Things to do this week in Tokyo

Monday 6

Tokyo City Pops
Join us for drinks and quality tunes at Ebisu's Time Out Café & Diner, where DJs Norinori70 and Kaneko Hideshi spin laidback fare and the bar serves up reasonably priced booze and light grub. Things wrap up in time for you to catch the last train, too. Read more

Tuesday 7

Zojoji Tanabata Festival
Legend tells of the star-crossed lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi who, separated by the Milky Way, are only able to meet once a year on the night known as Tanabata – tonight. Zojoji's version of the celebration features a candle light-up, the requisite matsuri stalls and more. Read more

Tokyo Daijingu Tanabata Kigansai
For a more low-key Tanabata experience, head to Tokyo Daijingu, write your wish on a tanzaku slip and hang it on one of the bamboo branches at the shrine. The line of 'wish trees' will also be lit up, making for a magical nighttime atmosphere. Read more

Wednesday 8

Iriya Asagao Matsuri
It's worth getting up early – as in crack-of-dawn early – for Japan's largest morning glory festival, held in and around Iriya Kishimojin temple. Around 400,000 people head to the event each year to peruse the flower booths and festival stalls, so prepare to battle some serious crowds. Read more

Tahitian Breakfast
Taste exotic morning grub all day long in Aoyama, where Polynesian treats like poisson crue (tuna and vegetable stew), pua rôti (grilled pork) and po'e fruit pudding are served together with Tahitian beer or coconut water. Sounds perfect for the hot season. Read more

Fashion Illustrator Miyuki Morimoto
Employed by some of Japan's top fashion mags, Miyuki Morimoto's career spanned over three decades before ending with her sudden death in 2013. Check out the vast collection of work left behind in her atelier, from drawings for Vogue to pieces done for Shibuya-kei band Pizzicato Five. Read more

Thursday 9

Leaps in Evolution
The National Museum of Nature and Science digs deep into the mysteries of evolution with this much-hyped show, tracing the development of life on Earth over a whopping 400 million years. Fossils, life-sized models and 4K videos guide visitors through the grand process. Read more

Friday 10

Asakusa Hozuki-Ichi
An Edo-era legend holds that paying one's respects at a temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon on shimanrokusen-nichi (today) will count for the same as 46,000 such visits on any other day. Get your blessing bonanza in Asakusa. Read more

Robert Heindel Exhibition
Ohio-born Robert Heindel had no formal training, but managed to break onto the New York art scene with hard work and a particular eye for depicting the human form. His solemn dancer paintings are in focus at Yokohama's Sogo Museum now. Read more

Average White Band
Among the hottest bands in R&B during the ’70s, Scotland's Average White Band faded away during the following decade, only to mount a comeback when hip-hop sampling brought new attention to the group's grooves in the ’80s. Catch them at Blue Note tonight. Read more

House of Liquid Anniversary Edition
Ebisu's Liquidroom kicks off its birthday celebrations with a special edition of this well-supported regular night, inviting New York's hard-charging house producer and Proibito label head Anthony Naples to supply some certifiably fresh tunes in the 'Mad Disrespect' mold. Read more

Saturday 11

Nihonbashi Art Aquarium
Deploying a range of lighting tricks, projection mapping and traditional Japanese motifs, not to mention thousands of live goldfish, Nihonbashi's annual Art Aquarium is one of Tokyo's most popular summer happenings – prepare to queue up. Read more

Deux Magots Paris Festival
Celebrate the French Revolution at Bunkamura, where you can look forward to violin and accordion performances, delicious French food and a market selling accessories, crafts, vintage wear and more. The bookstore inside the complex puts on a Belle Époque-themed fair, too. Read more

Nippon Craft Beer Festival in Shonan
Take your pick of over 50 varieties at this beachside beer bash, which sees around 20 breweries represented. Among them are both big names like Yo-Ho, Coedo and Kiuchi, and smaller-scale upstarts from Welsh representatives Tiny Rebel to Kumazawa from Chigasaki. Read more

Keiichi Tanaami: Passage in the Air
One of the leading pop artists in Japan, Keiichi Tanaami has been at the forefront of psychedelic art since the mid-'60s, when he abandoned a promising design career for more, uh, high-flying pursuits. This extensive retrospective explores his influence. Read more

Cleopatra and the Queens of Egypt
Often at the centre of politics and religion in ancient Egypt, the queens and princesses of the pharaohs take centre stage at the National Museum's summer exhibit. Art and artefacts assembled from collections all over the world are on display here. Read more

Sunday 12

Africa Hibiya Festival
It's time to celebrate the endless diversity of Africa in Hibiya Park, where stalls representing dozens of countries will be set up to entice visitors with an international selection of grub, traditional handicrafts, fun workshops, charitable functions and much more. Read more

Fuurin Matsuri
Find a pretty wind bell at Adachi's Nishiarai Daishi, where craftspeople from across the country peddle their wares. These exhibit a staggering variety of colours, shapes and sounds – choose the perfect one for you, or just walk around and take in the summery atmosphere. Read more

The Prolific World of Togo Murano
Modernist and Saga native Togo Murano was an impressively productive architect, working on up to 300 projects over his 93-year life. This exhibition covers around 80 of those and draws attention to Murano's down-to-earth design philosophy. Read more

Tibet Week
Never tried momo dumplings or khapse pastries? Get acquainted with Tibetan cuisine in Shimokitazawa, where the internationally inclined Gift eatery serves up local delicacies and puts on talks on Tibetan culture and travel. Read more

Ukiyo-e Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Focusing especially on the impact of nishiki-e, the 'brocade print' technique that made multicolour printing possible, the Mitsui Museum's in-depth look at the history of ukiyo-e features a wide range of work, from that of early Edo masters to the obligatory Hokusai. Read more