Kaila Imada

Tokyo is home to some incredible vintage T-shirt stores, offering everything from rare designer tees to nostalgic anime prints. But it’s not often you can find a curated exhibition of over 1,000 tees under one roof – including rare pieces linked to cultural icons. More than just clothing, vintage T-shirts capture the messages, aesthetics and pop culture of their era, developing a unique character as they’re worn, cherished and passed down through generations.

While Tokyo is home to many outstanding bars, there’s one that, until now, you could only experience in Kyoto. The ancient capital’s renowned Ki No Bi House has teamed up with the JW Marriott Hotel Tokyo to launch the Ki No Bi Room, a limited-time pop-up within the hotel’s hidden drinking den, 4-0-3. Here, you can savour the artisanal gin producer’s signature cocktails from now through October.

Now that summer has officially arrived, Japan’s festival season is about to swing into full gear, and one of the first major celebrations on the calendar is Tanabata, or the Star Festival. Based on a beloved folktale, Tanabata celebrates the annual reunion of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, who, according to legend, are separated by the Milky Way and permitted to meet just once a year.