24 Things To Do in Tokyo This Week: May 22–28

Community Events

1.
Mexican Bread Masterclass

Led by Alejandra Akai, a culinary instructor who has studied the art of Mexican baking, this class teaches you how to create both sweet and savory baked goods using traditional Mexican ingredients and techniques.

2.
Omotenashi Selection Awardees at Shishokuya

Shishokuya is a new specialty shop where you can sample food and drink items from all over Japan for free before purchasing. It’s a rare experience and it can be exciting to get to know the unique products by actually tasting them.

3.
Higashi-Nagasaki Flea Market at I AM Gallery

To celebrate popular coffee shop Mia Mia‘s third anniversary, its sister space I AM is hosting its inaugural Higashi-Nagasaki Flea Market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as public holidays during April and May. Twenty-five creative friends of Mia Mia are setting up shop. Expect to find rare records, antiques, contemporary ceramics, zines, photos taken by a famous musician, stones turned into incense holders and more.

Live Events

4.
Radix Clubnight: Cedric Madden and Monker178

Get ready for a night of experimental electronic music as New York-based musician Cedric Madden lands in Tokyo with Monker178. There will also be an artistic performance by Cityofbrokendolls and a live set by Uku Kasai. Sudden Star, Sonia Lagoon, Saint-croîx, Suzuishi and Wa?ste will be DJing.

5.
Sayonara Nakano Sunplaza Music Festival

Since opening in 1973, Nakano Sun Plaza has hosted numerous concerts by artists of all genres. Celebrating the venue’s 50th anniversary, the Sayonara Nakano Sunplaza Music Festival is gathering many musicians with ties to the beloved place for a special concert. It’s a two-month-long music event.

6.
Electroman Vol.3: Electronic Live Music Show

Electroman is a More Than Music and Emergency Oxygen event that brings the best of Tokyo’s underground electronic music scene. From dance music to downtempo through electro house or drum and bass, this event is an eclectic party.

Electroman Vol.3 features Emergency Oxygen, Demsky & The NERRD, Kitka, and DJ Luke Hobbs.

7.
Sweden Jazz Week

Organized by the Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo and Spice of Life, Sweden Jazz Week offers a unique opportunity to listen to 11 of the best jazz musicians Sweden has to offer. From May 16 to May 23 there will be performances at various venues such as the Cotton Club, Sometime in Kichijoji, Billboard Live Yokohama and more.

8.
Cirque du Soleil’s Alegría: In a New Light

For the first time in five years, Cirque du Soleil is back in Tokyo. A reimagined version of the classic Alegría show is running until June. Marvel at the incredible and jaw-dropping stunts performed by acrobats, aerialists and fire dancers to the music of live vocalists.

Exhibitions

9.
We Will Be Alright: Photography Exhibition by Herbie Yamaguchi

It has been 37 years since Herbie Yamaguchi’s “London After The Dream” photo exhibition in 1986 at Shibuya Parco (SR6). Now a renowned photographer and essayist representing Japan, Yamaguchi has a new exhibition once again at Shibuya Parco (Gallery X by Parco).

The collection of works which reconstructs moments that transcend borders, eras and generations through Yamaguchi’s perspective can be described as a “miraculous encounter” brought about by the infinite potential of the expression of photography, a gentle gaze directed towards the subjects and vivid memories. The title of the exhibition conveys a calm and hopeful message to the next generation living in an unstable and unpredictable era.

10.
The Colorful World Born from Water: Seiki Kotenra Exhibition

Kotenra is a Japanese handmade jewelry brand which projects a colorful landscape based on the theme of time and memory. The artist, Seiki Kotenra, has been working on expressing himself through handmade jewelry and has recently ventured into painting as a means of creative expression. For him, painting is an act of trying to capture the beauty that resides in nature and the interplay of light and shadow that he senses in the passage of time.

11.
Human in the Loop: Matthew Stone Exhibition

Gallery Common will hold “Human in the Loop,” British artist Matthew Stone’s first solo exhibition in Japan. The show features a series of new paintings that combine analog, digital and AI processes. There’s also a generative painting that produces infinite images based on an algorithm trained on the artist’s works.

In commemoration of his first show in Tokyo, Stone is releasing a limited-edition print.

12.
Iwakan Magazine 6th Issue Exhibition

The editorial team behind Iwakan Magazine are celebrating the publication’s sixth issue with an exhibition. Various exhibitors are showing artworks such as drawings and videos, including Jacques Merle, Kento Terada, Sota Kodera, Nelson Hor, Shiori Ikeno, Ion Yamazaki, Moe Hiraishi, Martin de Crignis and more.

Of course, you can flip through and pick up the latest issue of Iwakan at the event.

