12 Recommended Events and Places to Visit in June

This is a monthly event held in the “Kita-Nakadori Shopping Street,” located further down the “Nakadori Shopping Street” (between McDonald’s and Ueshima Coffee) on the left after exiting the north exit of Koenji Station . It’s a lively annual event featuring food stalls and a flea market.With approximately 50 to 70 stalls lining the street—including vintage clothing, miscellaneous goods, antiques, used books, handmade items, a children’s flea market, fortune-telling stalls, massage shops, plant shops, and multinational food stalls—visitors can enjoy the lively energy and local atmosphere reminiscent of an Asian night market.

The stage backdrops painted by Chagall for the ballet “Aleko” —currently on display at the Aomori Museum of Art —are brought to life on a giant LED screen, intertwining with the physical expressions of up-and-coming dancers. Post-performance talks featuring the performers will be held on May 30, 31, and June 6.

The first phase of the “Great Van Gogh Exhibition” focuses on the first half of Van Gogh’s life, beginning with his early years in the Netherlands, where he was influenced by the Barbizon and Hague schools, through his time in Paris interacting with Impressionist artists , and culminating in his masterpiece *Café Terrace at Night (Place du Forum)* painted in Arles, southern France.The second phase is scheduled to run from October 2027 to around January 2028.⁠
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This festival has been held since 1985 at Hakusan Shrine, which was revered by the fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi, and his birth mother, Keishoin. Approximately 3,000 varieties of hydrangeas adorn the grounds of Hakusan Shrine and the adjacent Hakusan Park. On weekends, food stalls and concerts are held, and on June 14, the “Hydrangea Mikoshi” makes an appearance.

Over the course of five days, more than 100 sake breweries representing “Japanese Sake” will gather, with different breweries featured each day. Food trucks will also be on site, selling snacks, non-alcoholic amazake-based drinks, and shaved ice. Inside Newoman Takanawa, limited-time menu items will be available, and workshops will be held where visitors can create their own original labels for sake bottles based on their own designs.

“Atelier des Lumières,” an immersive digital art museum based in Paris, makes its debut in Japan. The first exhibition features “Van Gogh: Masterpieces—Sunflowers, Starry Night, Blossoming Almond Tree…” The fusion of visuals that fill the entire space and three-dimensional sound creates an experience that feels as though you have stepped right into the artwork.

What sets this concert event apart from others is, as the name suggests, the ability to enjoy music amidst the glow of over 1,000 LED candles that envelop the venue. To date, concerts featuring not only classical music but also jazz, soul, blues, and the latest pop hits have been held at venues around the world, and this unique experience—which even those unfamiliar with classical music can enjoy —has garnered a strong response.

This is the first retrospective exhibition in Japan since Wyeth’s passing. Motifs indicating “boundaries,” such as windows and doors, frequently appear in Wyeth’s works. These are thought to have served as connections between life and death, and between his inner world and the outside world. This exhibition focuses on “boundaries” to reexamine his work.

This is Ron Mueck’s second solo exhibition in Japan since his 2008 retrospective at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. The centerpiece of this exhibition is the installation *Mass* (2016–2017), consisting of 100 giant skull sculptures, which is being shown in Japan for the first time.Each time the work is exhibited, it is reconfigured to suit the museum’s space; at the Mori Art Museum, it will be presented as a site-specific installation spanning approximately 300 square meters.

This is a special exhibition commemorating the opening of “Mon Takana: The Museum of Narratives.” Since ancient times, humanity has recognized the potential in the “spirals” hidden within the natural world, using them to develop society and civilization. The trajectory of transforming the laws of the Earth into human wisdom is the very “story of evolution” itself.From the origins of the universe as revealed by the latest physics, to the ever-circulating flow of resources and money, to skills and festivals passed down across generations, and even to daily chores and finances—this exhibition collects stories of “spirals” from all eras and corners of the world.

An immersive entertainment facility that offers a “magical experience” through cutting-edge technology and a meticulously crafted world.Multiple experiences are available, including the ride-style attraction “Kaiju no Sumika VR,” which offers a realistic 360-degree “monster experience”; “Fluctus,” a VR fantasy attraction where visitors explore a mysterious underwater world; and “Tarot VR: Arcana Journey,” which takes visitors on a journey through the world of tarot in a VR space.

The “Kadokawa Musashino Museum” is a cultural complex that integrates a library, art museum, and history museum. The “Bookshelf Theater,” a reading space surrounded by a massive bookshelf approximately 8 meters high, houses approximately 20,000 volumes, including KADOKAWA publications as well as the personal libraries of Genyoshi Kadokawa, Kenkichi Yamamoto, Rizo Takeuchi, and Moriyoshi Hokama. Projection mapping based on the concept of “playing with books and interacting with books” is also shown, offering an immersive experience where the world of books seems to extend beyond their covers.