Things to do in Tokyo this week

This September, Shimokitazawa welcomes the return of its annual lunar art festival that will coincide with the upcoming autumn moon. Back for its fourth edition, Moon Art Night Shimokita will span several venues in the neighbourhood, including the Shimokita Senrogai Open Space in front of Shimokitazawa Station’s east exit, the rooftop of Higashi-Kitazawa Station, and the Bonus Track complex.

Exhibits include an outdoor moon installation by UK artist Luke Jerram, whose giant floating model features striking details of the moon’s surface as captured by Nasa. This particular installation – titled ‘Museum of the Moon’ – is set to be on show every day at the vacant lot of the Shimokita Senrogai complex. 

The festival is also hosting London-based artist Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, whose luminous blue cat inflatables will be on display at the Bonus Track complex. Inspired by the paradoxical Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment, which explores how a cat can be both alive and dead at once, the artist created the cats as a way to spark imagination and explore our relationship with the universe.

A new addition this year, Japanese visual artist Takayuki Mori is participating with a three-dimensional installation titled ‘Uranometria’. The work depicts constellation motifs across a celestial dome using ultraviolet-responsive threads, which illuminate the invisible lines that connect the stars in glowing neon colours. His work, which invites viewers to reflect on how humanity has always sought meaning among the stars through astrology, will be on display at the paid Higashi-Kitazawa Station rooftop venue.

Aside from the art exhibitions, the festival will feature several immersive theatre performances, live music, video installations and pop-ups. Several shops around Shimokitazawa Station will also offer full moon-inspired food and beverages and limited-edition products during the festival.

Tickets to access paid venues and performances are on sale via Eplus.

Get ready to participate in one of the last Bon Odori festivals this summer. Miyashita Park’s very own Bon Odori will take over its rooftop on September 27 and 28. Expect to see folks dancing to the beat of traditional taiko drums as well as contemporary DJ mixes of J-pop and city pop. Everyone is welcome at this communal dance soiree, which will take place around a yagura stage adorned by Japanese lanterns.

Stores and restaurants in Miyashita Park will be setting up stalls at the festival’s outdoor market.

Details have yet to be announced for 2025. Follow the organiser’s Instagram for updates.

Northern Tokyo’s hanabi kicks off the autumn season with around 10,000 shells of fireworks. Since the hour-long pyrotechnic display takes place behind the old Iwabuchi watergate, get your cameras ready for a magnificent shot, where the vibrant explosions in the sky bring out the bright red hues of the antique dam.

While most of the reserved seats have sold out, you can still purchase tickets for the ‘fan zone’ at ¥3,300 per person via Ticket Pia. There won’t be any chairs, so bring a picnic mat or a small stool that’s no taller than 30cm. Tickets for paid seats on the Kawaguchi side of the river are still available at ¥5,500 per person. This year, KKday is also offering a package for foreign tourists, which includes transportation to the venue, paid seating from the Saitama side, and a souvenir set to take home as a memento of the experience.

Shimokita Craft Beer Fest returns in September for its eighth edition, this one a special collaboration with Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa. For the last weekend of the month, the beery bash will bring together craft breweries from across Japan to celebrate tsukimi, the autumn moon festival.

From familiar faces on the capital-area craft beer scene, such as West Coast Brewing, to local taprooms such as Kaigan Brewery, each of the 11 breweries involved will be making a beer specially for the occasion. Highlights include Kyoto Brewing’s Aki no Kimagure, a limited release red IPA; Tokyo Aleworks’ Harvest Moon, a pumpkin spice ale; and TDM 1874’s roasted chestnut ale, brewed with roasted malts to capture the colour of the harvest moon.

There will also be food trucks serving dishes specifically designed to pair with the beers, making the event the perfect setting to enjoy festival food, appreciate some art and – of course – toast the changing of the seasons with world-class craft beer.

The nation’s biggest festival of Indian culture returns to Yoyogi Park this September with traditional music and dance performances. You can slip into a traditional sari for photos against a Taj Mahal backdrop, discover Indian crafts like Mithila and Warli painting, browse wines, clothing and yoga goods from India, and sample dishes from food stalls run by some of Tokyo’s top Indian restaurants. Namaste is always a fun way to spend a weekend afternoon.

Long before it became the first stop on the south-bound shinkansen from Tokyo Station (and, for many of the city's foreign residents, a key juncture on the dreaded schlep to the immigration office), Shinagawa was known as the first rest stop along the Tokaido Highway from Edo to Kyoto.

Started in 1990, this annual festival tries to educate the younger generation in the area's history. It features taiko drumming and parades of people in traditional costumes alongside the less era-specific flea markets and marching bands. There's even a fire-walking rite by monks at Honsenji Temple (September 28, time to be confirmed). While the oiran dochu (courtesan procession) takes place on Saturday afternoon (2025 times unannounced), most of the action is centred on Sunday.

For more details, check the event's Facebook page.

