Tokyo Weekender’s guide to the best events, activities and things to do in Tokyo this June.

Tokyo Weekender's guide to the best events, activities, and things to do in Tokyo this June. There's always a solid plan B for this upcoming rainy season. The post 17 Things To Do in Tokyo This Weekend: June 4–6 appeared first on Tokyo Weekender.

A little downpour and puddle here and there is not a good enough excuse to ditch out the perfect weekend agenda. We’ve rounded up plenty of things to do in Tokyo. A DJ is waiting at the lounge of Trunk Hotel to celebrate Pride Month, or if you’re in the mood for a cozy night in, Fumiya Enuma‘s chill music is our top-pick companion.

Note: Events details are subject to change. Check any event websites before heading out and keep respecting the measures against Covid-19 in Tokyo whenever possible.

Fumiya Enuma © Ginza Park LiveFumiya Enuma originally formed the indie rock band Plenty in his hometown at Ibaraki before moving to Tokyo. From there, the vocalist would practice in drummer Yoshioka’s parents’ home for small recitals. The band officially disbanded in 2017, but Fumiya’s lofty songwriting continues. Beneath his nonchalant attitude and smooth vocal lie real dedication and well-grounded talent. At just 19 years old, he held his first solo tour for his first album #1, which was soon followed by a second successful launch called It’s Streamlined. Join Fumiya Enuma for a night filled with down-to-earth vibes.

When: June 4
Where: Online via YouTube

Three beers, each with a different secret ingredient for the ultimate blind test — that’s what you’ll get from the Great Beer Bluff, based at the Hyppa Brews warehouse. They’ll tell you what the ingredients are, but only one of them is true, making this tasting event a fun challenge for the beerologists out there. For participants online, you can order the beers by June 1 (to make sure they arrive on time for the event), and the drink will be delivered to your home. Of course, a true-tasting event is not complete without good grubs — meat pies, pork pies, and sausage rolls from Swan and Lion are the perfect sets for a solid good time. Auction for the best barbeque and brewing experience at Great Hyappa Brews BruBQ will also take place.

When: Jun 5
Where: Hyappa Brews, 20-1 Minamichigara, Nishiuracho, Gamagori-shi, Aichi Prefecture, and online

Photo by Anna Bedyńska © ONA Project Room The hanabi (fireworks show) is a spectacle to behold, and the biggest of them all takes place above the Tama River. Festival guidelines specify that only a maximum of 90-by-90-centimeter area is allowed for one person due to the crowd. Tokyo-based documentary photographer Anna Bedyńska captured the brief moment of this preparation, but her shots are not at all about the grandeur of the fireworks. Rather, the Polish photographer aims to tell a story about coexistence, privacy, and how important solicitude is in Japanese culture. In her works, the artist puts an interest in the occurring social shifts within contemporary society. To date, kokorozukai (thoughtfulness and sympathy) remains to be firmly upheld.

When: Jun 4-6
Where: Untitled Space, 3-13-7 Kyojima, Sumida-ku

Moe Kimura “Nerimono” 2020 © Kamiyama Foundation Collection
Moe Kimura’s painting can be best described as elusive. With a sheer cloth glued to the wooden frame, Kimura’s work is draped with a cloud of mystery brought about by the play of shadow from the thin canvas that responds to light. The artist’s painting objects are dreamy danglings referred to as “dough.” While the painting is partly transparent, its visual is certainly visible — a depth born from an uncertain existence. An ode to their artistry, Kimura’s first solo exhibition Fabric Garden introduces to a greater audience the fresh sensibilities of these paintings.

When: Jun 5-7
Where: Loko Gallery, 12-6 Uguisudanicho, Shibuya-ku

Image: © Diego, Untitled, 2020A bow to the 1995 exhibition Ripples in the Water 95, Watari-um has brought together works that were exhibited around Aoyama and Harajuku as part of the original exhibition. This gives audiences a chance to reflect on how the world has changed and how the meaning of art evolves and adapts over time. Modern artists working in Tokyo today and experiencing the ongoing pandemic were also commissioned to produce work for the exhibition. This helped to bring a fresh interpretation to the themes that guided the original artists. Reservations required.

