Fri 26 May -  It's the last Friday of the month, which means an array of interesting things to do! I'll be at Improvazilla, a really high quality improv show which includes an improvised musical. If you like poetry, you have choices: the Drunk Poets See God poetry slam at Bar Gari Gari or the Tohoku poetry reading with poets Peter Robinson and Masaya Saito at Books Kinokuniya. EU Film Days festival commences at the newly opened National Film Centre! (The opening film, Vojtech, is today at 4:30pm -  it's in Slovak, but has English subtitles.) There's Balls to the Wall comedy at Roppongi. There's another cool little gramophone concert. This and That cafe brings music and live art. If you like drawing burlesque performers, head over to Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School. And there's a Disney concert on at Tokyu Theatre Orb all week.

Sat 27 May - At 1pm and 5pm there's a cool concert by Japan's philharmonic orchestra providing the soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin's film Street Light. I had such a pfaff trying to buy tickets on their insanely complicated website but was eventually successful, so come say hi at the 5pm show. Asakusa stand up comedy is tonight, associated with the Funny Japan project at Waseda University. There's an art opening for new Japanese portrait photography at 5pm in Ginza. In terms of English language cinema screening at nice cinemas all week from today, we have Eye in the Sky at Ginrei Hall, and Waseda Shochiku has a double bill of Trainwreck and The Nice Guys.

Sun 28 May - This is clearly improv weekend! Tonight check out a bilingual improv show by the Pirates of Tokyo Bay.

Mon 29 May - It's Otsuka's open mic comedy night tonight.

Tue 30 May - Boo, it's yet another Tuesday lull. Please would people start putting on more events on Tuesdays! In the meantime, cinema?

Wed 31 May - Pechakucha night returns to Superdeluxe in Roppongi tonight. Hear talks in English and Japanese by architects, artists, and other creative types. This show, which is a worldwide sensation, was born here in Tokyo. Also tonight, Good Heavens Comedy Club.

Thu 1 June - Perfect Liars Club is tonight! Oh yes, Tokyo's favourite (and only) story interrogation show comes to Shimokitazawa tonight at 8pm sharp (doors from 7pm). Four shocking tales, but only one is true. Can you spot the liar? Come and prove it tonight.

Fri 2 June - The Gamuso comedy show brings stand up comedy and improv to Asagaya to finish off the week with some laughs. And great news, short film fans: the brilliant and free Short Shorts Film Festival returns to Tokyo and Yokohama til June 25th. They all have English-language subtitles. We really loved this festival last year. Check out the schedule and book your (free) tickets now!

Got an event we should include next time? Email us.

Fri 19 May - The Diary of Anne Frank by Tokyo International Players' is on again tonight (til Sunday). Or hear a talk about the experiences of a Syrian refugee in Japan. Project Godie launches tonight, a cool platform to celebrate the links between north-east England and Japan, through dance, music, film and books (event details). Also, Gamuso comedy show in Asagaya is tonight.

Sat 20 May - Feeling literary? Go hear a talk about Australian books in the American marketplace in English this afternoon at 3:35 at Meisei University. There's more The Diary of Anne Frank by Tokyo International Players tonight. Or if you like your Saturdays cheerier, the Vega Comedy Show is tonight too. Also, I don't usually post about music, but Dr Seuss meets Jazz sounds charming.

Sun 21 May - Big decisions today: are you a scientist, an artist or a historian? Excitingly, the Pint of Science festival comes to Tokyo today only. It's 12-2 at Good Heavens, so settle down with some British food for lunch and enjoy talks and discussions on things such as Japanese robotics from an anthropology perspective. Or bring your pencils and pads for that lovely social drawing art event, PauseDraw at 4pm in Nagatacho. It's also the last day of The Diary of Anne Frank by Tokyo International Players today.

Mon 22 May - It's Otsuka's open mic comedy night tonight. Also Tokyo Cocktail Week kicks off today.

Tue 23 May -  Tokyo Space Cafe is tonight at Good Heavens. For Tokyo-based space geeks (and aspirational space geeks like me), this is one of the most interesting events of the month! Tonight the talk will be about a JAXA and a NASA mission: Rocks from Asteroids: The Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx Space Missions.

Wed 24 May - It's Wednesday, which means it's Good Heavens Comedy Club.

Thu 25 May - If you can get there for 5pm, you may enjoy Waiting for a Whitman: Canadian Poetry and National Identity by Jeff Weingarten. It's at the University of Tokyo.

Fri 26 May -  Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen: it's the last Friday of the month! I'll be at Improvazilla, a really high quality improv show which includes an improvised musical. But what else am I missing? If you like poetry, you have choices: the Drunk Poets See God poetry slam at Bar Gari Gari or the Tohoku poetry reading with poets Peter Robinson and Masaya Saito at Books Kinokuniya. EU Film Days festival commences at the newly opened National Film Centre! The opening film, Vojtech, is today at 4:30pm -  it's in Slovak, but has English subtitles. There's Balls to the Wall comedy at Roppongi. There's another cool little gramophone concert. And if you like drawing burlesque performers, head over to Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School.

