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Spend your winter immersed in holiday celebrations and festivals, and kick off your New Year by diving into new hobbies and cultural happenings. Our list of seasonal events in and around Tokyo is the best place to start.
Until Jan. 29, DOMANI: The Art of Tomorrow Exhibition
In the 25th edition of the DOMANI showcase, this exhibition will feature nine DOMANI artists and their prolific works. The theme for this year, “A century back, a century forward,” staged 100 years after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, highlights the next generation of Japanese artists. Head here to view New York-based Kondoh Akino’s comics depicting everyday life, and the work of Ikezaki Takuya, who features the nature of his native Tokunoshima.
The National Art Center 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku 10am–6pm ¥800 Website
Jan. 8, Kanchu Suiyoku (Midwinter Bathing) Looking for a shocking way to start 2023? Each year, crowds of people, from young to old, gather to participate in this intense Shinto midwinter bathing ritual. Known as Misogi, the event involves purifying your whole body as a part of a traditional community gathering. The benefits of cold-water dipping are widely advocated, and the water will leave your skin feeling revitalized and ready for the year ahead.
Teppou-zu, Inari-jinja 1-6-7 Chuo, Minato-ku ¥1,500
Jan . 21 & 22, Handmade in Japan Festival
Attracting over 3,000 artists, creatives and craftspersons from across Japan, this two-day festival celebrates handmade fashion and crafts, and also offers workshops where you can make them yourself. There are gallery spaces to view artists’ works, as well as live music performances and food available throughout the weekend.
Tokyo Big Sight 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku From ¥1,500 Website
Jan. 21-Feb. 25, Yokohama Chinatown Lunar New Year
Celebrate the Lunar New Year shrouded in the luminous light of Yokohama Chinatown’s lanterns and lunar festivities. Head down to Yokohama on the eve of the Lunar New Year (Jan 21) to join the annual countdown and festivities, which include the Lion Dance and traditional performances in Yamashita-Cho Park. Celebrations last for two weeks, with lively dances, acrobatics, Chinese opera, parades and lanterns filling the streets. Yokohama Chinatown 4pm–11pm Free Website
Feb. 2, Senso-ji Setsubun Festival
The Setsubun Festival marks the end of winter in Japan. At temples across the country, people gather to celebrate this change of season, shouting “Long life and good fortune, come in!” as they throw beans across the crowds. At Senso-ji, the celebration is also marked by the wildly energetic “Seven Lucky Gods Fortune Dance”, which is a famous ritual of Senso-ji ritual. From New Year’s Day until Setsubun, you can receive a Setsubun amulet to ward off any threat of calamity in 2023, and grab some fukumame (lucky beans). This is the perfect chance for families and groups to enjoy the changing of the season, and to start the new year in cheery spirits.
Senso-ji 2-3-11 Asakusa, Taito-ku 4pm Free Website
Feb. 7, Cigarettes After Sex
Returning to Japan for the first time since 2018, Cigarettes After Sex will be playing at Spotify O-East in Shibuya. Working with melancholic dream-pop sounds and soft, and eerie melodies, frontman Greg Gonzalez’s reverberating guitar and dreamy lyrics should leave you feeling woozy and warm. Cigarettes After Sex released their latest single “Pistol” in 2022, following the same intensely romantic themes as their second and most recent 2019 album “Cry,” which lends itself to Gonzalez’s androgynous and silken sound.
Spotify O-East 2-14-18 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku 6pm ¥7,500 Website
Until March 26, Film History in Posters Part 4: Horror Films
Horror films from Japan are renowned to be the scariest, most experimental and unnerving within the genre. From “Ring” to “Kwaidan”, J-horror has expanded the Japanese culture of ghost stories into modern cinema. In the fourth instalment of the series, the artwork of horror films from the earliest, most bewitching tales to more recent CGI-enamored productions are on display, offering the perfect day out for film fans—or anyone in search of a sure spooking.
National Film Archive Japan 3-7-6 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku 11am–6:30pm Website
