It's been a fun and entertaining week in Tokyo for us with spoken word events, art, film, and lots of food. And scroll to the end for some English-language cinema picks, plus other great things on this week.

First, spoken word events. I fulfilled a three-years-old ambition to attend a Pecha Kucha night in its hometown. If you haven't seen Pecha Kucha, it's an evening of presentations, with a preponderance of architect/arty type people, each talking about their work with 20 slides, which change every 20 seconds. Part-English, part-Japanese, the event felt like the coolest thing I've been to in Tokyo so far. Underground in the SuperDeluxe space in Roppongi, it was standing room only and absolutely full of excited audience members. Plus, there were some really cool talks. Can't wait to attend the next one. Also in the world of spoken word, I went to a storytelling workshop in Yoyogi Park run by Apocrypha, a growing storytelling organisation. It was really fun to hear people's different perspectives in storytelling - and I'm still touched by a story a Russian woman told about getting into a helicopter in the dead of Siberian winter at the age of five, and suddenly, magically finding herself looking out at real leaves and grass!

As for art, the highlight of the week was the Mori Art Museum, and in particular, the Roppongi Crossing: My Body Your Voice exhibition. Designed to offer a 'comprehensive survey of the Japanese contemporary arts scene', there is a lot here, and much of it is beautiful and thought provoking. In terms of fun, I loved one exhibit that featured an interactive game of tossing buttons onto a target - which I missed every time. And in terms of thought provokingness, there was a really intriguing piece on the 'impossible baby' about same-gender IVF. Great, innovative stuff. It's on til 10th July. I also tried to go to the mural-painting event with Dr Sketchy that I promoted in last week's blog but I think I turned up too early and had to flee when I was the only one there! Saw photos of it later, so clearly I need to be less punctual...

For cinema this week we ventured to the cool, arty cinema at Bunkamura in Shibuya. If you venture along and can't spot it, the secret is: it's on the 6th floor of the building. We saw Youth, which I didn't especially like. Great performances, but a rather over-long musing on the different perspectives on the world from youth and older people in a weird Swiss retreat... It's my favourite cinema so far in Tokyo. What other pretty, quirky, ideally bar-containing cinemas would you recommend? Feel odd being the only couple - weeknight film viewing seems to be a solitary activity here?

Of course no week can be complete without some restaurant fun. With a focus on the Daikanyama area, we loved the Spring Valley Brewery - we had an amazing kale salad and a completely fun set of six beer flights in a very cool, industrial-feeling building with outside deck. And after reading all sorts of good things about Cujorl, an Italian-ish restaurant, we went along and had a beautifully prepared meal, though being vegetarians, we got overexcited by the 'vegetables' part of the menu and had beautiful dishes which were clearly side dishes... but there were some veggie main course options too. A very nice, relaxed but rather elegant ambience, and we were really impressed with the cuisine. A good wine list too. And goodness, the Tokyo branch of the Dominique Ansel bakery/cafe in Omotesando! There are long lines to buy their amazing bakery items but you can get a seat upstairs in their restaurant fairly easily. Everything looks spectacular but I find it hard to deviate from their outstanding Soho avocado toast. Well, except for a helping of 10 tiny, freshly baked madelines afterwards...

The big question is what my Tokyo-based exercise is going to be. I am lazy and never really like exercise stuff so I need to trick myself into it by going to classes or social things rather than the gym... This week, I tried my first ever hiphop class at En Dance studio. The music was so loud my dodgy Japanese skills were rendered fairly irrelevant. The studio had a cool industrial-chic vibe and everyone was very nice. But there was no getting around the problem of my lack of rhythm and zero-level dance skills. Ashamed... What should I try next? Suggestions in the comments please. Bonus points for the quirky and for Shibuya/Daikanyama proximity!

Brit About Town Golden Picks of the Week for 29 April - 5th May

Golden Week seems to mean there are not as many evening events in Tokyo as usual. Which makes it a great time to hang out in the cinema. So after the individual date suggestions, see my top English-language cinema picks for Tokyo this week!

Fri 29 April - Improvazilla is on tonight and if you like improv, it sounds great! It's at Crocodile in Shibuya.

Sun 1 May - I love the sound of networking/drawing event Pause Draw... particularly as this one's right next to my house at Saigoyama Park in Daikanyama. Bring a sketchbook. Starts at 4.

Mon 2 May - There's a big art show at Spiral (Shibuya/Omotesando), SICF, showcasing lots of new artists. On til the 4th.

All week: cinema
I'm currently bonding with the Japan Times listings for films on in English (though if you're reading this, JT, a search function that narrows the films to those showing in English in Tokyo rather than having to click each individual film to find out where it's on would be amazing!). But I digress. As a special treat for this week, let me tell you about films on this week that I've seen, with a mini-review (click the link to see where/when they're on):

Room: Probably my top recommendation, this is an adaptation from an excellent book of the same name - and the film does it justice. A mother and son are imprisoned in a small room for many years, until one day, they plan their escape into a world the mother has missed and her son has only ever seen on television. Watching it is not altogether jolly - but it's not as harrowing as it sounds. It's about love and family and optimism and wonder, really.