Kusama in the exhibited hexagonal mirror room at “Kusamaʼs Peep Show” or “Endless Love Show,” a solo exhibition at Richard Castellane Gallery, New York. 1966 © YAYOI KUSAMA

13.
Yayoi Kusama’s Self-Obliteration/Psychedelic World Exhibition

14.
Ryutaro Takahashi Contemporary Japanese Art Collection Exhibition

WHAT Museum is a contemporary art collector’s museum operated by Terrada Warehouse. For its reopening, it is showing Ryutaro Takahashi’s Contemporary Japanese Art Collection Exhibition. The collection was established in 1997 by psychiatrist Ryutaro Takahashi, one of Japan’s foremost art collectors. It currently consists of more than 3,000 works of art, which offer a comprehensive view of the diversity of the Japanese contemporary art scene.

The exhibition features approximately 40 works by 30 artists.

15.
You Can Be Anything: The Barbie Exhibition

Barbie, the world’s most famous fashion doll, is celebrating her 65th anniversary in 2024. In this exhibition, Barbie is the symbol of potential, of all the things one can be, as the doll has had many professions and expressions through the years. Since debuting in 1959, Barbie has mirrored the changing environment surrounding women. There are women who have become presidents. There is a man working as a childcare worker. In this exhibition, children can imagine the future without restrictions. Adults can also look at the world in a new light, without being bound by social expectations.

16.
Accidentally Wes Anderson Exhibition

The “Accidentally Wes Anderson” (AWA) exhibition, held in Seoul in 2022, is being held in Japan this year.

It features more than 300 photographs with a world view that resembles a scene from one of Wes Anderson’s films and is designed to simulate the journey of people visiting secret places around the world. Experience the fascination of travel that has eluded many for some time through this exhibition, which weaves together the world of AWA travelers’ works with pop pastel colors, symmetrical compositions and sometimes accidental placement.

17.
Tokyo Contemporary Art Award 2021-2023 Exhibition

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) are holding the “Waiting for the Wind: Tokyo Contemporary Art Award 2021-2023 Exhibition” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

This award was established in 2018 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and TOKAS to encourage mid-career artists to make new breakthroughs in their art. The winners of TCAA 2021-2023, Lieko Shiga and Kota Takeuchi, are exhibiting their works. Shiga is presenting a large installation that reinterprets a colossal wave of restoration projects in diverse fields, which began after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, in terms of the basic human activity of walking. Takeuchi is presenting new work based on his historical research into balloon bombs (a weapon used during World War II) as well as his existing work which connects past events, artists and viewers.

18.
Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams Exhibition

Following its success at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and after having traveled the world from London to New York, the exhibition “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” is on show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. It celebrates 75 years of Dior couture.

Seasonal Events

19.
Popup Ramen: A Relay Event of Popular Ramen Restaurants

“Popup Ramen” is the first Tokyo branch of “Ramen Walking,” a relay event store of popular ramen restaurants from all over Japan. The menu changes regularly, so make sure not to miss out on the exclusive limited-time-only ramen.

20.
Pikachu Afternoon Tea at The Strings Omotesando

The Strings Omotesando is collaborating with Pokémon for the first time ever, resulting in a cute yellow afternoon tea that stands out. The menu features a variety of playful items, including mini burgers inspired by Pikachu’s bright yellow color, muffins with the Pikachu silhouette, macarons designed with Pikachu’s back pattern and other unique menu items.

21.
“Love on Voyage” Afternoon Tea at Grand Hyatt Tokyo

This special afternoon tea spread features a selection of Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s original cakes that have won international pastry awards over the last 20 years. Complemented by the hotel’s most popular savory creations, this afternoon tea brings together the French Kitchen’s best-loved dishes in a single dining experience.

22.
The Wonder Movie Cafe

This cinema-themed concept café celebrates Disney’s 100th anniversary. The concept of the café will change three times. Each phase is based on a different process of movie production. The menu, merchandise and store decorations will change with each phase as well.

23.
Detective Conan Cafe

Detective Conan is one of the longest-running manga and anime characters in Japan. This spring and summer, you can enjoy a limited, luxurious hotel lounge-themed café based on the popular character. Other characters from the show are dressed up in violet and black, and all drinks and dishes have matching color schemes.

24.
Mediterranean Beer Terrace at Pullman Tokyo Tamachi

Open-air beer terraces are a hallmark of Tokyo’s sweltering summer. Pullman Tokyo Tamachi has themed its beer terrace this year around Mediterranean cuisines. Alongside beer, it offers sparkling wine, whiskey, plum wine, lemon sour and soft drinks. You can enjoy Greek souvlaki-inspired quesadillas, sausages, grilled vegetables and more. Unlike evening-only spots, this beer terrace is open both for lunch and dinner and pets are allowed too.