When: Until Jun 6
Where: The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, 3-7-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku

Photo by Seto HidemiIt is France in the middle ages. As young countess Raymonda awaits her lover Jean de Brienne, Saracen knight Abderkrakham falls in love with her at first sight. Captivated by her beauty, Abderakhman confesses his attraction. As Raymonda’s inner turmoil grows, who will she give her heart to? The immersive story unrolls under four ballet scenes, now to be relived once again at the New National Theatre Tokyo. Featuring the glorious music score by Alexander Glazunov and masterpiece choreography by Marius Petipa, the acts submerge the audience into silent awe. Alongside the sublime compositions, intricate dance, vibrant choice of colors, the production is dramatic, sensuous, and grand.

When: Jun 5-13
Where: New National Theatre Tokyo, 1-1-1 Honmachi, Shibuya-ku

Image: Tsuchiya Bag Factory, Tamotsu Fujii PhotobookIn his first-ever collaborative photography exhibition, Japan’s leading photographer Tamotsu Fujii centers on leather bags manufactured by Tsuchiya Kaban as his primary subject. A long-established manufacturer with a humble beginning at an industrial Tokyo suburb in 1965, Tsuchiya Kaban prides itself on handmade leather bags made by Japanese craftsmen. Fujii captures and unveils a depth from the simple and sophisticated form, and their iconic “Black-nume” bag will be on display alongside his photobook.

When: Jun 1-14
Where: Daikanyama T-site, 17-5 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku

June marks the start of Pride Month, and along with the glitters and parades, you can expect a packed lineup of charity mocktails, cocktails, and great music at Trunk Hotel. The boutique goes above and beyond to make that the LGBTQ+ community is seen, supported and celebrated. Jam to the beat with the DJs, who hit the night every Saturday, with a barista-approved rainbow citrus cocktail in hand, or get to know more about the cause by chatting with the activists on the site. Part of the proceeds will go to support the LGBTQ community and people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

When: Jun 1-30
Where: Trunk Hotel, 5-31 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku

© Mark Manders, Mind Study, 2010-11 Collection of Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht Courtesy: Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp Photo: Peter Cox / BonnefantenThe Dutch artist Mark Manders has acquired worldwide acclaim for his “self-portrait as building” concept. In this, his first solo exhibition in a Japanese museum, Manders has designed the whole exhibition space as a single work, the “building.” Each work in the exhibition is part of a larger whole, and while each can be viewed in isolation, it is as a whole that they develop greater meaning. It is a thought-provoking way to conceive of an exhibition, and the viewer’s understanding is further distorted by the concept of an imaginary self-portrait of a fictional Mark Manders, that entwines with the real artist creating the sculptures and objects on view. Personal memories and art historical references run through each work, promising a multitude of details and different meanings and experiences for each viewer. Advanced ticket reservations are required.

When: Until Jun 22
Where: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku

© Kokei Kobayashi, Lotus Flowers. Color on Silk, Showa Period, 1932; Yamatane Museum of ArtYou’ll see a vast mosaic of petals and leaves at the Yamatane Museum’s 55th anniversary special exhibition with around 60 works on display. Since ancient times, artists in Japan across disciplines have loved flowers. Working based on the Chinese-style floral and vegetal art of the Middle Ages, artists after the Meiji Period sought to create new expressions while maintaining the aesthetics of the past. At the same time, they wanted to include Western painting techniques and modern sensibilities in their works. This exhibition focuses on contemporary Japanese paintings such as Taikan Yokoyama’s “Cherry Blossoms,” Kokei Kobayashi’s “Lotus Petals” and Gyoshu Hayami’s “Camellias.”

When: Until Jun 27
Where: Yamatane Museum of Art, 3-12-36 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku

© Rita AckermannEuropean-born duo Rita Ackermann and Andro Wekua stage chaos and political fragments as the touchstones of their artistry. Using graphite and oil crayons, Ackermann paints large-scale compositions that are figuratively abstract and provokingly bold. Her final pictures bring viewers back to her early life in the 1990s Eastern Block. Wekua, too, evokes a dark emotional dialogue using Rothko-inspired bright hues of pink, magentas, and acid yellow. Collaborating on the grounds of their common repressed experience and their long-time kinship, this dual exhibition oscillates between subtle symbolism and audacious artistic strokes. It also gives a fascinating view of the hazy past and the present.

