Visit an aquarium or art museum after dark
For a few weeks in summer or autumn, some aquariums and art museums stay open into the evening or run special night tours. With the lights turned down and fewer people around, the tanks and galleries feel calm and quite different from the daytime. These openings run only on set dates, so check the schedule before you go.
On a few summer nights, staff lead small groups with flashlights through this seaside aquarium after it has closed, stopping at the big tank in the dark. The tour includes a demonstration of umihotaru, or sea fireflies, tiny sea creatures that give off a blue glow. It is on the Chita Peninsula south of Nagoya, the tour lasts about two hours, and places must be booked in advance.
During its summer night event, this large aquarium on Nagoya's waterfront dims the lights in its South Building from late afternoon, so the tanks glow out of the darkness. It stays open into the evening, and the dolphins perform in a show after dark. The aquarium is about a 5-minute walk from Nagoyako Station on the subway.
This museum is a 1930s Art Deco mansion built as a prince's home, and the rooms themselves, with their original lamps and decoration, are as much the show as the art. On selected autumn evenings it stays open late as part of Tokyo's Autumn Night Museum openings, when the house feels hushed and softly lit. The night dates and hours change each year, so check the museum's website first.
A large museum of contemporary art with wide, high-ceilinged galleries, a short walk from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station. On Friday evenings during Tokyo's autumn night openings it stays open until 8 pm, so you can see the exhibitions in a quiet hour after a day of sightseeing. The neighborhood around it is known for its small coffee roasters, if you arrive early.
This museum in Ueno Park hosts large special exhibitions that draw long daytime crowds. On Friday evenings during Tokyo's autumn night openings, the galleries stay open until 8 pm, and you can walk through them after most visitors have gone home. It is about a 7-minute walk from the Park Exit of JR Ueno Station.