January 2025 events in Tokyo

The massive Unicorn Gundam statue in front of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba is getting lit up with special winter lights. Until February 16, you can see the robot illuminated in blue, red and yellow to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Mobile Suit Gundam animated series, which first premiered in 1979. While you can see this exclusive light-up from 5pm to 11pm daily, we recommend visiting between 7pm and 9.30pm to also see a special show featuring a short screening of the animation, held every 30 minutes.

Experience traditional Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints in motion at Warehouse Terrada this winter, as digital creative company Hitohata returns to Tokyo with a dazzling exhibition of works by many of Japan’s most prized artists, including Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige.

The exhibition is set to open on December 21 and will go on until March 31. Expect to see vibrant artworks come to life with surging waves, falling sakura petals and moving flowers and trees.

In addition to the digital exhibits, the museum will display a selection of famous ukiyo-e from the Edo period (1603–1867), making for a perfect chance to learn more about the art form’s history and culture.

Tickets are currently on sale online, with early-bird ticket discounts available from kkday, eplus and Lawson Ticket until Dec 20. 

Winter's no excuse to stay inside. In fact, when the cold starts to creep through the wafer-thin walls and shoddy window frames of Tokyo houses and apartments, rather than trying to hide under a mountain of blankets, you might actually be better off engaging in some outdoor activities. Ice skating is obviously something best experienced out in the open, and quality rinks are popping up all around the city.

Here's our quick guide to the best skating spots out there, including both winter-only rinks and year-round, indoor facilities that are also great places for serious figure skating or ice hockey training. First-timer or seasoned veteran – everyone's welcome, and gear rental is available at most of these places as well.

The annual Shinjuku Minamillumi light-up is back this year for the 10th time, happening from November 15 to February 14. Six venues in the area will be participating in this illumination special, namely the JR Minami Shinjuku Building, JR Shinjuku Miraina Tower, Suica Penguin Plaza, Takashimaya Times Square, Shinjuku Maynds Tower, and Shinjuku Southern Terrace.

Suica Penguin Plaza, located in front of Shinjuku Station’s New South exit between the promenade and Takashimaya Times Square, is bathed in crystal blue lights. The plaza features an illuminated ‘welcome gate’, complete with two adorable penguin statues. You may recognise the penguin character from JR East’s Suica IC cards. 

Trees along the 46-metre-long promenade at Southern Terrace are also decorated with golden lights, and the path is even equipped with motion sensors that activate a special light show. Venture further and you’ll come across a red and golden Christmas tree (until December 25) set up on the second floor of Takashimaya Times Square, plus even more lights that illuminate the entire terrace.

The illuminations take place daily from 5pm to 12midnight until the end of November, and from 4.30pm between December and February.

The 1.2-kilometre-long Marunouchi Naka-dori street, always one of the most popular Tokyo illumination spots, will have around 280 trees lit up with about 820 thousand low-energy, champagne-coloured LEDs this year, making for an environmentally friendly and stylish display.

If you’d rather stay cosy while admiring the lights, visit the newly renovated Marunouchi House, where the seventh-floor terrace will feature festive illuminations for a limited time. The terrace has plenty of seats surrounded by outdoor heaters.

Closer to Christmas, Gyoko-dori between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station will have more illuminations between November 28 and December 25.

Enoshima’s annual illumination is widely touted as one of the three biggest and most impressive light-up events in Japan, alongside the ones at Ashikaga Flower Park and Sagamiko. There are about 10 illumination spots scattered across the hilly island – including the Enoshima Shrine, Ryuren Bell of Love on Lover's Hill and Nakatsumiya Square – so put on some comfortable shoes as you’ll be trekking a lot.

Don’t miss the main attraction located at the island’s iconic Enoshima Sea Candle lighthouse, which is decked out in 70m-long strings of lights stretching from the tip of the tower to the ground, creating a formation similar to the silhouette of Mt Fuji.

The Samuel Cocking Garden, where the Sea Candle is located, is transformed into the dreamy Hoseki (bejewelled) Forest, where everything from the ground and the grass to the trees are covered in rainbow-coloured lights. Keep an eye out for the Shonan Chandelier tunnel, all decked out with luxurious crystal beads and LED lights.

Most attractions are open from 5pm to 8pm (until 9pm on weekends and holidays). You can see most of the light-ups on Enoshima for free, but you will need a ticket (¥500, children ¥250) to enter the Samuel Cocking Garden.

If you're on the island early during daylight hours, head over to Enoshima Iwaya (¥500, children ¥250), as the island's famous cave, created by decades of wave erosion, is bedecked with sparkling lights from 9am to 5pm.

Sagamiko Resort Mori Mori has gone all out for its winter illuminations, featuring over six million dazzling LEDs. This year, there's an entire area dedicated to Japan's beloved laid-back bear, Rilakkuma, along with his sidekick Korilakkuma and other San-X friends like Sumikkogurashi.

You can hop on the park’s Rainbow Chairlift and sail over colourful stripes before reaching the top of a hill, where you'll find a series of illumination art walls showcasing Rilakkuma and his friends. Walk further in to discover a massive Tarepanda inflatable and a bear-shaped igloo with Sumikkogurashi characters glowing in colourful lights.

