The best things to do in Tokyo this weekend

The 7,800sqm azalea garden at Jindai Botanical Garden has around 12,000 flowers that reach peak bloom from mid-April through to the beginning of May. You can see around 270 kinds of azalea that cover the entire field in shades of pink, red and white. There’s also a viewing platform from where you can get a 360-degree view of the azalea garden.

For much of the year, Shiofune Kannonji is a quiet temple on the foothills of Ome, off the beaten path. However, once a year, crowds flock to see the temple grounds come to life in a vibrant array of colours during the annual azalea festival.

The main attraction of this festival is the scenery: a spectacular display of 20,000 azaleas of 20 varieties that blanket a valley with a patchwork of pink, white, purple and green colours. The best time to see them is around Golden Week. 

Coinciding with the bloom, the Shiofune Kannonji Azalea Festival is also hosting a fire-walking event on May 3 to pray for the blessings of the deity Fudo. The public is welcome to take on the challenge of walking over red-hot charcoal in exchange for a charm that is said to help ward off evil. Expect to also see live performances, such as a magic show, (April 18 from 11am and 1pm), a Koto performance (April 19 from 10am, 11am, 1pm & 2pm), traditional Japanese Nihon buyo dance performances (April 25 from 11am & 1.30pm) and a taiko drumming performance (April 29 from 11am & 1pm).

There's a ¥300 entry fee (primary school children and younger ¥100) during the azalea season. Check the temple's Facebook page for the latest blooming updates. 

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.

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.

The rooftop of Lumine Shinjuku has transformed into a Japanese summer-themed beer garden with a BBQ menu inspired by the aesthetics and beauty of Japanese summer. You can choose from Fuji, Hanabi (fireworks) or Fune (boat) barbecue courses, all offered in light (from ¥5,390), standard (from ¥5,940) and premium (from ¥6,490) options. The Around Japan Nippon BBQ Premium Plan offers a taste of all the cuisines in one go, for ¥8,140.

The Fuji course comes with wagyu beef sirloin, beef short ribs, pork marinated in miso, Hokkaido-style deep-fried chicken, and sausages, accompanied by an assortment of veggies and two sauces – wasabi soy sauce and regular BBQ sauce. The Hanabi course features a beef short rib, pork marinated in Hokkaido-style miso, chicken marinated in sake lees, shrimp, scallops and an assortment of veggies. The Fune course comes with a beef short rib, Tokachi glazed pork, shio koji marinated chicken thighs, thick sirloin wagyu steak, and an expanded assortment of veggies. All three sets include a 90-minute all-you-can-drink deal where you can choose from a list of 160 cocktails and soft drinks.

Popular German craft beer brand Schmatz takes over the Lumine Ikebukuro rooftop with its annual beer garden serving modern German cuisine. The premium all-you-can drink plan features three original craft beers, plus a range of beer cocktails including shandy gaff, cassis beer, mango beer and even a peach weizen. Additionally, there are regular cocktails, highballs, wines and soft drinks to choose from as well. 

The standard barbecue plan with the premium 2-hour all-you-can-drink option will set you back ¥6,500, and includes spare ribs, beef shoulder loin, specialty sausages, chicken, corn and an array of veggies to grill. If you're looking to save, the standard all-you-can-drink lager beer plan at ¥6,000 is worth considering too.

Make a reservation via the official website.

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.

Martin Margiela is one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in contemporary creative culture. The Belgian rose to prominence with the founding of Maison Martin Margiela in 1988, redefining fashion through deconstruction, anonymity and radical reinterpretation of form. Having left the fashion industry in 2008, Margiela turned fully toward visual art, where he continues to explore themes of the human body, absence, time, transformation, and the poetry of the overlooked

Showing from April 11 to April 29, ‘Martin Margiela at Kudan House’ marks the artist’s first large-scale solo exhibition in Japan. Set within a registered cultural property completed in 1927, the exhibition unfolds as a series of ephemeral installations staged throughout the historic residence. Margiela was drawn to the charged contrast between contemporary artworks and the intimate atmosphere of a lived-in architectural space.

Collage, painting, drawing, sculpture, assemblage and video coexist across the mansion’s rooms, inviting visitors into a close and contemplative encounter with the works. Reuse, fragmentation and metamorphosis remain central concerns, as everyday materials are subtly transformed into poetic propositions. Conceived and curated entirely by the artist, the exhibition reflects Margiela’s enduring desire not to provide answers, but to pose questions, with disarming intimacy.

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?

Prepare your ponchos and panniers, as Harajuku J-fashion icon Sebastian Masuda has opened his first large-scale solo exhibition in years in Hyper Museum Hanno. The exhibition, running from March 14 to August 30, is packed with psychedelic candy-coloured installation rooms, art pieces and sculptures by Masuda himself, created over the years and brought to Japan for the event.

The exhibition unfolds across six themed spaces presented in a loose chronology, tracing Masuda’s formative experiences and how he arrived at his own understanding of kawaii after navigating personal conflicts.

While it’s taking place a bit outside central Tokyo, the exhibition offers an approachable but deep dive into Harajuku kawaii while prompting a look at where the culture is headed next. Be sure to visit the museum pop-up shop, which stocks exclusive T-shirts, stickers, omamori amulets and more.

Tickets are now on sale via Asoview, Artsticker, Lawson Ticket and Seven Ticket.

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.

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.

From April 7 to July 26, the National Film Archive of Japan explores the creative intersection between cinema and graphic design with ‘The Art of Film Posters in Japan: Revisited’. While film posters in Japan were traditionally produced anonymously under the control of studios and distributors, many stand out today as striking works of graphic art in their own right.

Revisiting a landmark exhibition first held in 2012, the show incorporates newly acquired works and brings together more than 90 posters produced mainly between the 1960s and the 1980s, a period of profound innovation in Japanese visual culture.

The exhibition traces the evolution of the medium across four thematic sections. Early post-war posters, often painted in a dramatic illustrative style, reveal how artists sought to capture the emotional essence of films. By the 1960s, a new generation of designers, including Kiyoshi Awazu, Tadanori Yokoo and Makoto Wada, began to challenge conventional promotional aesthetics with bold experimentation. A decisive turning point came with the emergence of the Art Theatre Guild in the 1960s, which encouraged collaborations between filmmakers and avant-garde designers.

Through these vivid and sometimes surprising images, the exhibition reveals another face of Japanese cinema – one that flourished beyond the screen, transforming the humble ad poster into an expressive and enduring art form.

The National Museum of Western Art’s ‘Artists by Artists in Western Prints’ explores how artists have portrayed themselves (and one another) through the medium of printmaking from the Renaissance to the modern era.

Featuring nearly 50 works drawn primarily from the museum’s collection, the exhibition traces the historical evolution of the artist’s image in Western art. During the Middle Ages, creators were largely regarded as anonymous craftsmen, and their likenesses rarely appeared in the works they produced. From the 16th century onward, however, artists began to assert a new identity, aligning artistic creation with intellectual inquiry and positioning themselves as practitioners of the liberal arts. As their social status rose, so too did interest in the individual artist, giving rise to the flourishing tradition of the self-portrait.

The exhibition includes prints by major figures such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Francisco Goya and Pablo Picasso. Alongside self-portraits, you’ll encounter images of artists at work and idealised representations of the creative figure.

Together, these diverse images offer a compelling reflection on how the notion of the artist has evolved, from skilled artisan to solitary, introspective creator, while inviting viewers to reconsider the enduring relationship between identity, creativity and self-expression.