66 things to do this spring: 11-20

11. Head to a festival, have a beer or ten
Spring is open season for Japan's beer lovers, as a number of large-scale gatherings erupt around the Tokyo area. The largest of these is the Great Japan Beer Festival at Ebisu Garden Hall, which last year drew some 5,500 attendees. If you don't mind the long lines and conditions reminiscent of the Yamanote line on a Friday night, it's a lot of fun, and offers a chance to sample literally hundreds of microbrews. There are three sessions held on June 4 (11.30am-3pm and 4-7.30pm) and June 5 (12-4pm). Transport: Ebisu Station (Yamanote, Saikyo, Shonan-Shinjuku, Hibiya lines)

12. Go hunting for clowns
Sure, they pinched the idea from Sangenjaya, but the Koenji Bikkuri Daidogei street performance festival is still heaps of fun. For two days during Golden Week, acrobats, musicians and costumed weirdos ply the streets of the neighborhood, dispensing free, family-friendly entertainment to all and sundry. April 30-May 1, 12-6pm. Transport: Koenji Station (Chuo line)

13. Retreat into a childlike world
Paradise Yamamoto, the inventor of mambonsai, is a gentle-minded fellow. His means of finding a calm place in this frenetic world involve Latin percussive music and shrunken bonsai trees – the latter providing a kind of canvas for a miniature world where the creative mind can run free. Put less poetically, the man sticks tiny model people into moss at the base of a bonsai tree. Either way you look at it, it’s surprisingly relaxing. You can join Mr Paradise for a mambonsai class on April 3 at Time Out Café & Diner, 11am-3pm. Time Out Café & Diner, 2F Liquidroom, 3-16-6 Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Transport: Ebisu Station (Yamanote, Hibiya lines)

14. Eat and drink on the waterfront
Two of the nicest outdoor terraces in Tokyo belong to eateries that also boast plummy waterside locations. TY Harbor Brewery is perched on the intersection of the Tennoz and Shibaura canals, and the four beers brewed on site never taste sweeter than when supped out on the patio, which has space for 130 people. That's nothing compared to the vast Canal Cafe in Iidabashi, where you can scoff Italian grub out on the deck before renting one of the rowing boats for half an hour (11.30am-4pm only). TY Harbor Brewery, 2-1-3 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo. Access: Tennozu Isle Station (Tokyo Monorail). Canal Cafe, 1-9 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Access: Iidabashi Station (Sobu, Tozai, Oedo lines)

15. Do the Locomotion
It says a lot about the enduring appeal of Australia's greatest pop export that Kylie Minogue's upcoming Japan dates will be her first in the country for 20 years. The hugely expensive Aphrodite tour comes complete with original designs by Jean Paul Gaultier, and features guest DJ turns by French electro star Anoraak and Japanese MC cum style icon Verbal. April 23-24, Makuhari Messe. Transport: Kaihin-Makuhari Station (Keiyo line)

16. Ride Japan’s oldest rollercoaster
Japan’s oldest amusement park is also home to the country’s oldest rollercoaster, a rickety affair that would feel life-threatening if it wasn’t so tame. Named, simply, ‘Rollercoaster’, it opened in 1953 and holds a kind of well-worn, nostalgic appeal, as does Asakusa Hanayashiki – the park itself having opened as a flower park in feudal times, way back in 1853. Asakusa Hanayashiki, daily, 10am-6pm. Adults, 900 yen, concessions, 400 yen. Transport: Asakusa Station (Asakusa, Ginza lines) exit 3

17. Soak up some festival vibes
The summer music festival season starts very early indeed in Tokyo – on April 10, to be precise. That's when the annual Nagisa Music Festival unfurls in Odaiba, proving that even the dreariest expanse of concrete can be enlivened by a healthy dose of house, techno and jamming. New York house innovator Frankie Knuckles tops the bill in a varied day of music spread across six stages. Also keep an eye out for sampler-mashing duo Hifana, avant rockers Zazen Boys, leftfield rapper Shing02 and jam band Dachambo. April 10. Transport: Aomi Station (Yurikamome line)

18. Meet some makers
If your idea of a good evening at homes involves knitting a scarf before tossing off a quick still life painting and applying the finishing touches to your Gundam kit model, this one's for you. The Japan Hobby Show, held at Tokyo Big Sight, is the country's largest handicrafts fair, and corals together businesses hawking everything from beads and fabrics to gardening tools. There's also a separate area where budding creators can show off the fruits of their labours. April 27-29, 10am-5pm. Transport: Kokusai-Tenjijo Station (Rinkai line) or Kokusai-Tenjijo Seimon Station (Yurikamome line)

19. Show some love for Mother Nature
The unfortunately named US senator Gaylord Nelson held the first Earth Day in 1970, since when it's sprawled across the planet. Tokyo's own Earth Day event started back in 2001, and it now draws over 130,000 people for a two-day, music-fuelled macrobiotic love-in. The festivities centre on Yoyogi Park, but there'll also be things going on around Shibuya, Harajuku and Omotesando over the course of the weekend. April 23-24. Transport: Harajuku Station (Yamanote, Chiyoda lines)

20. Sniff the azaleas
For 11 months of every year, Nezu Shrine doesn't attract all that much attention from the outside world. Then spring rolls around, and its remarkable crop of azaleas burst into bloom. The shrine precincts are home to some 3,000 azalea plants – roughly 50 varieties in total, including rare breeds such as the black karafune flower – and has to find space for at least as many flower aficionados during the month-long Bunkyo Tsutsuji Matsuri (Bunkyo Azalea Festival). April 9-May 5. Transport: Nezu or Sendagi Stations (Chiyoda line)