The Best Things To Do in Tokyo This Weekend

Tokyo is alive every day of the week. There’s always something to see or do, whether it’s an exhibition, gig, a pop-up shop or a seasonal limited edition item to try. Here are the best events and things to do in Tokyo during this long weekend from April 26-29.

Live Shows and Community Events

Odaiba Dinosaur Expo 2024

Dinosaur-loving children and adults all over Japan are getting ready to flock to this year’s Dinosaur Expo taking place in Odaiba. It opens in March and lasts until after Golden Week. The specialty dinosaur store, Dinosaur Base, offers exciting dinosaur-related products, inspired by the 3D-printed models of the exhibition.

Last Train Comedy at Tokyo Comedy Bar

Every Friday and Saturday, there is a lineup of top-notch comedians at the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya. Whether you’re a Tokyo local or just passing through, Last Train Comedy is a fun way to finish off your evening, before you catch the last train home. Gather your friends, grab a drink from the well-stocked bar, and immerse yourself in a night of stand-up and improv covering life, love and everything in between.

Tokyo Comedy Bar Improv Comedy Workshop

If you’re interested in performance, or boosting your public speaking and presentation skills, then the Tokyo Comedy Bar’s improv workshops are just the thing for you. Led by experienced comedian Jon Sabay, each week the class teaches you different improv skills through games and exercises. You’ll move and dance and laugh and play, and have a whole lot of fun while you learn.

This weekly drop-in workshop is held every Saturday and is the perfect place for performers of any level to experience improv.

To register or ask any questions, please email [email protected].

Exhibitions

© Özgür Kar ©Aneta Grzeszykowska Photo by Ryohei tomita

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.

Date & Time	UNTIL Jun 9, 2024・11:00-・Times vary, see website for details
Price	¥2,300
Location	Bank Art Kaiko, Various

More Details 

Design: Yugo Nakamura

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.

Date & Time	UNTIL May 15, 2024・11:00-19:00・Closed Sundays, Holidays
Price	Free
Location	Ginza Graphic Gallery

More Details 

“BLEACH / Returns” ©2024, Tite Kubo / Shueisha Inc. All rights reserved.

Bleach / Black, Blank & Bleed: Tite Kubo Exhibition at Azabudai Hills

A total of 10 new Bleach artworks created in 2024 are exhibited at at the Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage gallery in Azabudai Hills from March 8 to May 6.

The prints in the Bleach exhibition are divided into two categories: the “Real Color Collection” and “The Press,” a monochrome series. In the color collection there are images of Ichigo and friends dressed in kimono, Ichigo and members of the Gotei 13 squads, as well as the Arrancar villains. For the Gotei 13 image, they are dressed in Japanese delinquent-like outfits, while one image of the Arrancars shows them in corresponding white outfits. The monochrome prints show special art from the manga.

This is rare opportunity to see high-quality Bleach artwork selected by the manga artist himself, as well as purchase one of the very limited hand-signed prints.

Little Puddles: Exhibition by Matthew Brandt at Gallery Common

For his first-ever solo exhibition, American artist Matthew Brandt will be holding “Little Puddles” at Gallery Common.

The exhibition will present experimental photographic works, incorporating unexpected materials and techniques, challenging the limits of photography through the fluid practice of these “little puddles.”

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?

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 valuable works, including a sculptural piece by Banksy, pieces by French street artist Invader, American artist Shepard Fairey and many more, the exhibition includes career-defining works by internationally renowned artists.

Universal / Remote Exhibition

This March, the National Art Center, Tokyo is hosting an exhibition titled “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 over 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.

A to Z: An Exhibition of The Former Residence of Prince Asaka

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Teien Art Museum, the former residence of Prince Asaka. As a large Art Deco-style building completed in 1933, the Museum oozes a glitzy modernist glamor rarely seen in Tokyo. Fans of art and interior design will enjoy this exhibition of the Prince’s home with a new focus on its materials, architectural techniques and historical anecdotes.

Ⓒ 2024 Peanuts Worldwide LLC

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” began on February 1, when the Snoopy Museum Tokyo reopened 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. 

Aphrodite by Venus de Milo Afternoon Tea

A distinctive afternoon tea series inspired by the ancient Greek sculpture “Venus de Milo” can be enjoyed for a limited time at the bar and lounge, Whisk, located on the 16th floor of luxury hotel MESM. The delightful course, titled “Afternoon Exhibition,” features a wide range of sweets and savory dishes inspired by ancient Greece, where the Venus de Milo, which is believed to depict Aphrodite, was discovered.

It’s a playful course that makes it feel like you are inside a museum. On top of that, the small dishes, including baklava, moussaka, halva, cheesecake and some Greek-style fritters known as tiganites, all taste amazing. The highlight of the program, though, is the Greek yogurt peach mousse that looks identical to the Venus de Milo. Guests can complete the artwork with some apricot and raspberry sauce, which are served separately.

More Things To Do in Tokyo

• Tokyo Robots and Where to Find Them
• Visiting Real Life Locations From Haruki Murakami Novels in Tokyo
• 35 Must-visit Museums and Galleries in Tokyo