Be sure to catch the spectacular illumination show at the San-X character stage, where Korilakkuma, Afro-dog and Ebifurai No Shippo perform live with synchronised laser lights for four minutes each. Nearby, a massive Rilakkuma is perched a set of swings, providing the perfect setup for a special photo.

While you’re there, indulge in Rilakkuma and Sumikkogurashi-themed meals and snacks. Enjoy a hearty Sumikkogurashi Bon Pasta or the Meat Doria Plate with San-X characters. Prefer something sweet? Then check out the colorful popcorn sundae or the Rilakkuma pudding in a cup.

Located next to Tokyo amusement park Yomiuri Land, the Hana Biyori garden is lighting up with a spectacular illumination display until April 6 2025. Follow the path lined with 500 takeakari bamboo lanterns and takemari (ball-like ornaments made from bamboo) and you’ll come to a historical gate that was transplanted from the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Once inside, you’ll find a wall of illuminated Japanese umbrellas that look like colourful lanterns, leading you further into the garden. Awaiting here are more takeakari and takemari, in addition to a glowing chozuya (basin with purified water) decked out with flowers.

A new addition this year are the kiri-e (paper cutout) lanterns, which are placed around the garden’s east waterfall, as well as an illuminated bamboo wall featuring cutout images of flowers, wind and water.

To complement your experience, you can rent a Japanese umbrella and lantern to walk around and take photos for just ¥200.

Fans of Hotel New Otani’s sweet buffet can rejoice because it’s back this year with a selection of all-you-can-eat strawberry desserts using the highest quality amaou strawberries. There’s unlimited Super Amaou Shortcake, the hotel’s signature dessert, which is usually sold for ¥1,404 a slice. You’ll get a total of 90 minutes to fill up on puddings, cakes, tarts and more for only ¥7,000 on weekdays and ¥8,200 on weekends (¥4,200 for children). If you need a break from all the sugar, don’t worry, there are plenty of savoury foods like roast beef and tamago sandwiches on offer, too.

All prices are subject to a separate service charge.

Among the illustrated characters that emerged in Japan across the second half of the 20th century, and continue to capture hearts both at home and across the globe, none represents the phenomenon better than Hello Kitty. With a half-century now having passed since the cartoon feline was introduced by the Sanrio company, this major exhibition looks at how Kitty-chan’s design has evolved over decades of cultural change: without ever losing that innate charm that has endeared her to generation after generation.

The largest collection of Hello Kitty goods ever amassed in one place, as well as video content and other media, gradually reveals the secrets to this character’s appeal: how besides keeping pace with the times while simultaneously transcending them, Hello Kitty can mirror the day-to-day moods of each and every fan. Highlights include collaboration pieces created with well-known artists and designers, and a series of immersive photo spots featuring not only Kitty-chan but also other faces from the Sanrio stable, including My Melody and Cinnamoroll.

Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away in 2023 aged 71, was one of Japan's most globally influential musicians and composers. He also had a talent for creating multimedia art and became a prominent social activist, concerned with pacifism and environmental issues.

For much of the past two decades, Sakamoto focused upon three-dimensional sound installations, and these comprise the bulk of this show. A series of these immersive large-scale works unfolds around the MOT's vast exhibition spaces to mesmerising effect. The outdoor 'Sunken Terrace', for example, plays host to a literal 'fog sculpture' titled 'Life-Well Tokyo', produced in collaboration with artists Shiro Takatani, of Dumb Type and Fujiko Nakaya. Inside several works draw upon the music that Sakamoto created for his 2017 album 'async', a recording that pursued asynchronicity in a bid to create entirely 'untraditional' music. Indoor and out, together these pieces form a poignant tribute to a much-missed member of the creative community. 

Master painter Claude Monet (1840-1926) is best known for Impressionist works that captured on canvas the ceaseless transitions of nature. As explored by this major exhibition, however, in the later years of his career, this French artist pursued a more abstract approach, with inspiration coming from both personal and wider realities such as bereavement, his own eye disease and the First World War.

The natural world remained Monet’s ostensible subject matter, such as his signature water lily ponds and their surrounding trees and skies, but his depictions of such scenes were then additionally coloured by internal distress.

For this show, around 50 pieces from Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris have been brought over to Japan, with many being shown in the country for the very first time. These are augmented by works held in collections across Japan, to form an expansive look at Monet’s later career.

The highlight here is a large screen of water lilies, which stands over two metres tall and makes for a truly immersive experience.

The exhibition is closed on Mondays (except November 4, January 13, February 10 and February 11) as well as November 5, December 28-January 1, and January 14.

What Museum’s latest exhibit, Synesthesia, is an interactive one. This engaging showcase is the work of a Japanese artist who uses air, water and light to craft mesmerising sculptures that blur the lines between perception and reality. 

With a background in sociology and art education, Akihito Okunaka is inspired by late philosopher Bruno Latour to explore the connections between nature and society through our five senses. Here you get to touch, enter and lie down in a balloon-like installation and feel connected with your surroundings.

The 12-metre in diameter balloon sculpture is weighed down by a water 'bed' and bathed in different light frequencies. This multi-sensorial work promises a visual and tactile experience that blurs the lines between sight and touch. Imagine light refracting through multiple layers of translucent plastic film, creating a kaleidoscope of colours that dance across the surface, all while being swayed gently by the water bed.

This exhibition is closed on Mondays (except October 14, November 4, January 13, February 3 and 24) and New Year holidays.