The “Real Squid Game” has finally landed in Japan, and an exhibition based on the concept of “shedding light on the good people hidden in everyday life” are just a few of the events that are sure to attract your attention this weekend!
1, GMO Sonic 2026 (January 17 and 18)
GMO Sonic, which created a buzz last year with special guests ROSÉ of BLACKPINK and Martin Garrix, will be held again this year, featuring MARSHMELLO, STEVE AOKI, SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA, who will appear for the first time at a Japanese music event , special guestsTIËSTO, JO1, New School Leaders, and many more will gather at Makuhari Messe.
📍 Makuhari Messe (2-1 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture)
👉Official website🚇5 min. walk from Kaihin-Makuhari Station
🎟️ ticket page
2, Shibuya Real Squid Game (January 16-July 20)
Opening in October 2024, this is the first time in Japan for the event that has gained popularity around the world, starting in New York, U.S.A., and continuing in Spain and South Korea, among others. Up to 20 people will be able to experience six games that appear in the “Squid Game” series of works, as well as a photo zone, a collaboration café, and merchandise sales.
📍 Tokyu Plaza Shibuya 3F in Shibuya Fukuras
👉Official website🚇 About 1 minute walk from West Exit of Shibuya Station South ticket gate
🎟️ ticket site
3, Candlelight Concert (January 16, 18, 23, 30)
Candlelight Concerts,” where you can listen to live music at venues with many flickering candles, will be held in January at various venues in Tokyo. At Christ Shinagawa Church and Kanze Noh Theater on the third basement floor of GINZA SIX, you can enjoy music by Joe Hisaishi and Ryuichi Sakamoto, as well as masterpieces from the classical music world. The performance lasts approximately 60 minutes. Even if you are not familiar with classical music, you will have a relaxing time. Also, since the concert is held in the evening, it is recommended to go out to dinner together before or after the concert.
4, ~Festival of Chocolates from Paris ~ Salon du Chocolat 2026 (January 15-February 15)
One of the world’s largest chocolate festivals, Salon du Chocolat was established in 1995 in Paris, France, where top chocolatiers, brands, and the finest chocolates from all over the world gather. In Japan, the event started at Isetan Shinjuku in 2003 and is held annually at Isetan Mitsukoshi Group stores in Shinjuku, Tokyo and other locations. This year, the event will be divided into three phases. Find your favorite one among the many chocolates filled with the chef’s philosophy and persistence in terms of ingredients, manufacturing methods, air bubbles, and balance of flavors.
📍 Isetan Shinjuku Main Bldg. 6F Event Hall (3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku)
👉Official website🚇About 1 minute walk from Shinjuku 3-chome station
🎟️ free
5, NAKED meets Gaudi Exhibition (January 10 – March 15), an official project for the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death
Official exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death and the completion of the main tower of Sagrada Familia, the Tower of Jesus. The exhibition will feature a comprehensive collection of Gaudi’s writings, handwritten letters, and production tools he used, as well as previously unseen materials, models, sketches, and other items that are extremely valuable from an academic standpoint. Visitors can experience the completion of a part of the Sagrada Familia and realize that this symbol of “unfinished” architecture is still being built by the hands of many people.
📍 Terada Warehouse G1, 5th floor (2-6-40 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
👉Official website🚇 5 min. walk from Tennozu Isle Station
🎟️ Adults ¥2,700 (¥2,900 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays), Elementary, Junior high and high school students ¥1,900 (¥2,100 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays)
6, The Great Tamagotchi Exhibition (January 7-February 2)
An exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of Tamagotchi. At the venue, six contents will be presented, including “Tamagotchi’s Life” where you can see the rooms where Mamecchi, Kuchipatchi, and Mimitchi live, “Growth Room” where you can experience growing up as a Tamagotchi, and “Survival Strategy Room” where Tamagotchi and their owners around the world are monitored.
📍 Roppongi Museum (5-6-20 Roppongi, Minato-ku)
🚇7 min. walk from Roppongi Station, 10 min. walk from Azabu-juban Station
7, Too Good to Be True Exhibition 2026 + Subtle Exhibition (January 7 – March 31)
This is a special exhibition based on the concept of “shedding light on nice people hidden in everyday life. This year’s exhibition will document the life of a certain “Masao” who is too nice. Through the character of Masao, who is “too nice” from his childhood until he became a grandfather, you will surely remember the “Masao” around you. A new exhibition, “Slightly Learned Exhibition,” will also be held at the same time.
