Christmas away from home can be hard for anyone, but being all the way on the other side of the world in Tokyo, away from family, can sometimes make it worse.
In many English speaking countries, and across Europe, Christmas brings a month of celebrations. As it gets closer to December 25th, we see more and more decorations, hear more songs, and go to more Christmas parties and events. It’s a time of the year that we love and the buildup is often more exciting than the actual day.
However, being in Japan, a mostly Buddhist/Shinto country, trying to enjoy the holiday season in the same way as home can be challenging.
My first few years here, I couldn’t deal with not spending a real Christmas with my family, so I went home at Christmas. But that gets expensive, especially when you also want to take a trip home in the summer, so I started staying in Japan for Christmas. It was different, to say the least.
I tried working on Christmas day and that helped me get through the day and not think about what I was missing in my home country. But it also made me feel like I just skipped the whole thing. Now I have Christmas day off and I am able to do what I want…almost.
Somehow through keeping myself busy, I can get through the actual Christmas Day. It’s the lead up that I really miss… The whole month of December. So finding things to do in December to help make the most of the season can help you enjoy it to the max.
Christmas in Japan
In Japan, Christmas is essentially a time for lovers, whereas New Year’s is a time for family. December 24th is a day when girlfriends and boyfriends make reservations at nice restaurants and go on romantic dates. Disneyland is very crowded on this day!
Children get one (yes, that’s right …ONE!) present from Santa.
Traditionally, there are no Christmas trees in Japanese houses although recently some people have started to put up little ones. Japan is not a Christian country so the traditions are for the most part, commercial.
So, what can you do if you want to really get the most out of the Christmas/Holiday season in Tokyo? Well, there are many things you can do but you will have to search and you may need to travel a bit.
Christmas Decorations
Let’s start with decorations. In the 20 years I’ve been here, I’ve only had a real Christmas tree once. The smell throughout the house was so wonderful. It made me remember all the Christmases I had spent with family in my home country. It was heaven. But, it didn’t come without some trouble.
It is possible to find real Christmas trees but they range around ￥25,000 for a decent-sized one and it was a pain to throw it away once Christmas was over. Nissin World Delicatessen is one place that sells real trees at different heights starting November 24th.
If you would rather have an artificial tree for your apartment or house, you can find plenty in different sizes and colors at Costco, Toys R Us, IKEA, Tōkyū Hands, Amazon, and some department stores.
Lights and decorations can also be also be found in those places. Costco has some really great outdoor decorations such as snowmen, streetlamps, reindeer, and Santa and his sleigh. But Costco sells out quickly so you’ll have to buy soon if you are lucky enough to have some space to display them.
I love Christmas decorations. I often find more satisfaction in rounding a corner and coming across a simple set of lights on a fence than going to some of the giant illumination displays that can be seen in Tokyo.
But all good things must come to an end and unfortunately in Japan it is far too soon. In my country we like to drag out the Christmas season, at least until New Year, but here, by December 25th, or 26th at the latest, all the decorations come down and Christmas is gone.
Many Japanese people decorate for New Year so the week after Christmas until New Year is another display for them.
Food for the Holidays
This brings me to food. I have my favorite Christmas foods that I will likely never find here such as chicken bones, Quality Street, and mashed potato dressing made with summer savory, but over the years, some things have become easier to get.
Cooked chicken can be seen now in many supermarkets and Christmas is KFC’s busiest time of the year, but you’ll have to order weeks ahead of time. Costco sells frozen turkeys and chickens but I always wonder who buys those huge turkeys and how do they cook them? They definitely wouldn’t fit in my oven! We buy our free range cooked chicken from the butcher near our home who cooks them on a rotisserie. He has a special Christmas promotion every year.
If you prefer to eat out, there are many places you can go but you’ll have to make reservations early. Some of them may not have their Christmas menus up yet, so keep checking back on their sites.
Reservations for Dinner
Several place you can try for nice Christmas dinners are Hobgoblin in Roppongi, The Pink Cow in Akasaka, The Hilton Shinjuku in Shinjuku, and Trader Vic’s at The New Otani.
Special Events
So what about events? What can we do in Tokyo to make the most of the holidays? Well, there are many things to choose from but sometimes you really have to look for them.
Christmas Markets
To begin, how about the Christmas Markets? They run from the end of November to Christmas Day and are great places to get into the Christmas spirit. Roppongi Hills Christmas Market has traditional German Christmas food and beverages and sells crafty Christmas things. You can also enjoy the illuminations at the same time.
Here are a few other Christmas events.
Tokyo Christmas Market
Yebisu Garden Place Christmas Marché
Tokyo Skytree Town Dream Christmas
Tokyo Disney Resort’s Disney Christmas
There is always Tokyo Disneyland. Their Christmas theme runs until December 25th. They have Christmas parades and a variety of Christmas-themed goods for sale. It’s a busy place but worth going to at least once. The fireworks on Christmas Eve are especially nice.
Santa Meet and Greet
If you have kids who want to meet Santa, or if you’re just a kid at heart, there are several places you can meet Santa throughout the city (like Roppongi Hills, Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, and The Westin Tokyo).
Winter Charity Events
If you like to exercise and want to help raise money for sick kids, there is a Santa Fun Run charity event on December 22nd in Komazawa Olympic Park. A Santa suit is included in the entrance fee.
If you would like to help those who are less fortunate, you can donate some time to volunteer organizations. One such organization is Second Harvest. They don’t require Japanese ability to help out.
Winter Illuminations
In recent years, people have started decorating their houses more for Christmas and with Costco and home centers selling large displays of lights and figures at somewhat reasonable prices, it’s becoming more common to see houses decorated with Christmas lights in Japan. However, if you really want to be overwhelmed you should definitely visit some of the illumination parks in Japan. There are a lot of wonderful places to see the bright lights in the Tokyo area and nothing says Christmas like a whole lot of LED.
Some places to go and check out the Christmas lights are: Tokyo Mega Illumi, Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest, Yomiuri-land Jewellumination, and Tokyo Mid-Town.
Whether you choose to stay home and have a quiet evening or go out and enjoy the lights and sights of the city, there is one thing that is for sure. There are so many things to do out in Tokyo this month during the Christmas season, and it may not be the same as back home, but you can still make it special, so get out there and enjoy this holiday season in Tokyo!
Featured Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.