Spotlight: This year's best picture Oscar winner, Spotlight is the true story of Boston Globe journalists uncovering a paedophilia sex scandal in the Catholic church. Nobody could describe the film as a cheery date night film... but it is nevertheless compelling and excellent.

Carol: Opening from Saturday at the Uplink, Carol is a beautiful piece of filmmaking. It's a love story between an older and younger woman set in 1950s New York. I got to go to the world premiere in London and while I found it a little sterile at times, it is very much worth seeing.

Youth: I reviewed this above. I wouldn't rush to see it but it was quite good.

Paddington: Who doesn't love Paddington bear? This is a children's film and it has its flaws, but it is charming and fun.

Zootopia: Having seen all the films I just mentioned above, I'm planning to see Zootopia this week, a fun buddy cop animation in a city of anthropomorphic animals. Because why not!

Have a great week! And remember to send suggestions of upcoming events!

First of all, as Brit About Town, I must say an official happy birthday to the Queen, who turns 90 today. We celebrated the occasion in grand style on the lawn at the British Embassy on Tuesday, with champagne and canapes and queen-embossed chocolates and even a bagpiper! Happy Birthday, Your Majesty! Thanks for the lovely birthday party.

So what other delightful events have we been up to this week? Well, for the first time ever, Tokyo had an event for Obscura Day, when people all over the world explore obscure parts of their cities. Last year we found hidden old pillars from Washington DC's Capitol building in the undergrowth of a woodland area... This year the Tokyo event took us to Yanaka cemetery where we visited the tomb of the government's last Shougun by moonlight. Not sure how obscure it technically is since it's in my Tokyo guidebook... but we had a fun time exploring the cemetery after dark, and getting a glimpse of many charming cat-themed bars and cafes in Yanaka and surrounds, visiting Nezu shrine, and meeting cool people. We also ventured to our first comedy night, courtesy of the Tokyo Comedy Store at the Hobgoblin in Shibuya. It was impressively good, and funnier than the last several comedy nights I've been to elsewhere (though I just can't get used to smoking in bars... my European eyes have grown too acclimatised to not stinging on a night out). I can't wait to explore more comedy in Tokyo - which are your favourite nights? Oh and we sampled our first meetup.com book club this week, discussing Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter with smart, friendly people in Ebisu. Much fun.

Speaking of fun, we had our fanciest meal in Tokyo this week, and best of all: it was free! I was lucky enough to win a competition in Tokyo Weekender that invited me and my lovely wife to join five other couples for an amazing meal at new Greek restaurant The Apollo in Ginza. The restaurant was beautiful with lovely views, the cocktails were delicious, and the food was amazing. In particular I have to mention the grilled Greek cheese with honey whose importing apparently caused all kinds of drama. It was worth it. It was spectacular. I am still dreaming of that cheese... And the potatoes... gosh, don't get me started. I'm hoping to return soon - though sadly I'll probably have to pay for it next time... Anyway, thanks, Tokyo Weekender! Such a lovely treat.

Since it's been our first full week in our new Daikanyama apartment, lots of this week was about exploring the lovely area. Though when I say lovely, I raise an arch eyebrow at the hills - and look forward to becoming extra-fit when I get used to them... Key highlights of the area so far: strolling in pretty little Saigoyama Park (with ice cream), strolling along by the river in Naka-meguro, up into the Meguro Sky Garden at nearby Ohashi, and finding an amazing walking/biking path which starts from there and seems to go on for miles of pretty streams and flowers in a north westerly direction. Oh, and enjoying the extremely fancy FamilyMart in the T-Site bookshop (not to mention the very pleasant cocktail bar on top). Delightful. What a fun week.

Brit About Town Picks of the Week - 22nd-28th April
Tokyo events that sound fun

All week - Starting tonight and running all week, you can watch the UK's National Theatre Live production of Skylight starring Bill Nighy and Carrie Mulligan at Kichioji Odeon - I've seen it and it's very good.

Fri 22 April - Dr Sketchy is a global phenomenon, a quirky regular life drawing class/event using burlesque models. Apparently this is the Tokyo branch's 10th anniversary and they have all sorts of celebrations, including seeing their art, painting a mural, and drawing in the park. More info here.

Sat 23 April - I'm sad to be busy at a dinner part on Saturday because the sumo comedy slam at Two Dogs Taproom in Roppongi sounds hilarious. And if you can't get enough of comedy, there's a craft beer and comedy event in the same place right after.

Sun 24 April - As Perfect Liars Club is a storytelling event, we LOVE other storytelling events, so we were excited to meet Apocrypha, the only Tokyo storytelling night we've encountered so far (do you know others?) They're holding a free storytelling afternoon workshop/get together in Yoyogi Park this afternoon. If you want to be in the park but draw instead of tell stories, try Dr Sketchy's free drawing session which is happening at the same time.Then in the evening there is a bilingual improv show courtesy of The Pirates of Tokyo Bay.

Tue 26 April - You could try the stand up comedy new material night at Double Tall Cafe in Shibuya.

Wed 27 April - I'm really excited about Pecha Kucha night at SuperDeluxe in Roppongi. Ten people will present on creative, exciting ideas with an architect-ish slant. It's Y1000 on the door.