One of the world’s largest and most influential gaming events returns to Makuhari Messe over the last weekend of September. The 29th edition of Tokyo Game Show is themed ‘Unlimited, Neverending Playground’, underscoring TGS’s vision of games as a boundless arena where creators and players from around the globe come together to shape the future of entertainment.

While September 25-26 is reserved for industry professionals, the show will open to the public on September 27 and 28, welcoming visitors of all ages to experience cutting-edge titles, immersive demos and much more. Across 11 halls, the massive event will showcase the latest innovations from major publishers and independent studios alike, alongside keynote speeches, sponsor sessions and the prestigious Japan Game Awards.

A refreshed identity marks TGS 2025, with a newly redesigned logo and a striking main visual by illustrator Zashiki Warashi, signaling a new era for the show. Actor and avid gamer Kanata Hongo, widely recognised for his roles in game and anime adaptations, has been named Official Supporter, lending his enthusiasm and expertise to the event.

Highlights include the Red Bull 283 Academy on September 27, where top young players of Street Fighter 6, mentored by pro legends, will face off in a climactic team battle. TGS 2025 promises to be an expansive playground of innovation, creativity and connection for fans and industry insiders alike.

Legendary French haute couture designer Jean Paul Gaultier is bringing his unapologetically extravagant and sensual theatrical production to Tokyo this September, showcasing Gaultier’s outrageous creativity and energy. Part revue, part fashion show, the spectacle roughly follows the timeline of Gaultier’s career, depicting the cultural and political contexts that shaped the life of French couture’s enfant terrible.

Expect flamboyant dancers in extravagant costumes set to iconic tracks by Madonna, David Bowie, Nile Rodgers and more – spanning disco, funk, rock and punk, all of which inspired Gaultier – while his signature designs, including Madonna’s infamous cone bra, take centre stage in an exuberant high-fashion spectacle.

Check the event website for more details. 

Tickets are available for purchase in English via Kyodo Tokyo, Zaiko and Ticketbook. 

Rave Racers is less a crew than a world. Their parties borrow from Y2K rave aesthetics: flashes of neon, racing iconography, and a love for trance and techno that feels lifted out of a lost PS2 game.

Their Womb takeover brings out techno legend Takkyu Ishino alongside a roster of DJs locked into the same maximalist energy. With live performances scattered through the night, the Grand Prix is a stage set for a full-body experience of nostalgia.

Tokyo’s nightlife might be lacking in legal warehouse-style venues, but Ohjo Building is one of the rare exceptions. A repurposed kissa-turned-brothel-turned-karaoke bar in the heart of Kabukicho, it’s one of the few spaces that nails that industrial rave atmosphere without risking a police shutdown.


It’s also the setting for the final party from it-girl DJ duo 666, a Tokyo-based act that spin a mix of hyperpop, noise and ambient blends through their sets. If this is your first time hearing of them, it’s a bittersweet introduction – they’ve become a staple in the city’s underground scene, and this will be their last
hurrah in Tokyo.

The line-up features an assortment of amazing DJs and a screening by z0, with a set design and audiovisual environment built to deliver more than just a party.

Nine months into the year and we've already lost track of how many Oktoberfests Tokyo has seen so far. But no matter, the next seasonally inaccurate festival of German beer happens at Shiba Park from September 12 to 23, where you can take in a view of Tokyo Tower while enjoying hefty glasses of beer. 

You can start small and order yourself a regular pint, or go straight to a gigantic three-litre glass. The food offerings include pub grub favourites like schnitzels, sausages, jerk chicken, cheese fondue and lobster pasta. Everything is served with a side of jazzed-up oompah music to keep you in the mood.

Entry is just ¥500, and you pay as you go. It includes an exclusive reusable cup which you can take home with you. Purchase your tickets here.

One of Tokyo's three German beer fest spin-offs this autumn (including Shiba Park and Jingu-Gaien), Munich Oktoberfest kicks off on September 19 at Urban Dock LaLaport Toyosu. This beer extravaganza at least manages to fall within a few weeks of the original German beer-fuelled festival it's copying, running from September 19 until October 13.

As with all the other Oktoberfests in town, you can enjoy pints of German beer served in glasses that can fill up to a litre, alongside bratwurst and sauerkraut. There will be oompah bands to sweeten the mood.

Entry is free and you can pay as you go. Do note that the event is cashless; you can only pay via credit card, PayPay, IC card, QuicPay, ID and other forms of electronic payment.

Tachikawa's Showa Kinen Park has the most impressive fields of cosmos flowers in Tokyo and this is the ideal time to see them all in full bloom. The hilly grasslands of the park are usually draped in colour from mid-September with various types of cosmos flowers, and the multicoloured scenery can be enjoyed well into mid-October.

There are three main gardens: The Lemon Bright field, which is covered in vivid yellow sulfur cosmos; Autumn Bouquet Garden, which has a mixture of 20 different cosmos; and the Cosmos Sensation filled with lilac blooms.