When: May 1-Jul 3
Where: Fergus McCaffrey Tokyo, 3-5-9 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku

© True Colors Festival12. Watch True Colors Circus
As the stage lights up and the music rolls, you notice something rather different: performers are on wheelchairs and using other aids. Today, art by people with disabilities is still thought of as outliers, but the True Colors Festival is a testament that we exist right alongside everybody else. Sponsored by The Nippon Foundation, True Colors recognizes the outstanding talents of these artists and builds a stage where everyone can embrace their individuality. These performers tell their own stories with their own voices, thus becoming a natural part of the show. Due to the state of emergency, on-site performance has been canceled, but a full-length video will be distributed online.

When: Jun 1-Jul 31
Where: Online via YouTube

Kazumi Nakamura, Phoenix (2003) © Kazumi Nakamura. Courtesy of the artist, Blum & PoeKazumi Nakamura’s oeuvre morphs into bodies of work throughout his life, yet his practice maintains a critical commitment to abstraction. For his third solo exhibition at Blum & Poe Tokyo, Nakamura strays away from his preference for canvasses and relies on paper to procure paintings of consistent compositional structure. With thick paint and ragged, expressive brushstrokes, Nakamura’s pieces traverse between three and two-dimensionality. On display, too, are exclusive early examples of his “Y-shape” — referring to the symbolism of his earlier work — and the Diagonal Grid series made in the 1980s. The artist once described these alluring collections as “social semantics.”

When: Jun 5-Aug 7
Where: Blum & Poe Tokyo, 1-14-34 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku

It’s important to cool down and stay hydrated to keep the summer blues at bay — and there is no better way to do so than lounging on the 15th floor of Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo with a glass of umeshu in hand. Golden-colored, delightfully sweet, and pleasantly refreshing, you can now enjoy the authentic summer staple from this all-you-can-drink deal. There’s practically a bottomless booze option: 23 kinds of umeshu, 207 cocktail variants whipped upon demand. Guzzle down a few glasses, or take a brief break with another dizzyingly great grub. There’s a beautifully prepared seven-item basket “Umegozen” of cream cheese, fresh spring rolls, shrimp, and char siu on the roll. The restaurant recommends ending the feast with a scoop of ice cream poured over umeshu.

When: Jun 6-Aug 31
Where: Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo, 1-3-22 Yaesu, Chuo-ku

Meet imma — Instagram personality, Tiktok star, pink-bob-haired icon, and above all, Asia’s first virtual human. Since its debut in 2018, imma has baffled the world with its offbeat presence that transcends both reality and the virtual world. In this collaborative exhibition at the Diesel Art Gallery, 13 highly acclaimed Japanese artists base imma as the center of their graphic designs, digital data, photography, and paintings. Led by the brilliant mind of art director Minoru Murata, various works centered around imma narrate for a dynamic space with the theme of “Heaven.” These works challenge the line between genuine existence and imitation.

When: Until Sep 2
Where: Diesel Art Gallery, 1-23-16 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku

Image: © Elaine de Kooning TrustAs an exhibition of recent acquisitions, there is no unifying theme here, but rather a showcase of the museum’s collective philosophy and recent progress. The collection itself is diverse, ranging from ancient Chinese paintings to contemporary Japanese art, and is particularly strong on impressionist and modern Japanese paintings. This is reflected in the recent acquisitions. The museum’s desire to expand its range to include more abstract and contemporary works, as well as early modern Japanese art can also be seen.

When: Until Sep 5
Where: Artizon Museum, 1-7-2 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku

Source: Netflix17. Netflix at home
Staying at home under your kotatsu (or blanket) doing nothing is one of the best things we can all do right now. Not only for ourselves but for the sake of everyone out there too. Here are a few of our own recommendations on what’s best on Netflix — old and new. There’s something for everyone.

When: At your own pace
Where: Anywhere

By: Weekender Editor
Title: Tokyo Weekender's guide to the best events, activities, and things to do in Tokyo this June. There's always a solid plan B for this upcoming rainy season.

The post 17 Things To Do in Tokyo This Weekend: June 4–6 appeared first on Tokyo Weekender.

Sourced From: www.tokyoweekender.com/2021/05/17-things-to-do-in-tokyo-this-weekend-june/
Published Date: 06/02/21