As lively as ever, Japan’s capital is full of live events, pop-up shops, exhibitions and more. Check out the best things to do in Tokyo this weekend.
Tokyo Exhibitions and Art Shows
15 untitled works in concrete, 1980–84. Permanent collection, The Chinati Foundation, Marfa, Texas. Photo by Florian Holzherr, courtesy The Chinati Foundation. Donald Judd Art © 2026 Judd Foundation/ARS, NY/JASPAR, Tokyo.
Judd | Marfa
Tracing the radical career of Donald Judd (1928-1994), this show dives into how a painter from Missouri ended up redefining 20th-century art through his massive, three-dimensional “stacks” and boxes. It centers on his big move from the New York art scene to the desert of Marfa, Texas, where he turned old buildings into permanent homes for his work. For Judd, art wasn’t just something you hung on a wall. It was about the entire space it lived in — a philosophy that still shakes up the worlds of architecture and design today. Mixing his early 1950s paintings with his famous minimalist structures, the exhibition gives a behind-the-scenes look at Judd’s obsession with spatial integrity through personal drawings, videos and plans. Visitors can also witness Judd’s long-standing connection to Japan, through the section documenting his 1978 show at Watari-um, organized by museum founder Shizuko Watari.
| Date & Time | Feb 15-Jun 07・11:00-19:00・Closed on Mondays |
| Price | ¥1,300–¥1,500 |
| Location | Watari-um |
W. Eugene Smith, "Untitled," from the series "As from My Window I Sometimes Glance...," c.1957-59. Collection of Tokyo Photographic Art Museum ©2026 The Heirs of W. Eugene Smith.
W. Eugene Smith and New York: The Loft Era
A towering figure in 20th-century American photography, W. Eugene Smith produced a body of work that redefined the impact of a single image. While Smith is best known for his assignments as a World War II correspondent for Life magazine, his career actually traces a much broader technical evolution. Venturing beyond traditional news reporting, he was a pioneer of the photo essay — a format that uses a sequence of images and short text to build a complex story. Following his work from the 1940s to later projects like Minamata, the exhibition highlights Smith’s effort to fuse raw journalism with deliberate artistic composition. A major part of the collection covers Smith’s transition away from mainstream news after 1954, specifically his years living in a Manhattan loft. This space became a creative crossroads for jazz legends like Thelonious Monk and artists such as Salvador Dalí. During this era, Smith’s style shifted: he began using the camera as a tool for artistic exploration rather than as a recording device. Capturing the atmospheric, late-night jam sessions that unfolded around him, Smith moved beyond the conventions of his earlier work.
| Date & Time | Mar 17-Jun 07・10:00-18:00・Open Until 20:00 Thurs & Fri | Closed Mon |
| Price | ¥350–¥700 |
| Location | Tokyo Photographic Art Museum |
Dugg Ci Dox (DUGG) by Ousmane Ba Exhibition
Franco-Guinean-Senegalese artist Ousmane Ba's new exhibition at Ultra Super New Kura will feature washi collage and multicultural heritage.
| Date & Time | May 23-Jun 19・Reservations are required Tuesday-Friday, Walk-ins available on Saturday (11:00-19:30), closed Sunday and Monday |
| Price | Free |
| Location | UltraSuperNew KURA |
Hiroka Yamashita, "The Arrivals" (2026). © Hiroka Yamashita / Photo: Yuji Taneki
Hiroka Yamashita: White Veils
Mist, steam, incense smoke, snow falling thick enough to blur the world — these fleeting presences move through Hiroka Yamashita’s new paintings, drifting across scenes of sacred dances, figures gathered at festivals, snowy landscapes and serene moments by the water. The white vapors shift their shape and never quite let you see what lies behind them. “White Veils,” her second solo exhibition at Taka Ishii Gallery, gathers 18 new paintings around these themes. Yamashita’s work draws on Japanese mythology and animist traditions, often built from her own visits to local rites and festivals. Many of the new paintings center on kagura, the sacred Shinto dances and ceremonies she’s been studying since 2024. White has long been read as a sign of the divine in Japan, and it enters this body of work alongside deep red and black — colors at the heart of older Japanese painting.