Don't miss the picturesque soap bubble event, where you can see countless small bubbles floating over the flower gardens. This special spectacle happens twice a day from 10.30am and 12noon on September 13 at the Lemon Bright field, September 28 at the Autumn Bouquet Garden, and October 4 at the Cosmos Sensation flower garden.

Entrance fees are waived on October 5 and 19, 2025.

Inage Seaside Park in Chiba is hosting weekly DJ parties on its picturesque 90-metre-long pier that stretches out into Tokyo Bay, until September 28. Taking place on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 3pm to 8pm, the parties showcase artists spinning tunes from a variety of genres, including Balearic house, afrobeats, tech house, South African amapiano and more.

A special highlight will be the Sunday August 31 appearance by Ibiza icon Jon Sa Trinxa, who is celebrated for his signature Balearic style and two decades of DJing on the Mediterranean party island. Local favourites including Ren Yokoi, Mike-Masa and Bull will also take to the decks, spinning everything from techno to R&B to keep the summer vibes alive.

Check the event website for the most up-to-date DJ line-up. Closed Sep 6-7.

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.

This autumn, the National Film Archive presents the first comprehensive retrospective dedicated to one of Japan’s most inventive and genre-defying filmmakers. Yoshimitsu Morita (1950–2011) began his career in 8mm films and made a lasting mark on Japanese cinema with works like The Family Game (1983) and The Black House (1999), embracing comedy, horror, courtroom dramas, period pieces and more.

The exhibition offers an opportunity to step right into Morita’s imaginative world. Visitors can explore recreations of the iconic dining room from The Family Game and of the director’s personal study, plus a gallery of his cherished vinyl records. Posters, props, annotated scripts and idea notebooks showcase the full range of the Shonan native’s creative process, while video installations trace Morita’s career from its indie roots to commercial success.

Running alongside the exhibition, a special programme (October 14–November 23) will screen key works from Morita’s filmography, including lesser-known titles and collaborations. Deaths in Tokimeki (1984), Keiho (1999) and Kiriko no Fukei (1998; written by Morita and directed by Tomoyuki Akaishi) will be screened with English subtitles. A series of talks featuring producer Kazuko Misawa and cultural commentator Utamaru will offer further insight into Morita’s legacy. 

The visionary behind the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding series, Hideo Kojima has reshaped the landscape of video games. An uncompromising auteur, he has continually expanded the boundaries of interactive storytelling, blending cinematic ambition with philosophical depth. His studio, Kojima Productions, has established itself as a creative powerhouse since its founding in 2015, producing globally acclaimed titles and cultivating a dedicated following of players and cinephiles alike.

Celebrating a decade of innovation, Kojima Productions now invites fans to join an afternoon of reflection, conversation and surprise announcements about the studio’s upcoming projects. ‘Beyond The Strand’, held on September 23 at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills, will be hosted by Hideo Kojima himself, with guest appearances also in the offering.

Tickets are available exclusively through a Lawson Ticket lottery beginning September 2 at 10am. Details on a global livestream are expected in the coming weeks, allowing fans around the world to share in this milestone moment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Marking 100 years since the dawn of the Showa era and 80 years since the end of World War II, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo looks back with ‘Opening Documents, Weaving Memories’, an exhibition that reflects on Japan’s turbulent mid-20th century. With 280 works on view, the display explores how art has served both as a record of history and as a medium for reconstructing memory across generations.

Spanning the 1930s to the 1970s, the exhibition unfolds across eight sections that probe the role of painting, photography and film during wartime and its aftermath. Visitors encounter powerful ‘War Record Paintings’, commissioned by the Imperial Japanese army and navy to document battles, alongside intimate portrayals of life on the home front. Works such as Ai-Mitsu’s Self-Portrait (1944) and Ken’Ichi Nakamura’s Kota Bharu (1942) highlight the complex intersections of personal expression and state narrative. Later sections trace the shifting visual language of memory, from depictions of wounded bodies in the 1950s to dialogues prompted by Vietnam War imagery in the 1970s.

By juxtaposing propaganda, personal visions and post-war reinterpretations, the exhibition invites audiences to consider how museums can act as repositories of collective memory. In doing so, it opens documents of the past while weaving them into living dialogues with the present and future.

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.

Anime fans are in for a thrilling mission this autumn as Spy x Family takes over Anime Tokyo Station until November 9. Celebrating the global phenomenon that has captivated audiences with its blend of action, comedy and heart, the exhibition offers an immersive journey into the lives of the Forgers (Loid, Yor and Anya) and their unforgettable escapades.

Visitors can relive iconic scenes from the hit series through scene panels and dynamic displays. Life-size character panels and themed photo spots invite guests to step directly into the world of Spy x Family, making the exhibition a must for fans eager to snap shots with their favourite characters.

A standout feature is the interactive AR experience, where you can uncover hidden character dialogues as you explore the exhibit space, adding a new layer of depth to the viewing experience.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or a newcomer to the series, this exhibition should deliver an engaging and stylish encounter with the intersection of espionage, family ties and comedy that Spy x Family so uniquely offers.