📍 Seibu Shibuya B Bldg. 3F Special venue (21-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
👉Official website🎟️ ¥1,800, ¥2,100 (*Free for children under 12 / Discounts for the disabled available)
8, “National Treasure” movie exhibition – The craze never ends, the story continues – (Jan. 7-28)
A collaborative exhibition between Ginza Sony Park and the record-breaking hit movie “National Treasure”. In addition to photo exhibits of famous scenes from the film, there will be a special screening of the theme song using Sony’s 3D sound technology, and other contents that will immerse visitors in the film through all five senses. A special photo exhibition closely covering the 513 days that Ryo Yoshizawa spent filming the movie will also be held at the same time, creating a space that is a must-see for fans.
📍 Ginza Sony Park, B2/3F (5-3-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo)
👉Film “National Treasure” Official Website🚇5 min. walk from Yurakucho Station Central Exit
🎟️ Admission free
9, Ueno Toshogu Shrine Winter Peony (January 1 – late February)
Visitors can view 160 winter peony plants of 40 varieties, which are cultivated using suppression techniques to bloom in winter, when flowers are scarce, as a good luck flower for New Year’s. The flowers of winter peonies, which bloom in two seasons (early spring and early winter), are greatly affected by the natural environment, and it is said that the flower-planting rate is low, at less than 20%. Since they are only open to the public for a short period of time, this is a rare opportunity to enjoy the beautiful peony blossoms.
📍 Ueno Toshogu Botan Garden (9-88 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
👉Official website🚇5 min. walk from Park Exit of Ueno Station, 10 min. walk from Nezu Station
🎟️ ¥1,000 for junior high school students and older, ¥800 for groups (15 or more people), free for elementary school students and younger
10, New Year’s Celebration at the Museum (January 2 – 25)
A special exhibition on the theme of the Chinese zodiac and a new work, “Waterfall,” by Hiroshi Senju, a world-renowned Japanese-style painter and ambassador of the Tokyo National Museum, will be on display on the grand staircase of the Honkan from January 1 to January 12. and sword dance will also be held on the stage in front of the Honkan on January 1, 2, and 3.
📍 Tokyo National Museum (13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo)
Official website🚇10 min. walk from Park Exit of Ueno Station or South Exit of Uguisudani Station, 15 min. walk from Nezu Station
🎟️ Adults ¥1,000, University students ¥500, Free for high school students and younger, under 18, and over 70
11, Takashi Murakami Edition Exhibition “JAPONISME → Cognitive Revolution: Learning from Hiroshige” (December 19 – January 29)
This exhibition features prints of almost all of the paintings exhibited in his solo exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. The Japanese translation of the title is “Japonism → Cognitive Revolution, Learning from Hiroshige. Inspired by Hiroshige Utagawa’s “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo,” 118 prints fill the walls, and familiar characters such as Flower, Kaikai and Kiki are integrated into the Ukiyo-e world. This exhibition, which brings together original prints from all over the world as Takashi Murakami’s prints, will allow viewers to reexamine the influence of Japonism.
📍 Kaikai Kiki Gallery (B1F Motoazabu Crest Building, 2-3-30 Motoazabu, Minato-ku)
👉Official website🚇About 8 minutes walk from Exit 1 of Hiroo Station, about 13 minutes walk from Exit 7 of Azabu-Juban Station
12, Toward the Great Mausoleum of Perception: Interactive Installation by Seiko Mikami (December 13 – March 8, 2026)
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Seiko Mikami’s death. The exhibition will look back on her activities from a media art perspective by presenting several interactive installations from the late 1990s onward. This is the first time that three large installations will be exhibited simultaneously in Japan and abroad. During the exhibition, talk events with artists and researchers who were close to Mikami are also planned.
📍 NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC] (Tokyo Opera City Tower 4F, 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku)
👉Official site🚇About 2 minutes walk from Hatsudai Station East Exit
🎟️ ¥1,000 for adults, ¥800 for university students