| Date & Time | May 16-Jun 20・12:00-19:00・Closed Sundays & Mondays |
| Price | Free |
| Location | Taka Ishii Gallery, Roppongi & Kyobashi |
Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii
Mori Arts Center Gallery will hold a special exhibition celebrating 60 years of the Sanrio brand, kawaii culture and over 200 characters.
| Date & Time | Apr 09-Jun 21・10:00-18:00・Saturdays and public holidays: 10:00 - 20:00, last admission 30 minutes before closing |
| Price | Adults: ¥2800 | High school, junior high and elementary school students: ¥1200 |
| Location | Mori Arts Center Gallery |
Karl Walser, "Girl with a Doll Stroller" (before 1905). NMB New Museum Biel, Switzerland
Karl Walser: Dark Afterglow of the Fin de Siècle
Karl Walser’s paintings have a strange, dreamlike pull to them — somewhere between symbolism and storybook, with a touch of melancholy underneath. Much of his work emerged in Berlin, where he was part of the Secession, a group of artists pushing back against the stiffness of academic painting at the time. But painting was only one part of what he did. He also illustrated books, designed sets and costumes for the theater and spent his later years working on murals. In 1908, Walser traveled to Japan and spent several months sketching whatever caught his eye — kabuki actors, summer riverside platforms in Kyoto, the Gion Festival in full swing. Many of those watercolors have rarely been seen in public, and the colors are still startlingly fresh. This is the first retrospective in Japan of Walser, bringing together around 150 works.
| Date & Time | Apr 28-Jun 21・10:00-00:00・Closed Mondays, except May 4 and June 15. Open Until 20:00 Fridays |
| Price | ¥1,300-¥1,800 |
| Location | Tokyo Station Gallery |
Mathilde Denize, "Contours" (2026). Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Mathilde Denize: Time and Light
French artist Mathilde Denize brings a tactile, physical energy to her first Japanese solo exhibition at Perrotin Tokyo. Known for a process that involves cutting up her old canvases and sewing them back together, Denize treats painting as a form of construction. In her new series, Contours, she moves away from using outside objects like leather or shells to focus on the paint itself, building her surfaces using pigments salvaged from film sets and advertising shoots, layering hazy pinks, golden yellows and rich purples to create a sense of history. The structural thinking behind these works echoes the ideas of Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé, who treated words like physical objects — placing them on a page to fragment the reader’s pace. Denize applies this to the gallery itself, hanging her canvases in a single horizontal line to create a rhythm that feels like a musical score. This approach also connects to the modernism of painter Sonia Delaunay, who used color relationships to create a visual beat. Rather than simply reenacting these historical styles, Denize engages with the questions they left unfinished.
| Date & Time | Mar 24-Jun 27・11:00-19:00・Closed Sundays & Mondays |
| Price | Free |
| Location | Perrotin Tokyo |
Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition Tokyo
Warehouse Terrada will host an immersive exhibit inspired by the monsters/spirits of Japanese folklore, combining art with special effects.
| Date & Time | Mar 27-Jun 28・~20:00・last entry at 19:30; The final day (June 28) is open until 17:00 (final entrance 16:30) |
| Price | adults: ¥2600, seniors: ¥2500, university and high school students: ¥1800, junior high school students and under: ¥800, |
| Location | Warehouse Terrada |
| More Info | Guests who present a disability certificate can get a discounted ticket |
Minato City Toy Pictures Exhibition
The Minato City Local History Museum's exhibition on omocha-e, or "Toy Pictures," will show children's artwork from the Edo and Meiji eras.
