5 Fun Things to Do in Tokyo this October!

① Food Fests

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  10/13~10/14
  The Setagaya Bread Festival (世田谷パン祭り・La Fete du Pain Setagaya) is taking place in a Tokyo neighborhood known for its bakeries, so it's the perfect place to see what's new and trendy on the Japanese baking scene. Japan is known for making fantastically light and delicate bread, but dense German loaves and chewy bagels have recently become popular as well. See how Japan does bread!

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  10/10~10/22
  The Shimokitazawa Curry Festival takes advantage of Japan's 100+ years of curry, putting together a modern a "high-level" curry festival. Every year 150 different Tokyo establishments gather to bring curry to the masses, spending a full 13 days selling curry of all kinds, alongside curry-themed activities and fun. (Keep an eye out for festival mascot "Curry Man," who roams the festival clad in a metallic gold outfit and kingly hat.)

② A Forest Festival in the Park

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  10/20
  The Mitaka Forest Festival takes place in Inokashira Park, the same place as the illustrious Mitaka Ghibli Museum. In fact, the event was first organized to commemorate the museum's opening! If you can manage to snag Ghibli tickets for the 20th of October, you can even enjoy the festival and the museum together and have a whole day out in Mitaka. Even if the museum tickets sell out, though, the festival is a fun destination. There's music on stage, along with tables and stalls from local businesses selling food and souvenirs.

③ Unique Performances

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  10/05~11/10
  Festival / Tokyo is a performing arts festival going on throughout October, centered in the busy neighborhood of Ikebukuro. All kinds of shows, performed by both local and international artists, are set to take place in a series of different venues. Explore Ikebukuro through the lens of contemporary theater, dance, music, film, and more.

④ Fine Art & Manga Exhibitions

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  10/10~01/31
  Yayoi Kusama's Spirits of Aggregation will take over her Shinjuku museum this October. Focused on her art all about repetition of motifs, two-dimensional paintings and collages will be displayed side-by-side with her popular installations and sculptures. If you love the look of Dots Obsession, Kusama's famous red and white polka-dot soft sculptures, this is the perfect chance to see the art in person.

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  10/04~12/25
  The Nakayoshi Exhibition celebrates this shoujo manga magazine's 65th birthday, and some of the most popular series it brought to the public. If you grew up reading or watching Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, or even Tokyo Mew Mew (AKA Mew Mew Power), you'll definitely want to give this event a look. Get a glimpse of the magazine's history through original illustrations from some of its biggest manga, and bring home some limited edition merch as well!

⑤ A Cat-Themed Marketplace

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  10/12
  Nyan Fes 10 takes its name from the Japanese word for "meow", which is appropriate for a market dedicated entirely to cat-themed goods! If you think you love cats as much as the people of Japan, you can check by dipping into this marketplace, packed with more than 450 different sellers. You'll find some amazing cat items, and perhaps some new neko-loving Tokyo friends.