With some big events lined up for this weekend, it’s a great time to be around Tokyo.
If you don’t have anything too hectic planned for Sunday (or even if you do), head over to one of Tokyo’s biggest events – Roppongi Art Night. It’s a wildly popular all-night celebration of art, with installations and performances all over the place. It’s not free, but it’s a great experience. Last year close to a million people attended!
Another big one on the events calendar is the horseback archery display in Kamakura on Sunday morning, the culmination of the area’s week-long festival. Cool costumes, horses, and bows and arrows – it’s impressive stuff that the whole family can enjoy. If you can’t get down to Kamakura, you can check out horseback archery on Saturday at Sumida Park too. There’ll be traditional Japanese archery happening near Sakurabashi Bridge from 11am, with the horseback stuff going on closer to 1pm around Azumabashi Bridge.
Tokyo’s version of Earth Day will be celebrated at Yoyogi Park on Saturday and Sunday – so if you’re an eco-friendly cheapo at a loose end, drop by for food, exhibition booth type things, and stage entertainment.
Flower-wise, the beautiful wisteria are budding and will be (hopefully) blooming at Kameido Tenjin from this Saturday, through till May 6th. This has been thought of as one of Tokyo’s “must-see” sights for hundreds of years, so don’t miss it. Meanwhile, the peonies are still doing their thing at Ueno Toshogu Shrine and 3 000 azalea bushes are bursting into colour at Nezu Shrine.