Through 8 January
Setagaya Art
Paintings and sculpture by artists who live in Setagaya Ward. Setagaya Bijutsukan (Yoga Sta., 1-2 Kinuta Koen, +81 (3) 3415 6011).

8 January
Dondo-yaki Ritual
At the Torigoe Jinja Temple they burn New Year's decorations such as shimenawa and kadomatsu to end the New Year's holidays. Superstition has it that mochi rice cakes cooked over the fire are good for health. Torigoe Jinja Temple (JR Sobu Line, 2-4-1 Torigoe, Taito-ku, +81 (3) 3851 5033).

9 January
Helloween
Heavy metal from Germany. 7:00 p.m., Kan'i Hoken Hall (Gotanda Sta,. +81 (3) 3490 5111), Y6500 (Y6000 in advance).

12 & 13 January
The Auteurs
British rock. 7:00 p.m., Club Quattro (Quattro by Parco, 5F, +81 (3) 3477 8750).

Through 13 January
Tingle Tangel '94
Produced by Bunkamura Theater Cocoon's Kazumi Kushida. Different kinds of artists and talent are invited every year to perform in the show to celebrate Christmas and the end of the year. This year will be the last in which, in the A program, On Theater Jiyu Gekijo's unit, the Warau Pelicanto, is joined by three street-performance artists from France and The Netherlands. The B program features the new wave circus performance Noire Baroque by the Circus Baroque, where acrobats are encased in a small box, a man walks on the ceiling playing the sax, a ballet dancer is suspended in the air by an elastic rope, and so on. Bunkamura Theater Cocoon (Behind Tokyu Hoten Dept. Store, Shibuya Sta., +81 (3) 3477 9999), Y5000-Y6000.

Through 29 January
Carmen Jones
For a New Year's treat, check out the all-black cast in Oscar Hammerstein II's adaptation of the original Carmen. Still three men and a female sex turbo, this version is set in the US South during World War II. Music by Georges Bizet, directed by Simon Callow. Aoyama Gekijo (Shibuya Sta., +81 (3) 3797 5678), Y10000-Y15000.

Through 19 February
Photography and Beyond in Japan
More than 50 photo-based works by 12 of this country's top contemporary artists have been brought together to illustrate the dimensions of Japanese photography over the past 15 years. This is the first time Japanese contemporary photography has been collectively shown in a thematic exhibition. Don't miss it. Hara Bijutsukan (4-7-25 Kita Shingawa, +81 (3) 3445 0651).

Through 26 February
John Cage's Rolywholover a Circus
This well-organized four-part exhibition puts into practice Cage's theories of chance operation. First there is the Museum Circle which reproduces Cage's living room but with art works gathered from the the collection of various Ibaraki-ken museums. Each day the work changes so that no two exhibtions are alike. Part two is Cage's Gallery with some of his music scores, drawings, and prints. The Circus Gallery, part three, contains more than 200 works by 50 artists with whom Cage was close friends, including Marcel Duchamp, Jasper Johns, Joesph Cornell and Robert Raucshenberg. Part four is a series of Cage's performances and concerts held in the Auditorium. Call the museum for event scheduling. Worth the pilgramage to Mito. Mito Geijutsukan Gendai Bijutsu Center (1-6-8 Gokencho, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken, +81 0292 27 8111).

Speakeasy
Amazing underground dungeon space with sporadic events worth attending. (off Gaien Higashi-dori, 2nd left from Roppongi crossing, +81 (3) 5410 0356.)

Fluxus
More than 150 objects and documentary photos of performances, guerrilla theater and street spectacles by the international art group Fluxus. The group was founded by graphic designer George Maciunas in the 1960s with the aim of upsetting the bourgeoisie as much as possible with meaningless art. This exhibition is a great overview of the movement's contributions to current art and art multiples. Fluxus artists from Japan include Takehisa Kosugi, Shigeo Kubota, and Toshi Ichiyangi. A must-see. The Watari Museum of Contemporary Art (3-7-6 Jingu-mae, +81 (03) 3402 3001).

Calendar material provided by Tokyo Journal