| Date & Time | Apr 25-Jun 28・~17:00・Last admission is 30 minutes before closing |
| Price | General: ¥200, High school students and younger: ¥100 |
| Location | Minato City Local History Museum |
Heisei Ren-Ai Exhibition
Roppongi Museum's new Heisei romance exhibition will explore the nostalgic after-school days of the past, with over 3000 displayed items.
| Date & Time | Apr 07-Jun 28・Monday to Thursday 10:00-18:00 (last entry at 17:30) | Friday to Sunday (and during Golden Week): 10:00-20:00 (last entry at 19:30) |
| Price | General: ¥2200 | Junior high and high school students: ¥1800 | Elementary school students: ¥1300 |
| Location | Roppongi Museum |
| More Info | Guests who present a disability certificate can get a discounted ticket |
Leica Gallery Omotesando © Teresa Freitas
Teresa Freitas: Meeting Point
For Portuguese photographer Teresa Freitas, color is the whole point. It’s the thing that holds her images together — shaping space, drawing the eye and pulling together places that have nothing else in common. Her work moves freely between street, documentary and fine art photography, building a visual language all its own. “Meeting Point,” on view at Leica Gallery Omotesando, pairs photographs taken in distant parts of the world — loosely framed as East and West — and presents them side by side. Each pairing turns on a kind of visual rhyme: a shade of blue in one place echoing the same blue thousands of miles away, a curve of architecture finding its match across an ocean, until the distance between them begins to dissolve. Drawn from years of accumulated images, the work shows how photographic memory builds over time, and how the eye can find unexpected connections across the world.
| Date & Time | Apr 02-Jun 28・11:00-19:00・Closed Mondays |
| Price | Free |
| Location | Leica Gallery Omotesando |
Urs Fischer, "Mirror" (2026). Installation View. Courtesy of Fergus McCaffrey
Urs Fischer: Spot the Difference
Urs Fischer’s works move between high culture and kitsch, the permanent and the fleeting, the serious and the absurd — often within the same piece. “Spot the Difference,” his first exhibition at Fergus McCaffrey Tokyo, takes its cue from the gallery itself: a finished space upstairs, an unfinished sub-basement below. The split became a way to think about the conscious and unconscious mind. Upstairs, two life-size wax self-portraits face each other through a roughly cut hole in the wall. Lit on opening day, they are slowly melting over the course of the show before being recast and begun again. Downstairs, Rorschach-like wallpaper of concrete holes and patches wraps the entire space, populated with painted bronze sculptures and drawings. Born in Zurich in 1973, Fischer lives and works in Los Angeles. The exhibition marks the first showing of his Candle portraits in Japan.
| Date & Time | Apr 11-Jul 04・11:00-19:00・Closed Sundays & Mondays |
| Price | Free |
| Location | Fergus McCaffrey Tokyo |
Andrew Wyeth: Boundaries or Windows
Born in 1917, Andrew Wyeth is widely considered one of America’s most beloved painters. While many artists of his time were chasing bold new movements like Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, Wyeth went his own way; he stayed close to home, painting the people, houses and fields he knew best in rural Pennsylvania and coastal Maine. But his paintings are never just pretty pictures of the countryside. Look closely, and you’ll find something deeper — everyday moments charged with feeling, memory and a sense of life’s fragility. Wyeth had a particular fascination with windows, doors and other thresholds. These ordinary details became something more in his hands: gentle reminders of the line between the familiar and the unknown, between life and what lies beyond.
| Date & Time | Apr 28-Jul 05・09:30-17:30・Closed May 7, and on Mondays except May 4 and June 29 |
| Price | Free |
| Location | Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum |
Eric Carle, Illustration for "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Collection of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation. © 1969, 1987 Penguin Random House LLC.
