Tokyo Sizzles with Diverse Events: From Tea Cocktails to Ukrainian Literature to K-Pop Extravaganza

Tokyo is sparkling with special events this week, so let’s dive into some standout things listeners can do around the city from today through the weekend.

First, for something relaxed and a little magical, head to Ueno Park’s Shinobazu Pond for the Tea Cocktail Garden, running through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. According to the event listing on Iwafu, this outdoor festival blends food-truck gourmet with inventive tea-based cocktails, including color-changing creations like “Ao no Yugure,” plus drinks made from black and green tea liqueurs. The space is family-friendly, with street performances, inflatables for kids, and free admission, making it a perfect late-afternoon stop before dinner in nearby Ueno or Yanaka.

If you’re into literature and culture, Tokyo is hosting the first-ever Ukrainian literature festival, Voices from Ukraine, from today through Sunday. Chytomo reports that this landmark festival brings together Ukrainian authors, poets, and publishers for readings, poetry performances, book presentations, and discussions about war, memory, freedom, and the future. Curated by literary agent Daria Murakami and initiated by Victoria Matyusha of the Ovo literary agency, the aim is to build a new cultural bridge between Japan and Ukraine. Listeners can expect to encounter works by authors such as Olena Herasymiuk, Tamara Duda, and others, with books available to browse and buy, all woven into Tokyo’s growing international literary scene.

K-pop fans have a huge reason to be excited this weekend. Japan Concert Tickets and Korean outlet OSEN report that the Music Bank Global Festival 2025 takes over Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday. This massive two-day event features a stacked lineup including Stray Kids, ATEEZ, Enhypen, IVE, &Team, BOYNEXTDOOR, ZB1, ILLIT, and more, with NMIXX also flying in to perform. Expect high-energy stages, elaborate production, and a stadium-sized crowd — it’s one of the biggest pop spectacles in Tokyo this season, so listeners who love live music and K-pop choreography should plan their evenings around it.

To add a festive note to Sunday, Japan Concert Tickets also lists Broadway Christmas Wonderland at Tokyu Theatre Orb, bringing a New York-style holiday stage show into the heart of Shibuya, with classic Christmas tunes, dancers, and big musical numbers that will get listeners firmly into winter holiday mode.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI