Things to do this week in Tokyo

Monday 18

Caro Emerald
A huge star in her native Netherlands, vintage popstrel Caro Emerald has been finding broader success over the past year or so. She's got a new album of swing-inflected pop, The Shocking Miss Emerald, and takes on Akasaka's Blitz tonight. Read more

Tuesday 19

Sixteen Trials of Dojunkai
Learn about a major piece of Tokyo's architectural history at this display featuring the 'Dojunkai' apartments, 16 steel-and-concrete condominium blocks constructed after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, that defied expectations and stood until 2013. Read more

Wednesday 20

French Week
Shinjuku's Isetan shines the spotlight on French delicacies from today: there's a special focus on the Bordeaux region, so you can safely expect fine wines and a wide a range of gourmet goodies, including luxury butter and cutesy pastries. Read more

Thursday 21

Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival
The second weekend of Saitama's craft beer celebration kicks off today. Head out to the Super Arena for brews from the likes of Coedo, Shiga Kogen, Minoh, Oh! La! Ho! and Swan Lake, plus a nice range of American and European imports. Read more

Friday 22

Belgian Beer Weekend Yokohama
If Tokyo's Oktoberfest onslaught doesn't take your fancy, head to Yokohama's Yamashita Park for a taste of Belgian beery goodness instead. Take your pick of over 60 different varieties, running from the workaday to the downright exotic. Read more

Cat Exhibit at Katakana
The Shibuya branch of quirky souvenir shop Katakana dedicates its spring special to the fickle but oh-so-adorable feline form, with a vast selection of cat-themed paraphernalia created by young artists available now. Read more

Yebisu Bar The Garden
Bureaucrats working late must look down in envy at the wooden patio outside Kasumigaseki's Yebisu Bar, which turns into a raucous beer garden at night. Drinking outdoors just feels that little bit better when you're doing it right in the seat of Japanese political power. Read more

Phantasmagoria
It's a gathering of extremes at this Unit night: multi-disciplinarian Russell Haswell joins local noise-industrial artist Pain Jerk for a tasty-looking collab, while self-proclaimed 'catastrophic noise metal' band Endon should be another highlight. Read more

Saturday 23

Tokyo International Art Fair
A newcomer on the Tokyo art scene, this high-aiming bash is looking to a make an immediate impact with a packed lineup of more than 150 participating artists and galleries, converging on Harajuku's Quest Hall from over 30 countries. Local talent is also well represented. Read more

Yokohama Handmade Marche
One of Japan's biggest crafts events, this extravaganza dedicated to all things handmade attracts more than 2,000 artists, restaurateurs, designers and other creatives. Look out for everything from unique fashion accessories and handicrafts to furniture and edible masterpieces. Read more

Fujio Akatsuka Café
Pioneering manga artist Fujio Akatsuka, creator of the 'Tensai Bakabon' classic and of quirky characters like the unagi-inu ('eel-dog'), would have been 80 this year. Harajuku's Wow Café celebrates with a packed menu of exhibits and a 'gag manga' menu. Read more

The Release Party
They're usually hiding in the depths of the internets, but now come out for one night of fresh real-life dance, techno, electro and the like. Who are they, you ask? Well, apparently they're the next generation of Japanese electronic music artists. Read more

P-Vine and King Giddra Anniversary
It's a double birthday bash at Liquidroom, where indie label P-Vine celebrates four decades in the business together with rap elders King Giddra, who in turn are marking 20 years since the release of their epoch-making album Sora Kara No Chikara. Read more

Sunday 24

Greenroom Festival
This surf-themed art-and-music jamboree offers a leisurely introduction to the summer music festival season, with movie screenings and yoga sessions adding to the relaxed vibe. Legendary reggae orchestra The Wailers headline. Read more

Jan Švankmajer Film Festival
Never heard of this Czech animating great? Stop by Shibuya's Image Forum for this programme packed with surrealistic, haunting and complex stories that have been called both Kafkaesque and strangely accessible. 1988 film Alice is on tonight. Read more

Micro Monsters Exhibition
Yokohama's massive Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium is best known for its mighty killer whales and dolphins, but the facility also features significantly smaller marine life. Learn about the lives of sea fireflies and gnathiidae isopods at this display. Read more

Intimate Impressionism
One of this spring's most popular exhibits comes to a close today, so hurry up if you still want to admire some of the Impressionist movement's best-known themes and artists, including the work of Monet, Degas and Renoir, at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan. Read more