Since the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic hit, we’ve all been staying home. To pass time, we’ve been cooking up a storm, watching food documentaries and Japanese shows on Netflix, plus doing a bit of online shopping and spring cleaning. Live-stream events and video chats have also become the new normal, so we can drink online with friends (or geisha) and enjoy world-famous theatre shows from the comfort of our couch.
Even though Japan's state of emergency has been lifted, there are still plenty of online events to enjoy. From a Tokyo-exclusive Cirque du Soleil show to art galleries in Australia and Los Angeles, we can all travel the world virtually without leaving home.
So sit back with a quarantini in hand and enjoy some of the best free online events and live-stream shows happening worldwide.
RECOMMENDED: Experience Tokyo and Japan from your home
Author Roald Dahl's renowned children's storybook gets the Hollywood treatment as a star-studded cast does an epic YouTube read-along of the fictional tale. The storytelling session includes Taika Waititi, Meryl Streep, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ryan Reynolds, Mindy Kaling, Chris and Liam Hemsworth, and more. The readings have already started, and new episodes will be released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – you can find them all on YouTube here.
Thanks to the internet, you can explore the world from the comfort of your couch. Set the virtual tour to full screen mode and 'travel' to Sweden to see the iridescent aurora borealis, gaze up at the Sistine Chapel and fly over the treetops of the Amazon rainforest. So grab a drink and settle in; these ten digital destinations will help cure your growing wanderlust for now.
Artist and activist Keith Haring was one of the most legendary figures of the '80s pop art scene. The artist gained international fame as he began using his work to promote LGBTQ visibility and HIV/Aids awareness. Haring's works are exhibited in museums all over the world, but, curiously, the only museum dedicated to his art is in the city of Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Now you can the see the collection for free from the comfort of your couch here.
If you’re itching to get back into travelling or you just miss walking around Tokyo, this YouTube channel by Rambalac features walks in a number of Tokyo neighbourhoods including Shibuya, Koenji, Tsukiji and more. These high-definition videos can be rather immersive as they feature a POV (point of view) shooting style. They each span roughly an hour, and there is no intrusive text or narration – just a good look at Tokyo as if you were walking the streets yourself.
The Fondation Claude Monet has given art fans a rare chance to catch a glimpse of the impressionist artist's home turf from the comfort of their couch. Tour the sprawling house in Giverny where some of his most famous paintings were done. Aside from the bedroom and living quarters, you can also take a peek at Monet's Blue Salon filled with his collection of Japanese prints. To access the virtual tour, visit here.
To catch a breathtaking Cirque du Soleil show, you usually have to wait until the renowned contemporary circus makes a visit to your city. But the company has made its shows available online to keep you entertained. The list of shows available to watch on the company’s dedicated platform, Cirque Connect, includes 'Zed', which was created exclusively for a Tokyo audience. You can also watch the performance now on YouTube for free here.
Galerie Perrotin's official website is a treasure trove for art fans. The gallery, which has outposts around the globe including Tokyo, Hong Kong and Paris, is sharing a big chunk of its collection online for free. You can see films, artist interviews, studio and home visits, or listen to podcasts and playlists of the gallery's current and previous exhibited artists. We particularly enjoy the virtual gallery visits where 360-degree tours of over 60 different exhibitions are available for free. This even includes Japanese artists Takashi Murakami, Madsaki and Aya Takano.
Hitachi Seaside Park, known for its sprawling flower fields, is offering visitors a chance to catch its 260,000-odd tulips in full bloom via a 360-degree virtual tour with 28 vantage points. Hitachi Seaside Park is home to approximately 260 varieties of tulips in different colours and sizes. The bulbs, grown in the Tamago no Mori Flower Garden, hit their peak bloom in late April. The best part of the virtual tour is that it provides you with a rare chance to admire the flowers with not a human in sight. To enjoy the tulip virtual tour, as well as the park's nemophila and daffodils, visit here.
As Tokyo's Yayoi Kusama Museum is closed for the time being, you can now get your art fix thanks to The Broad in Los Angeles, which is sharing its highly popular work ‘Infinite Mirrored Room’ by Yayoi Kusama through the gallery's official YouTube channel. To enhance the room exprience, The Broad has added a unique soundtrack to each video, featuring musicians and sound artists from Los Angeles and beyond.
You can now read Time Out Tokyo magazines from wherever you are. Download the PDF format or read the digital edition on your web browser. It's perfect if you're planning a future trip or just want to keep up with what's going on in this great city of ours. Best of all, it's all free.
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See sand sculptures, Japanese art and more museum exhibitions from your home for free
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