Eric Carle: Art, Books and the Caterpillar
Few picture books have been loved by as many children as The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Created by American author Eric Carle, it has been translated into more than 70 languages and passed down through generations. At its heart is a simple but memorable message: a tiny caterpillar nibbles its way through the world and grows into a beautiful butterfly. It’s a story about hope, change and becoming who you’re meant to be. Marking the 50th anniversary of the book’s Japanese publication, this exhibition brings together around 180 works, including precious original illustrations and handmade “book dummies” that show how Carle’s ideas first took shape on paper. You’ll also see early pieces from his days as a graphic designer — the foundation for the playful, interactive picture books he would later become famous for.
| Date & Time | Apr 25-Jul 26・10:00-18:00・Closed May 7 & July 21, and on Mondays except May 4 and July 20 |
| Price | ¥1,600-¥2,300 |
| Location | Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo |
Grand Van Gogh Exhibition
Van Gogh's timeless masterpiece, "Café Terrace at Night," will come to Japan for the first time in 20 years, exhibiting his art evolution.
| Date & Time | May 29-Aug 12・Sunday to Thursday: 9:00-17:30 | Friday, Saturday and public holidays: 9:00-19:00 | Admission until 30 minutes before closing |
| Price | General: ¥2800 | University and high school students: ¥1600 | Junior high and elementary school students: ¥1000 |
| Location | The Ueno Royal Museum |
| More Info | Free admission for high school students and younger until June 30 |
Invitation from Hogwarts at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo
The Making of Harry Potter presents “Invitation from Hogwarts,” a limited-time experience running from March 18 to September 6, 2026.
| Date & Time | Mar 18-Sep 06・08:30-19:00 |
| Price | ¥6,300 |
| Location | Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo |
Rina Banerjee, "A woman must keep moving…" (2022). Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.
Rina Banerjee: "You made me leave home…
Stepping into Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo feels like entering a series of mystical, layered environments built from an extraordinary array of found objects. Indian-American artist Rina Banerjee gathers items from across the globe — such as ostrich eggs, vintage glass chandeliers, copper threads and medicinal powders — and weaves them into sculptures that feel both ancient and modern. While her work directly confronts the legacies of colonialism, she does so through a lens of humor and striking beauty, creating a space where the viewer is simultaneously charmed and challenged. This exhibition, which marks the 20th anniversary of Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo and a decade of the Fondation’s international “Hors-les-murs” program, features 19 works that explore the fluid nature of identity. A highlight of the show is a monumental installation inspired by Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days, featuring a massive dome from which a cascade of objects is suspended. The exhibition also features Banerjee’s 2025 painting series, which integrates South Asian motifs and iconography to create female figures that echo the presence of Hindu goddesses.
| Date & Time | Mar 19-Sep 13・12:00-20:00 |
| Price | Free |
| Location | Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo |
Ron Mueck Exhibition
Ron Mueck, a contemporary artist, will hold an exhibition at the Mori Art Museum with figurative sculptures that reflect life and mortality.
| Date & Time | Apr 29-Sep 23・10:00-22:00・Tuesdays: 10:00-17:00 | Open until 22:00 on May 5, August 11 and September 22 | Admission until 30 minutes before closing |
| Price | Adults: ¥2500 | University and high school students: ¥1500 | Seniors: ¥2000 | Junior high school students and under: free |
| Location | Mori Art Museum |
Tokyo Festivals and Outdoor Events
More events coming soon.
Tokyo Live Music and Night Life Events
Satoru Shionoya and Salt Strings in Concert
Step into an evening of refined jazz with Satoru Shionoya and his ensemble, Salt Strings — set in the renowned venue Yamaha Hall.
| Date & Time | Jun 6, 2026・17:00~・Doors open at 16:30 |
| Price | ¥7000 |
| Location | Yamaha Hall |
Tokyo Community and Performative Events
More events coming soon.
