The month of August is the season of ghouls, spirits and spooks in Japan which is no surprise really. Telling ghost stories is considered one of the best ways to stay cool during the summer. With that in mind, we have a few thrilling events for you this week to send chills down your spine. Here’s a list of spooky exhibitions, night parks, live performances and more.
1. Hyakkiyako Exhibition of Mizuki Shigeru
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Mizuki Shigeru’s birth, visitors can enjoy a thrilling yokai exhibition in front of the backdrop of a stunning view of the Tokyo skyline. This exhibition displays more than one hundred of Shigeru’s yokai illustrations and explores his fascination with these traditional Japanese ghouls, monsters and goblins.
Also on display are Gazu Hyakki Yagyo (“The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons”) by Toriyama Sekien, an Edo Period painter, and Yokai Dangi (“The Monologue of the Monsters”) by Yanagita Kunio, a folklorist from the early Showa Period, for the first time.
When: Sep 4 | More Info
2. MTM x Moon Romantic: Sense Mania
Fans of live music will enjoy this lively event featuring A Virgin, Mashu and Takuya Nakamura’s cosmic BB’s. The night will also have DJs bungo and Fish&Rice performing. In addition to the cost of the ticket, non-members of More Than Music must buy a drink.
When: Aug 19 | More Info
3. Sumikko Gurashi Spooky Night Park at Tokyo Skytree
Tokyo Skytree celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and one of the events is all about Sumikko Gurashi characters. The regulars plus new ghost characters will make a series of appearances at Tokyo Skytree. The Observation Deck will be transformed into a night park where Sumikko Gurashi characters are to be exhibited. Skytree will also be lit up with a special Sumikko lighting installation at night.
When: Until Nov 9 | More Info
4. Gourmet Burger Grand Prix in Roppongi Hills
The annual Gourmet Burger Grand Prix is a great way to try amazing creative burgers and have some fun by judging them and voting. A total of 19 restaurants in Roppongi Hills are presenting 24 gourmet burgers. They are competing to claim the title of the best gourmet burger in two categories: the “special limited menu category” and the “regular menu category.”
The “special limited menu category” features never-before-seen original recipes while the “regular menu category” features well-loved fan-favorites from each restaurant. Customers can enjoy fish burgers filled with swordfish steak or standard beef burgers that use unique parts of the cow such as the abomasum. After finishing a burger, you can rate it on a voting ticket and submit it to help determine the winner of this year’s Grand Prix.
When: Until Sep 19 | More Info
Editorial credit: More Than Music Japan
5. MTM x Shimokitazawa THREE
Those interested in upcoming artists in the underground music scene will enjoy this show in one of the hippest neighborhoods in Tokyo. The lineup includes SLMCT, Three Ring Circus, Takada Fu (Beat Live) and New Babylon. In addition to the entry fee guests must also purchase a drink.
When: Aug 16 | More Info
Kim Hak, “NOTEBOOK AND LACE BLOUSES
(MRS. SAM SONN, BORN IN 1956 IN KAMPOT, LIVES IN KANAGAWA)” from Alive Project
6. Kim Hak: “Alive IV”
Rei Foundation is proud to present “Alive IV,” an exhibition in Tokyo and Yokohama featuring new work from Cambodian artist Kim Hak. Approximately 40 photographs and accompanying texts will be presented, focusing on the personal belongings of people who fled Cambodia during and after the civil unrest of the 1970s.
When: From Aug 19 | More Info
