20 things to do this weekend

Sunday

Get the taste for Thai...

The annual Thai festival set to take over Yoyogi Koen this coming weekend has been cancelled, meaning that lovers of Thai food (and culture in general) need somewhere else to get their fix. Not to worry – Commune in Shimokitazawa has stepped in to lend a helping hand, and the festival will go ahead, albeit in a vastly scaled down manner. Click here for event details

Strike a pose...

The fashion world is out in force for Fukushima this weekend at a bumper charity show in Shinjuku. There'll be over 100 models strutting their stuff at Runway for Japan, sporting threads by such splendidly named designers as Gut's Dynamite Cabarets, Transvestite and No, No, Yes! (their exclamation mark, not ours). Click here for event details

Help the indie community help Tohoku...

Indie fans who like their music served hushed and bittersweet will find much to appreciate at this bargain-priced gig, which throws together nine bands for a mere ¥1,000 on the door (though you'll have to fork out for a couple of drink tickets, too). It's organised by Mike Matuszak, the lone foreign member of Belle and Sebastian-esque ensemble Lost in Found, while Time Out Tokyo faves The Watanabes will also be performing. Click here for event details

Stay alive...

The current exhibition at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art encourages us to 'live in the moment' and to fight against the horrors that surround us in daily life. It appears to be a theme well chosen for Japan, spring 2011, though it has actually been open since the beginning of the year. Click here for event details

Ponder a mystery...

Man or myth? Sharaku produced around 140 woodblock prints in a mere 10 months, many of them now considered classics. And then he vanished, apparently into thin air. Click here for event details