The weather is warming up in Tokyo and plum blossoms are in full bloom. This week, get excited for spring through a virtual hanami brought to you by Arigato Travel or head to Shibuya Parco for a new and improved pop-up space.

1. Virtual Hanami with Arigato Travel

Arigato Travel is offering an online hanami experience so that companies and individuals alike from all over the world can celebrate the new season. Learn about cherry blossoms in Japan from a local’s perspective and hear about the history and culture through stories, fun facts, trivia and unique games.

When: Up to you! | More info

2. New in Shibuya: VCM Market Booth

The social project “SKWAT” and graphic designer Toru Kase will launch a joint project titled “4202122” that seeks to address the structural challenges of commercial facilities. The interior of the space will be updated regularly with shops, event spaces and galleries.

Vintage Collection Mall (VCM) is an online vintage mall in Japan with well-known vintage stores that usually develop on the road. On February 25, Japan’s largest gathering of fashion, interior and lifestyle genres, VCM Market Booth, will open inside Shibuya Parco.

When: The current installment will last until fall 2022 | More info

3. Takao Togashi: “A Cross between Traditional and Modern Times”

In this exhibition, Takao Togashi showcases more than 100 works, including tableware such as sake vessels, bowls, plates, chopsticks and trays, as well as small boxes and art pieces that will enliven living spaces.

Togashi is a lacquer artist and third-generation head of lacquerware studio Nushi Ichitomi located in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. Often inspired by western designs, he is conscientious about creating works that bring out the potential of lacquer.

When: Until Mar 19 | More info

4. Park Hyatt White Valentine’s

Executive Pastry Chef Julien Perrinet is creating a special Valentine’s and White Day menu only available this season. Several of the hotel’s restaurants will also offer limited-edition courses and afternoon tea sets. Check the hotel website for more information on each offer.

When: Until Mar 14 | More info

5. Ryusuke Hamaguchi Classics at K2 Cinema

K2, a new independent theater in Shimokitazawa. is screening four classic films by Oscar-nominated Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, all with English subtitles. Titles include Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Storytellers and The Sound of the Waves. Visit the K2 Cinema website for screening days and times.

When: Until the end of March | More info

masumi calligraphy exhibition

6. Calligraphy Exhibition “Sayonara Sucker” by Masumi

Masumi Yamada is an exciting and dynamic calligraphy artist, based in New York and Tokyo, who has been involved in the traditional Japanese art form since she was only three. In more recent times, however, she has turned her attention to exploring more controversial emotions and concepts such as “sad and horny” in her art. Her latest exhibition, provocatively titled “Sayonara Sucker,” is exhibited at Makuhari Neighborhood Pod in Chiba Prefecture. It’s a gorgeous display of modern calligraphy that shouldn’t be missed.

When: Until Mar 31 | More info

Laurent Grasso, Studies into the Past. Oil and palladium leaf on wood, 20 × 30 cm. Photo by Claire Dorn. Courtesy of the Artist & Perrotin.

7. “Head in the Clouds” at Perrotin Tokyo

Perrotin Tokyo is pleased to present “Head in the Clouds,” a group exhibition featuring 13 Perrotin artists. The concept of this presentation plays with the idiom “head in the clouds,” exploring both its allusion to a dreamy state of mind, as well as the notion of being oblivious to reality or to impending danger. The expression is especially relevant in our current culture of digitization and information overload, where we tend to walk around with our minds absorbed in a world far away, often unavailable to give our undivided attention to the full reality in front of us. Art calls us back into the here and now, to re-connect and give deeper focus and thought to our sensory experience.

When: Until Mar 19 | More info

Installation view of “Seven/Seven: The Fraught Landscape” at Fergus McCaffrey Tokyo, January 2022. All Artworks © Artists

8. “Seven/Seven: The Fraught Landscape” at Fergus McCaffrey Tokyo

Fergus McCaffrey is pleased to announce “Seven/Seven: The Fraught Landscape,” opening at the gallery’s Tokyo location.

The exhibition serves as a conceptual sequel to the gallery’s historic 2019 New York exhibition, “Japan Is America.” Continuing the exploration of the Japanese-American creative exchange, “Seven/Seven” furthers this transatlantic narrative, applying a cinematic lens to the joint cultural landscape. It takes its title from Akira Kurasawa’s Japanese epic Seven Samurai (1954) and the iconic Western film by John Sturges, The Magnificent Seven (1960), that followed.

When: Until Mar 5 | More info

9. Anna Weyant: “Splinter” at Blum & Poe

Blum & Poe is pleased to present Splinter, the gallery’s second solo exhibition with New York-based artist Anna Weyant. This new body of work sees Weyant delving deeper into pop history, borrowing from the visual dialectic of Lifetime movies and ‘90s celebrity culture. Struck by the way that made-for-television movies seem to simultaneously vilify, sexualize and stereotype women, the artist emulates these films by deploying the genre’s tendency to reveal the secrets of a hyperbolic version of American suburbia. This presentation of five works on paper, as well as four paintings, tells the story of a lavish party gone awry.

When: Until Mar 12 | More info

10. Togetherness: Design Exhibition by Esther Sandler

Since January 2022, I AM gallery in Higashi-Nagasaki has been exhibiting the products of designer and illustrator Esther Sandler, under the name “Togetherness.” Togetherness is a label launched by Sandler in which she creates products such as textiles, ceramics and cards. In addition to bold colors and beautiful designs, the creator is particularly proud of the environmentally friendly production, such as eschewing the use of harmful chemical substances and utilizing natural fibers that can be decomposed.

When: Until Mar 27 | More info

11. Learn how to make Nagoya’s staple breakfast food: Ogura toast

Most people know Japanese people like to eat rice and fish for breakfast. But it’s not as popular in Nagoya. There, many people prefer a cup of coffee with a slice of toast. Ogura Toast to be precise. A thick slice of golden-brown toast with red bean paste.

During this online experience, brought to you by Nagoya is not Boring, you will learn how to make the famous local Nagoya-style breakfast at home and learn more about the local food culture while munching on your creation.

When: Up to you! | Book now

12. Whip up your favorite dishes and drinks

Restaurants have to close early but your kitchen doesn’t. Pro chef or not, everyone has the ability to cook and this may be the perfect time to do it. If you always wanted to learn how to make gyoza, or roll the perfect tamagoyaki, there’s no time like the present. Why not check out some of our recipes:

13. Reading at home

We also have quite a few fiction and non-fiction recommendations if you prefer the company of a good book and a warm cup of coffee to relax.