Tokyo Anime and Manga Events
Initial D Art Exhibition
Street racing series Initial D will have a special exhibition that reimagines Shuichi Shigeno's manga in a new context of contemporary art.
| Date & Time | May 28-Jun 07・12:00-18:00 |
| Price | Free |
| Location | The Coffee Brew Club |
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth Exhibition
Tokyo City View observation deck will collaborate with manga "Orb: On the Movements of the Earth" with artwork, photo spots and projections.
| Date & Time | Apr 04-Jun 08・10:00-22:00・last admission at 21:30 |
| Price | General: ¥2400｜High school and university students: ¥1700｜Junior high school students and under: ¥1100｜Seniors 65 and over: ¥2100 |
| Location | Tokyo City View |
| More Info | Discounted advance tickets and limited tickets with a gift bonus are also available |
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon -Shining Theater Shinagawa Tokyo-
Shinagawa Prince Hotel will host a brand-new Sailor Moon theater experience with an original story and immersive effects.
| Date & Time | Apr 04-Jul 31 |
| Price | starting at ¥8000 |
| Location | Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX |
Tokyo Food and Drink Events
BeBu's Chipotle Mango Glazed Fried Chicken Burger
The American comfort food restaurant BeBu is introducing Chipotle Mango Glazed Fried Chicken Burger for a limited time starting on May 1.
| Date & Time | May 01-Jun 30・10:00-19:00 |
| Price | A la carte ¥1,900, Combo ¥2,200 |
| Location | BeBu |
| More Info | Combo includes a drink. Prices are inclusive of consumption tax. |
Tokyo DisneySea Food and Wine Festival 2026
The annual Tokyo DisneySea Food & Wine Festival will return with a wide range of limited-time gourmet items across the park.
| Date & Time | Apr 15-Jun 30 |
| Price | Free |
| Location | Tokyo DisneySea |
| More Info | Park admission is required |
Le Pristine Presents Italian Regions: Part 2
The Italian Regions series at Le Pristine continues this May and June, turning to the sun-drenched regions of Tuscany and Liguria.
| Date & Time | May 01-Jun 30・18:00-22:00 |
| Price | Six Course Menu: ¥18,700 |
| Location | Le Pristine Restaurant Tokyo |
| More Info | Includes one aperitivo dish, and a glass of Champagne. Wine Pairing: ¥8,800 |
Tour of Japan at The Oak Door
The Oak Door is offering an exclusive dinner course, bringing together premium Japanese ingredients for a dynamic evening at its steakhouse.
| Date & Time | Apr 01-Jun 30・18:00-22:00 |
| Price | ¥18,920 |
| Location | Oak Door |
Lavender Sweet Afternoon Tea at Shinjuku Prince Hotel
Shinjuku Prince Hotel will offer a "Lavender Sweet Afternoon Tea," an elegant experience with treats inspired by flowers and seasonal colors.
| Date & Time | May 07-Jun 30・14:30-17:00・Last order: 16:30, Seating is limited to 2 hours |
| Price | Weekdays: (Members) ¥6000 per person, (Non-Members) ¥6500 per person | Weekends & Holidays (Members) ¥6500 per person, (Non-Members) ¥7,000 per person |
| Location | Shinjuku Prince Hotel |
Botanical Pool Club's 'Sunlit Bloom 2026'
Botanical Pool Club (BPC) is currently holding "Sunlit Bloom 2026," a seasonal event to enjoy early summer, that runs until June 30.
| Date & Time | Apr 01-Jun 30 |
| Price | |
| Location | Botanical Pool Club |
Tokyo Matcha Time at Skytree
Tokyo Skytree will host its first-ever Tokyo Matcha Time event, where visitors can enjoy matcha tea at the observation deck.
| Date & Time | Apr 23-Jul 06 |
| Price | starting at ¥1800 |
| Location | Tokyo Skytree |
Forest Beer Garden at Meiji Jingu Gaien
A beloved summer tradition in Tokyo, the Forest Beer Garden at Meiji Jingu Gaien is open for its 2026 edition.
