The Best Things To Do in Tokyo This Week

Konosu Poppy Festival

Saitama is the place to be if you happen to be a fan of poppies. Japan's largest poppy field, the Poppy Happy Square, is located in Konosu City in Saitama Prefecture, conveniently close to central Tokyo. Around 30 million poppies bloom each year, and food vans will be present during the festival.

Flower Festival 2024 at Showa Kinen Park

May is the perfect time to visit Showa Kinen Park, when it's filled with flowers. The park is stunning all through the spring season, with nanohana, cherry blossoms, tulips, nemophila, chamomile and bouquet gardens. There are also Insta-worthy ice creams and drinks, plus a BBQ offered in the park.

Alice's Blooming Carnival at Keisei Rose Garden

The Keisei Rose Garden turns into a rose theme park from mid-April to mid-June. It's the largest rose garden in the Kanto area, with 1,600 varieties of stunning roses, and it transforms into a true wonderland this time of year. A mid-day parade makes the park truly feel like an amusement park, and can be enjoyed by guests of all ages.

Nerima Shiki no Kaori Rose Garden 2024

Carefully managed by dedicated gardeners throughout the year, the Nerima Shiki no Kaori Rose Garden features 337 varieties of roses, including the "Shiki no Kaori" rose, as well as a dedicated fragrant rose garden, featuring scents of damascus and spice. There will also be a "Rose Garden of Color" where a palette of pink and other colored roses bloom, which will be enveloped in a rich fragrance and gorgeous spring roses. This spring, the garden also welcomes Kazutaka Komatsu for a garden concert, as well as rose scent comparison event using roses from the garden.

Overland_Spillover#1 Exhibition

Based on the phenomenon of "spillover," this exhibition will continue as an ongoing program. The first iteration, "Overland_Spillover#1" will feature one solo artist, one collaborative unit, and one platform: Shuhei Hayashi, MES (Takeru Arai and Kanae Tanikawa), and FAQ? (a platform by Tanikawa and Marina Lisa Komiya).  “Overland” is to be interpreted as the title of the first episode of this project. Exhibition teaser trailer.

Theaster Gates Solo Exhibition

While Black histories remain relatively little known among the Japanese public, this exhibition demonstrates its growing attention to Black art through the multidimensional practice of Theaster Gates. "Afro-Mingei" will convey the importance of contemporary art that honors craft, ask us to consider questions of race and politics, and celebrate the hybrid possibilities of culture.

"Undying" Exhibition by Robin F. Williams

In her first exhibition with Perrotin, Robin F. Williams explores the psychological variations of intimacy in film and media. Her paintings, based on film stills, are vibrant and absorbing, and their lush texturing rewards the attentive viewer. Williams engages in a discourse of gendered pleasure and female agency as seen in popular film, tantalizing the viewer with what we hope will be a happy ending.  There will be an opening reception on May 9, from 5–7 p.m.

Henkei Exhibition by Francisco Narciso

Yokohama Triennale

Yokohama Triennale enters its 8th edition with the theme “Wild Grass: Our Lives.” Artists from Japan and further afield have joined forces to conclude a wide ranging exhibition across five different areas in Yokohama, including BankArt Kaiko and Yokohama Museum of Art.

TDC2024 Exhibition

The Tokyo Type Directors Club (TDC2024) is a graphic design award focusing on visual expression of letters and words, now entering its 34th year. This exhibition will showcase around 130 outstanding pieces from its yearbook of 486 award-winning pieces.

Sense of Structure: From Horyuji Temple To The Universe Exhibition

Architects design buildings, but structural engineers make a building possible. "Sense of Structure" is a celebration of materials, knowledge, and creation — looking at how we're able to exist alongside nature, minimise natural disasters, and create masterpieces of architecture using structural design.

Animals, Animals, Animals! Exhibition

The city of Tokyo expanded into a sprawling metropolis during the Edo period, around 400 years ago. This exhibition asks: "How did these Tokyoites interact with animals?" A deep dive of all things feathered and furry, 240 works have been selected from the Edo Tokyo Museum collections. The 100 Animal Views From the Edo-Tokyo Museum Collection showcases a diverse representation of animals through picture scrolls, ukiyo-e prints, and folk toys.

Universal / Remote Exhibition

This March, the National Art Center, Tokyo will be hosting an exhibition entitled "Universal / Remote." This exhibition seeks to examine the various phenomena through contemporary art, such as the way we live and work within it and the state of society in the years following the pandemic. Eight solo artists and one artistic collective have come together to explore traditional themes in contemporary art, such as global capitalism and the digitalization of society. Featuring art from all of the world, from Asia to Scandinavia – including some works never before seen in Japan – viewers are invited to decipher post-pandemic society and the state of the individual.

MUCA Icons of Urban Art Exhibition

One of the largest museums of urban art in Europe, the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art (MUCA), is bringing its collection to Japan for the first time this spring. With over 60 incredibly valuable works, including a sculptural piece by Banksy, pieces by French street artist Invader, American artist Shepard Fairey and many more, the exhibition will include career-defining works by internationally renown artists.  

Fragments of the Future: Laboratory of Science and Design Exhibition

Design dreams of possible futures in this exhibition directed by engineer Shunji Yamanaka. Based around the theme of a more beautiful, surprising and engaging world, visitors can see prototypes, robots, and materials made by Yamanaka and others collaboratively. Showing what can emerge from combining design and scientific thinking, it asks, what could the materials of the future look like?

Traveling Peanuts Exhibition

Held at the newly refurbished Snoopy Museum Tokyo, the "Traveling Peanuts" exhibition is showcasing original drawings by Charles M. Schulz that depict Snoopy and the Peanuts gang during their travels. There are more than 40 original comic strips borrowed from the Schulz Museum. "Traveling Peanuts" begins on February 1, when the Snoopy Museum Tokyo reopens after being closed for three weeks.  The museum now includes a new Snoopy Wonder Room, featuring various Snoopy goods, and a new light and video presentation in the popular Snoopy Room area, which is known for its approximately 8-meter-long giant statue of  Schulz's most famous character.  The museum's shop, Brown's Store, meanwhile, has added various items that can't be found anywhere else in the world. Adjacent to the museum is the Peanuts Cafe, which now includes terrace seating and a new grand menu. 

Tokyo Afternoon Tea, Food and Drink Events