Have you got any suggestions for events we should attend? Comment below or email us!

Konnichiwa Tokyo! Welcome to a new blog that talks about cool things to do in Tokyo. And by cool, I mean things that we, the Perfect Liars Club founders, love to do - and think that you might too! This mostly means spoken word events (English), theatre, film, book things, nice restaurants, and outdoorsy activities. It's called Brit About Town, because your trusty author, Layla, is British - and she is a girl about town. And she just moved to Tokyo this very week!

Cool things we've been doing this week

We've been in Tokyo for only a week, but have still managed to find some great things.

Given our 'in development' Japanese language skills, our massive love of spoken word events is curtailed to those in English for now. Fortunately it seems that there are some great options. We really enjoyed the Tokyo version of Fuckup Nights last night at the Impact Hub in Meguro. Four people described a project they'd led at work that... didn't exactly go to plan. Funny and informative, the night, which was mostly in English but with Japanese translation, was a very fun start to life in Tokyo (not to mention the charming walk along the river in Nagameguro to get there).

In terms of film, we ventured to Shibuya's TOHO Cinemas to see The Big Short, a sort of documentary about the Wall Street crash. To be honest, while the film was well made and quite good, it wasn't really what I was looking for after a stressful day settling in to Tokyo. It's quite shouty and tense... More relaxing (though not really) was our trip to the Tokyo Lift Off Festival at the cool Uplink Factory Cinema, also in Shibuya. We saw a range of new short films by emerging directors and they were a diverse and interesting lot. Though I wish film festivals would select more cheerful films... there was far too much horror for my liking! Finally, in a combination of film and theatre, we were delighted to get to see The Audience, a play that was performed at the National Theatre in London and filmed so it can be watched in cinemas around the world as part of their NT Live program. We saw it at Kichioji Odeon and it was amazing. Scroll to the bottom of this website and click the cinemas to see what theatre you can enjoy from London, from the comfort of a cinema in Tokyo.

We've been taking to the water this week. We love stand up paddleboarding but since we couldn't find any in Tokyo (suggestions?), we chose kayaking instead. The Great Tokyo Kayaking Tour was a great experience. I hadn't known that Tokyo had a system of canals but with the last of the cherry blossoms descending, it was a really beautiful time to go kayaking. From the back of their office on Shinkawa island, we got straight into double kayaks... and we were off! This trip is two hours of beautiful, serene canals punctuated by two short episodes of manic terror/thrills (for rubbish kayakers like me anyway), crossing the Sumida river between rather larger boats! But in general, great fun. My only regret was forgetting to combine it with a visit to nearby Morioka Shoten, the bookshop that's recently received lots of international press for stocking only one book at a time. We also went rowing in the Imperial Moat - again, completely beautiful, delightful experience... and rather less terror than the Sumida River! You hire the boats at Chidorigafuchi: the boathouse is about 300 metres south of the Embassy of India, on a pretty little cherry blossom-lined path by the moat.

And of course we've visited some parks for the first time: Yoyogi Park was cheery and fun and pretty, Shibuya Gyoen Park was spectacular, but maybe my favourite was Kiyosumi Garden - especially combined with the nearby lovely Blue Bottle coffee roastery. What fun!

What should we do next week? Please make suggestions in the comments section!

BRIT ABOUT TOWN PICKS OF THE WEEK - 15 - 21 April
Things that we think sound cool happening in Tokyo

All week - See the NT Live production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime at the Kichioji Odeon. I saw it in London live, AND in Washington DC on screen and both were genuinely amazing.

Fri 15 April - The NT Live production of Frankenstein is on tonight only at Cine Libre Ikebukuro.

Sat 16 April - It's Obscura Day! Run by Atlas Obscura, this global day celebrates unusual places and explores hidden corners of places - and Tokyo has an event. We're looking forward to exploring Yanaka Cemetery.

Sun 17 April - A great way to end the weekend may be at Gamuso Comedy in Asagaya with Tokyo Comedy Store. I'm hoping to get to this, our first comedy show in Tokyo.

Tue 19 April - More comedy: it's new material night at Double Tall Cafe in Shibuya with Tokyo Comedy Store.

Wed 20 April - Comedy tonight is open mic at Good Heavens pub in Shimokitazawa with Standup Tokyo.

Thu 21 April - Another comedy show, this one at the Hobgoblin in Shibuya with Tokyo Comedy Store.

Do you know of any great events happening soon? Let us know!

Layla, one of the Perfect Liars Club founders, writes this blog. Perfect Liars Club is a comedy storytelling interrogation show. Four people tell a story about something crazy that happened to them. Three of the stories are totally true; the fourth one is an invention. After they perform their stories, the audience asks questions to try to uncover the lie. Then there is a vote and usually lots of shock when the true liar is revealed. This show is a lot of fun. We launched in Washington DC, USA in 2013 and have been running monthly ever since  - our shows sell out and the Washington Post called the show 'storytelling at its finest'. The show continues in Washington... but since the founders have just moved to Tokyo, we will be starting up a Tokyo version (in English) this summer!