June 28, 2022
What’s Happening in Tokyo This July?
Our roundup of the top events and communities to join in the capital
By Tara Salem
Events
Fuji Rock Festival 2022
After two long years, Japan’s favorite music festival, Fuji Rock, is back in all its glory. After switching to an online format in 2020 and running with a domestic-only event in 2021, this year will once again feature a slew of international and domestic live artists and DJs as well as food, art, nature and all-around good vibes. Aside from big-name international acts such as Vampire Weekend, Jack White and Foals, you can catch some of our favorite Japanese artists like Awich, D.A.N., WONK and OGRE YOU ASSHOLE. Special mention also to Korea’s J-pop and City-pop revivalist Night Tempo and American indie/shoegaze artist Snail Mail.
More information here
Find their instagram @fujirock_jp
Love Hotels Vol. 30 #WTFISNFT
Incase you ever asked yourself #WTFISNFT, Toyko’s best international club night, Tokyo Love Hotels, has you covered this July. The 30th edition of the monthly event will feature live music and DJs, NFT exhibits and projections live painting and a huge range of interactive experiences including a USB lucky dip, tattoos and tarot card reading to name a few. Combine all that with 360 degree city views and the most inclusive party vibes in Tokyo and even if you don’t get to the bottom of #WTFISNFT you’re guaranteed a great night out.
More information here
Find their instagram @tokyolovehotels
Yurina Okada: RAW
LOKO GALLERY in Shibuya will present Yurina Okadaʼs first solo exhibition “RAW” throughout July. A recent graduate of Kyoto University of Art & Design Okada’s works have been selected for numerous awards including The Art of Color DIOR (selected, 2019, France) and ART AWARD MARUNOUCHI (Shigeo Goto Prize, 2018, Tokyo). Okada fuses painting and photography to achieve a distinct style that blends contemporary art and Japanese concepts of wabi-sabi and mono no aware. In this exhibition, Okada will present her latest works which draw from new motifs and techniques.
True Italian Beer Week
Though the world knows Italy for its wines, its beers are also something not to miss out. From July 9 – July 17, around 30 Italian restaurants across Tokyo are banding together to bring hot Tokyoites the most refreshing Italian beers to cool off in the summer heat. There will also be quizzes and a range of gift giveaways on offer, so check out the event page for more details.
Community and Advocacy Groups
Does it bother you that your groceries in Japan are always wrapped in too much plastic? That mental health and social issues are often brushed under the governmental and societal rugs? Do you feel it’s tough to truly express yourself? We’ve rounded up a bunch of advocacy groups and communities that are eager to challenge the status quo— so get involved this summer with something you’re passionate about via these events and online communities.
ANIMAL RIGHTS CENTER
What are your thoughts? 50 percent of Japanese people thought that fish didn’t have the ability to feel pain. That figure jumped to 75 percent for shellfish like lobster and shrimp. As creatures cannot determine the course of their fate, Animal Rights Center believes it’s important for humans to be the ones to evaluate the situations of animals, the motivations for their captivity and the solutions to ease suffering — especially for those living in human captivity deserve to suffer. Keep an eye on the group’s event calendar to get involved in study sessions, volunteer meetings and demonstrations.
More information here
Find their instagram @animalrightscenter
BLOSSOM THE PROJECT
Fusing art with education, Meg Hoffmann uses her bilingual platform to spread awareness of mental health, feminism and other important social issues that deserve more discussion in Japan. “The things I’m advocating for are not at all political, but basic human rights. Regardless of where you live, everyone has a right to things like gender and racial equality,” Hoffmann says. Blossom the Project is a force to be reckoned with, and a vital source of information for the Japanese and English-speaking communities. Join the conversation via Instagram.
More information here
Find their instagram @blossomtheproject
LOVE PIECE CLUB
Love Piece Club is Japan’s first and only love goods store run by a feminist, for women’s fem tech products. The store’s launch in 1996 was a huge step for founder Minori Kitahara, but an even larger one for women in Japan. It became another catalyst, further pushing a sexual revolution, and its community regularly hosts events like webinars, workshops and movie nights. Femtech, body positivity, womanhood, sexual education — nothing is “too taboo” for the group to discuss and address.
More information here
Find their instagram @wearelovepiececlub
Exclusively for Metropolis readers
