The best of Tokyo 2024

One of Tokyo’s most talked-about openings in 2024 was the new and improved teamLab Borderless digital art museum, housed in the glistening Azabudai Hills complex. The captivating space boasts numerous immersive installations where art and cutting-edge technology intertwine. Highlights include the mesmerising ‘Light Sculpture’ series and the fantastical ‘Bubble Universe’ installation.

2024 was a big year for all-star character stable Sanrio as leading lady Hello Kitty celebrated her 50th anniversary. To commemorate the grand occasion, ‘As I Change, So Does She​​’, a large-scale, super-kawaii exhibition, took over the Tokyo National Museum in November, running until the end of February. The show traces the girl-cat’s evolution through the decades and offers limited-edition merch you can only find at the exhibition.

The secret’s out: the one-time university enclave on the Toyoko line was named one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods in Time Out’s annual ranking of such in-demand locales. Gakugeidaigaku offers a relaxed vibe and is home to a plethora of creative restaurants, cafés and bars.

Opened in February next to Toyosu Market, Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai is a sprawling shopping and entertainment complex lined with Edo-inspired eateries and shops, many of them affiliated with major wholesalers and middlemen from the market. But what really stands out is the onsite hot-spring spa, which features onsen tubs and footbaths filled with natural spring water trucked in daily from Hakone and Yugawara.

It’s safe to say that Bruno Mars is a fan of Tokyo. After playing a historic seven shows at Tokyo Dome at the start of the year, the perpetually chart-topping singer-songwriter released a quirky jingle for mega discount store Don Quijote at the end of August. The jingle drop coincided with the launch of a highly coveted collection of merchandise that includes T-shirts, hoodies and hats.

Shinjuku’s monolithic Tokyo Metropolitan Government building took on a new after-hours role this year, becoming the backdrop for the world’s largest projection mapping show. The jaw-dropping displays of digital art feature cultural icons like Godzilla and Pac-Man and will continue into 2025. Check out the full programme here.

A new landmark on the Harajuku-Omotesando intersection, Harakado opened in spring with a selection of over 70 stores, a leafy rooftop garden and a retro-style basement bathhouse. The complex is worth visiting even if you aren’t planning on spending big – if only to peruse the stacks of old mags at magazine library Cover on the second and third floors.

You can now go searching for your favourite Sailor Guardians in Azabu-Juban. In spring, Minato ward installed five cool new drain covers featuring the beloved heroine and her friends. Azabu-Juban was picked because that's where Sailor Moon lives and goes to school in the story. Many memorable scenes and battles take place in the neighbourhood, too.

Contemporary art gallery and Shibuya institution Nanzuka Underground moved into the boozing business in spectacular manner with the July opening of Taken. The glitzy bar incorporates artworks by the likes of legendary pop artist Keiichi Tanaami – who passed away this year just as the first major retrospective of his work opened at the National Art Center – illustrator Hajime Sorayama and visual artists Daniel Arsham and Hiroki Tsukuda. The range of exclusive cocktails includes this stunner by chef Natsuko Shoji of Été.

Tokyo DisneySea benefited from a massive expansion in June with the opening of the Fantasy Springs area, which features attractions and zones themed on Frozen, Peter Pan and Tangled. ‘Frozen Kingdom’ recreates Arandelle Castle where royal sisters Elsa and Anna reside, while ‘Peter Pan’s Neverland’ and ‘Rapunzel’s Forest’ boast a whole assortment of new rides and eateries.