Coming soon

1 June - Perfect Liars Club returns! Grab your tickets now!

Fri 12 May -  For one night only, there's a performance of Twelfth Night by International Theatre Company London. English with Japanese subtitles. Nerd Nite is also tonight, with talks about race issues in Japan and the links between cancer and mathematics. As is Balls to the Wall comedy in Roppongi. Or hear a talk about the future of work at UN University. Many options! Enjoy!

Sat 13 May - For all you fit people, today is the Tokyo Yamathon. Then tonight it's Comedy Sumo Slam! Fantastic comedy gameshow where two teams of comics compete to be amusing on current affairs and off the cuff topics. I won't be able to participate due to the venue's lack of wheelchair access for a visiting friend, but this is always a smart, funny night! Oooh and cause for celebration (they disappointingly have failed to have a party; just an exhibition about puppet animation) - it's the re-opening of the National Film Centre! And up at Shin Bungeiza cinema in Ikebukuro, the Extreme Film Festival, an all-nighter with 3 out of 4 films in English.

Sun 14 May - It's quiet today. So for all you old film fans: This is the last week of the lovely Ernst Lubitsch retrospective at Cinemavera. I've seen several so far and this is hugely popular: standing room only, with literally about 30 people standing, people sitting in the aisles, etc. Check it out.

Mon 15 May - Back by popular demand for old movie fans everywhere, it's Monday at the Movies! Join us tonight at Good Heavens to drink beer and enjoy Our Man in Havana for free. Or if you want to try out some new stand up comedy material or hear new jokes, head to Otsuka's open mic comedy night.

Tue 16 May - Barry Lancet, who wrote The Spy Across the Table, is speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club on his book and how to be a successful writer. Tickets available if you email them.

Wed 17 May - If it's Wednesday, it's Good Heavens Comedy Club! Lots of laughs, lots of beer, lots of chips (of the British variety). Unless you want to hear analysis of the French election?

Thu 18 May - Two English-language plays in a single week? Impressive, Tokyo! Tonight is the first night of Tokyo International Players' production of The Diary of Anne Frank. Selling out fast.

Fri 19 May - The Diary of Anne Frank by Tokyo International Players' is on again tonight (til Sunday). Or hear a talk about the experiences of a Syrian refugee in Japan. Also, Gamuso comedy show in Asagaya is tonight.

Coming soon

26 May - EU Film Days festival commences at the newly opened National Film Centre!

1 June - Perfect Liars Club returns! Grab your tickets now!

Fri 5 May - A treat tonight: That's What She Said, Tokyo's first all-woman comedy show, complete with charity auction and other fun things. Your beloved Perfect Liars host Layla will be performing. Also, Gamuso comedy show in Asagaya is on tonight. And Towering Inferno is screening at Ikebukuro's Shin Bungeiza cinema who are having a Warner Bros retrospective this week.

Sat 6 May - Tokyo Rainbow Pride kicks off today in Yoyogi Park. There are all sorts of adjunct events if you like to party, picnic, or understand Japanese. Otherwise, head to Ikebukuro's Shin Bungeiza cinema to see Dirty Harry and/or Bullitt.

Sun 7 May - Tokyo Rainbow Pride and parade is today in Yoyogi Park. And at Ikebukuro's Shin Bungeiza cinema, Wild Bunch and/or Dirty Harry.

Mon 8 May - At 4:20 go to a free talk about Shakespeare's original accent. Also, today the three-day Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival starts. The films are new indie films, they're either in English or have English subtitles, and the festival is at the Uplink in Shibuya. Or if you want classic cinema, head to the final day of Ikebukuro's Shin Bungeiza Warner Bros retrospective to see Rebel Without a Cause and/or East of Eden. There's also open mic stand up comedy tonight in Otsuka.

Tue 9 May - Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival continues this evening.

Wed 10 May - Good Heavens Comedy Club is back with all the laughs tonight. Plus it's the final night of Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival.

Thu 11 May - Oh glorious day! After you have patiently been waiting all month, finally, Perfect Liars Club is tonight! Make sure you get your tickets as it's going to be a good one. There's even a guest suspect/performer from the Washington DC Perfect Liars Club. Are you shrewd enough to spot the liar? The most fun night in Tokyo in our opinion.

Fri 12 May -  There's a performance of Twelfth Night tonight only by International Theatre Company London. English with Japanese subtitles. Nerd Nite is also tonight, with talks about race issues in Japan and the links between cancer and mathematics. Or hear a talk about the future of work at UN University. Enjoy!

Fab films to see all week - Born to be Blue (about jazz trumpeter Chet Baker) is screening at Ginrei Hall. For documentary fans, Don't Blink (about photographer Robert Frank) and The First Monday in May (the MET fashion gala) are at Le Cinema Bunkamura. For old film fans, the Ernst Lubitsch season at Cinemavera runs all this week with a different double bill every day. What a treat. As for your Toho daily 10am films, Rear Window is at Toho Nihonbashi and Shawshank Redemption at Toho Shinjuku. And of course around town you'll find Beauty and the Beast, Sing, Moana, La la Land, and more. Go wild.