| Date & Time | Apr 22-Sep 30・16:30-22:00・14:00-22:30 During Summer Season. From 12:00 on weekends and holidays |
| Price | ¥4,980-¥6,980 for adults |
| Location | Meiji Jingu Gaien |
(c)Kate Shanasy
Bills' Spring-Summer Menu 2026
Bills (stylized as bills) is currently offering its Spring-Summer 2026 Menu across all eight locations in Japan.
| Date & Time | Apr 22-Oct 01 |
| Price | |
| Location | bills Ginza |
Kissa Monchhichi with Sunday Brunch Kichijoji
Sunday Brunch Kichijoji will collaborate with Monchhichi for a limited-time retro-themed café experience with dishes inspired by the toy.
| Date & Time | May 21-Oct 25・11:00-20:00・Last order at 19:00 |
| Price | starting at ¥1450 |
| Location | Sunday Brunch Kichijoji |
| More Info | Reservations can only be made via the website |
Hilton Tokyo Odaiba's Exclusive Charcoal-Grill Terrace Dining Experience
A new outdoor charcoal-grill dining experience at Sakura , the Japanese restaurant at Hilton Tokyo Odaiba.
| Date & Time | Mar 29-Oct 31・Excludes May 23, 24 and October 24, 2026 |
| Price | ¥25,000 per person |
| Location | Hilton Tokyo Odaiba |
| More Info | Includes taxes and service charge |
Le Petit Chef & Friends
ANA InterContinental Tokyo is hosting its second chapter of its immersive dining spectacle, Le Petit Chef & Friends.
| Date & Time | Feb 5, 2026-Jan 31, 2027・Times Vary. Guests are asked to arrive 15 minutes prior to the booking |
| Price | ¥15,000 (Kids Course) - ¥28,000 (Le Petit Chef Premium Menu) |
| Location | Le Petit Chef |
New Traiteur Semi-Lunch Buffet Begins at Mesm Tokyo
The modern luxury hotel Mesm Tokyo (stylized as mesm Tokyo) is now offering a new style of semi-lunch buffet.
| Date & Time | Apr 1, 2026-Apr 1, 2027・11:30-15:00 |
| Price | ¥7,600 |
| Location | Mesm Tokyo, Autograph Collection |
Il Lupino Prime Tokyo's Revamped Happy Hour Set
Il Lupino Prime Tokyo has revamped its popular Happy Hour program, extending service by one hour with last orders now at 6 p.m.
| Date & Time | Apr 15, 2026-Apr 15, 2027・15:00-18:00 |
| Price | Happy Hour Set for 2: ¥4,000 (tax included) |
| Location | Il Lupino Prime Tokyo |
| More Info | Tagliata: ¥8,000, Sliders: ¥2,200 |
Tokyo Film, Gaming and Pop Culture Events
Pokémon Pokopia x Raku Spa Collaboration Event
Raku Spa will collaborate with Pokemon Pokopia for a collaboration event at 39 different spa locations, inspired by the popular video game.
| Date & Time | May 28-Jun 16 |
| Price | starting at ¥2000 |
| Location | Various Raku Spa Locations |
| More Info | For a full list of participating Raku Spa locations, please visit the event website |
© SSFF & ASIA
Short Shorts Film Festival 2026
The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2026, one of Asia’s largest Academy Award-accredited short film festivals, will return across Tokyo.
| Date & Time | May 26-Jun 30 |
| Price | See website for more information |
| Location | Various venues across Tokyo |
Squid Game: The Experience
Tokyu Plaza Shibuya will host an immersive experience inspired by the Emmy Award-winning South Korean series Squid Game.
| Date & Time | Jan 16-Jul 20・11:00-21:30 |
| Price | starting at ¥3300 |
| Location | Tokyu Plaza Shibuya |
More Things To Do in Tokyo
- The Ultimate Guide To Thrifting in Tokyo: Best Shops and Spots To Shop
- How to Find Tokyo’s Secret Nintendo Bar: 84 Hashi Cafe
- The Runner’s Guide to Tokyo: Recommended Routes and Tips
Updated On June 3, 2026
