage for both personal reflection and cultural critique.

The Watari-um’s ‘One More’ brings together two global icons of contemporary urban art: Brazilian twins Osgemeos and American artist Barry McGee. Emerging from graffiti and street culture, both artists have redefined the boundaries between public art and the museum space, infusing walls, cities and galleries around the world with vivid colour, rhythm and humanity.

Known for their dreamlike murals and whimsical characters, Osgemeos have exhibited from the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington to Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca. McGee, celebrated for his bold, socially engaged work under the tag ‘Twist’, has been a central figure in the American street art scene, showing monumental installations at SFMOMA and the Venice Biennale.

With ‘One More’, the duo transforms the Watari-um into a dynamic playground of imagination. Conceived as a spontaneous dialogue between long-time friends and collaborators, the exhibition blurs the lines between painting, sculpture, animation and installation. Expect a universe where urban energy meets poetic introspection – a celebration of creativity, community, and the enduring spirit of the streets that inspires the artists.

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.

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.

Noritake Suzuki is an acclaimed picture book author known for his wit, vibrant illustrations, and deep empathy for childhood wonder. Born in Hamamatsu in 1975, Suzuki got his big break with Ketchup Man in 2008 and has since captivated readers with hits like the Shigotoba, The Working Place of Japan Professionals series and the bestselling Big Pinch Picture Book, which earned him the top prize at the MOE Picture Book Awards in both 2022 and 2024.

From October 8 to December 7, the Play Museum in Tachikawa serves as host for the artist’s imaginative world by way of an exhibition based on Suzuki’s hit Big Pinch book series, which depicts the small yet dramatic ‘crises’ children face in everyday life. 

Labelled ‘pinch entertainment’, it’s an immersive experience where you get to step into, play with and even create your own cartoon disasters. From oversized spilt milk to interactive ‘pinch’ games, the exhibition transforms anxiety into laughter.

Exclusive to this Play Museum exhibition are original sketches, early illustrations and hands-on installations that visitors of all ages can enjoy. For fans of imaginative storytelling and joyful problem-solving, this is a must-visit celebration of life’s little mishaps.

Shohei Ochiai paints like he’s trying to capture noise. His work pulls from the chaos of everyday Tokyo – billboards, backstreets, people passing too fast to register – and turns it into warped, colourful canvases that feel alive. He’s collaborated with Tamagotchi and even Pharrell’s Joopiter, but it’s his ability to make the ordinary feel electric that defines him.

For his new show ‘Aesthetic’ at Diesel Art Gallery, Ochiai takes on Shibuya itself, rebuilding the city through his own lens. The exhibition folds in sound, light, and fragments of the neighbourhood until the space feels more like a remix than a gallery. It’s Shibuya the way you feel it at 2am – loud, bright, and slightly unreal.


To mark the opening, Diesel is releasing a black and white hoodie collaboration with Ochiai, available from Diesel Shibuya and online later this month.

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.

Women’s emancipation was in full swing at the beginning of the twentieth century and had a considerable influence on fashion. The interwar period saw the emergence of the liberated woman, in search of a modern and daring style reflecting her new spirit. At the same time, the Art Deco movement was born, blooming during the 1920s first in relation to interior architecture and furniture. It was in this context that the first icon of Art Deco fashion was born: the garçonne, an emblematic figure of the Roaring Twenties.

Art Deco fashion came to be characterised by geometric and clean shapes, bold colours and high-quality materials. Beaded dresses, furs, feathers and sequins make up the Art Deco wardrobe, where graphic patterns and bold prints bring a touch of sophistication and theatricality to outfits.

Looking back at this era of luxurious and opulent wear – and celebrating the centenary of the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris – the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum is organising the ‘Art Deco and Fashion’ exhibition from October 11 2025 to January 25 2026. The museum will display about sixty iconic Art Deco outfits – including evening dresses from the great Parisian houses such as Poiret, Chanel and Lanvin – as well as paintings, prints, handicrafts, and other artwork from Japanese and foreign museums.

Few artists have touched the soul of modern art as profoundly as Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890). In a mere decade, the Dutchman produced an astonishing body of work, including vivid landscapes, tormented portraits and expressive still lifes, that continues to resonate deeply with audiences worldwide.

Yet Van Gogh’s posthumous fame owes much to those closest to him: his brother Theo, Theo’s wife Johanna, and their son Vincent Willem. Together, they ensured that the painter’s vision and legacy would endure for generations.

The first exhibition in Japan to focus on the Van Gogh family and their collection, ‘Van Gogh’s Home’ at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum features over 30 of its protagonist’s works, from early drawings to late masterpieces, as well as four letters shown on these shores for the first time. The display traces the journey of the collection from the artist’s death to the present day, with highlights including immersive digital experiences and rarely seen works by Van Gogh’s contemporaries.