From sumo to butoh to house beats, there’s something for everyone this week in Japan. If you’re doing something cool, leave us a comment or send us an email to have your event listed here.
Monday: Big boys collide
Fukuoka Grand Sumo Tournament
This year’s Fukuoka sumo tourney is underway, with Kakuryu from Mongolia looking to make a comeback here, where the yokozuna claimed last year’s championship. Wrestlers from Brazil to Egypt will look to cause him trouble, but the real competition will come from his fellow yokozuna. The last tournament of the year is already past its midpoint, meaning the action will heat up and seats become harder to reserve
When & Where
- Nov 20-26
- 8:30am-6 p.m.
- Fukuoka Kokusai Center, Hakata - Map
- ¥2,300-¥14,800
Tuesday: Fish get glamorous
Art Aquarium Castle
With over 7 million visitors thus far making it a certified phenomenon, Art Aquarium comes to Kyoto’s elegant Nijo-jo Castle. The structure has a history of over 400 years, once served as an imperial villa and is usually not open to the public. However, on nights during the exhibition period, Art Aquarium will be held in its majestic spaces. Themed around the classicJapanese beauty of goldfish and colored carp brought alive with
the latest audiovisual production techniques, the program even features dance performances, the local sake and matcha of Kyoto, and traditional confections.
When & Where
- Nov 21-Dec 11
- 5-10 p.m.
- Nijo-Jo Castle, Kyoto - Map
- ¥1,500
Wednesday: Dance with a diva
MØ
Danish singer Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted first made an impact on the music scene under the moniker MØ in 2013, when she lent her vocals to Swedish producer Avicii's song "Dear Boy.” By 2013, Ørsted had released the single "Pilgrim," which showcased her beat-driven music alongside glitchy electronics, sparse guitar melodies, and sultry vocals. In 2015, Orsted scored her first smash hit with Major Lazer and DJ Snake. The multiplatinum "Lean On" topped the charts globally, becoming one of the most streamed songs of all time.
When & Where
- Nov 22
- 7 p.m.
- Matsushita IMP Hall, Osaka - Map
- ¥7,000
Thursday: Brace for butoh
B-kikan
About 700,000 LED lights illuminate the area around Osaka’s Namba district and invite visitors into a fantastic world entitled “Namba Hikari Tabi” or “Namba Light Journey.” The lights adorn a stretch beginning from the Nankai Building on the north side of Nankai Namba Station to the Midosuji Illumination area of central Osaka. Artful illuminations lasting past Valentine’s Day include a two-story waterfall in lights and a rooftop installation atop Takashimaya department store.
When & Where
- Nov 23-26
- Various
- Zamusa Asagaya, Tokyo - Map
- ¥4,300
Friday: London drops in
DBS presents Flava D Japan tour 2017
UK producer Flava D’s creations span house, garage, hip hop and grime. She signed to Butterz in early 2013 and has since released two critically acclaimed records for the label: "Hold On" and "On My Mind." She has also delivered a club smash 'In The Dance' for Formula Records. In between these, her own download series has garnered attention, attracting thousands of downloads. She has already taken her sound around the UK and beyond to New York, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Lisbon, St Petersburg and Barcelona. Now Tokyo gets the Flava D experience.
When & Where
- Nov 24
- 11 p.m.
- Circus, Tokyo - Map
- ¥3,000
Saturday: Kanazawa gets Kompact
Autobahn #17: Hiroshi Watanabe aka Kaito
One of a few Japanese techno music producers to make a mark internationally, Hiroshi Watanabe aka Kaito releases music for two legendary techno labels: Detroit’s Transmat and Germany’s Kompakt. His first album Special Life set a template for spiritual, spacious electronic dance music. In 2016, Watanabe debuted on Transmat with Multiverse. He comes to Kanazawa’s Base for the latest iteration of the highly rated Autobahn parties.
When & Where
- Nov 25
- 11 p.m.
- Base, Kanazawa - Map
- ¥2,500
Sunday: Discover a ‘starchitect’
National Art Center, Tokyo 10th Anniversary Tadao Ando: Endeavors
A living legend in his field, Tadao Ando is known for his unusual résumé as a onetime professional boxer turned architect. To celebrate its first decade, the NACT looks at his expansive career taking in projects from Asia to Europe and the Americas. Learn about the life of this ambitious architect, his creations, and his current ambitions in this exhibition, which examines endeavors past and present and his visions for the future via more than 200 models, sketches and drawings by Ando himself.
When & Where
- Nov 26-Dec 18
- 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
- The National Art Center, Tokyo - Map
- ¥1,500
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