Visiting Japan In December – 17 Best Things To Do In 2024!

December is one of the least crowded times to visit Japan as things begin to wind down for the year.

Is Japan a good place to spend Christmas?

Japan is a great place to get in the festive spirit, but despite the abundance of seasonal events, lights, and decorations, Christmas is not officially celebrated in Japan and is viewed more as a day for couples to go on romantic dates. 

Food-wise you can find more traditional Western-style Christmas buffets in high-end international hotels, but for the most part people pre-order KFC and eat Japan’s version of a Christmas cake, a sponge cake filled with cream and strawberries while choosing to spend time with their special someone.

In this article, we’ll explore 17 of the best things to do in December in Japan for 2024!

Planning a trip to Japan this winter? Take a look at my article – Japan Winter Itinerary – Activities, Destinations, and Trip Ideas. Or, if you’re heading to Tokyo, check out my most popular article – A 5-Day Tokyo Itinerary for Beginners. I also have a 3-day Kyoto itinerary here.

Japan in December – 17 best things to do in 2024

Winter Illuminations

Throughout December you’ll find incredible light shows and winter illuminations around the country. Here are a few of the top events to check out on your travels:

Tokyo Illuminations

1. Ebisu Eternal Lights

The annual winter Eternal Lights lights display at Yebisu Garden Place is worth checking out if you find yourself in the area. It features a huge, beautifully decorated Christmas tree, a ten-foot chandelier, and many Christmas-themed food and drink stalls. 

The entire central area of Yebisu Garden Palace is lit up with lights, along with a huge Christmas tree located at the center of Clock Square. Last year, the Baccarat Eternal Lights event included a huge crystal chandelier. 

• Where & When: Yebisu Garden Place Clock Square, Ebisu, Shibuya City, Tokyo. The tree illuminations and chandelier remain throughout December

• Interesting Fact: The famous Japanese beer brand Ebisu, which has been producing beer in the area since the end of the 19th century, gave the area, including the nearby train station its name, not the other way round as many believe

• More Information: Gardenplace.jp

2. Roppongi

There are two spots in Roppongi you should check out when it comes to illuminations, Tokyo Midtown and Roppongi Hills. The winter light display at Tokyo Midtown’s Starlight Garden is always an impressive show featuring more than 200,000 LED lights across an open field, accompanied by music, whilst Keyakizaka Street in Roppongi Hills is a romantic boulevard lined with trees filled with sparkling lights to create the dazzling colors of the four seasons, making it a popular strolling spot for couples.

• Where & When: Starlight Garden, Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Tokyo. Keyakizaka Street, Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo. Early December, 2024

• Interesting Fact: The name Roppongi is translated to six trees, which were originally used to mark the perimeter of the district, however, the area has grown and the trees have since been knocked down or destroyed

• More Information: Tokyo-midtown.com

3. Shibuya

The Blue Cave lights in Shibuya are one of the most popular and impressive winter lights displays in Tokyo, with more than 600,000 electric blue LED lights brightening up the trees for 800 meters between Koen Dori Street and Yoyogi Park.

The popular event which started in 2014 moved to Shibuya in 2016 due to high demand, with more than 2 million visitors attending every year. Visitors can take a leisurely stroll along the blue light path, taking photos and enjoying the sensational atmosphere. If you’re in Tokyo in December, this is a must-see highlight.

• Where & When: Between Koen Dori Street and Yoyogi Park Events Square, Shibuya. December 1 to 25, 2024

• Interesting Fact: The nearby Scramble Crossing also in Shibuya is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, with an estimated 2.5 million people crossing every day!

• More Information: Shibuya-aodonokutsu.jp

4. Yomiuriland

This amusement park located approximately 30 minutes from central Tokyo is home to the largest light display in the Kanto area, ‘Jewellumination’, as millions of lights illuminate the entire park.

Everything from trees to fountain displays, to spectacular live musical performances, and the rides, of course, are all lit up. An Instagrammers dream! In addition to the lights, there are more than 40 attractions and rides to discover, including thrillers like the Bandit rollercoaster, and the Looping Starship, or more family-friendly rides such as the Giant Ferris Wheel, and the Merry-go-land adult carousel.

• Where & When: Yanokuchi, Inagi, Tokyo. End of October 2024 to March 2025

• Interesting Fact: Also located within the park is Yomiuri Stadium, home of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team, the oldest and most successful professional baseball team in Japan, with 22 Series titles across its 88-year existence

• More Information: Yomiuriland.com

5. Tokyo Skytree

From mid-November until Christmas Day, the Tokyo Skytree and the surrounding area known as Skytree Town is decked out with festive lights and often features regular projection mapping shows onto the side of the tower.

Festivities around the tower include a large Christmas tree, a European-style Christmas market serving hot food and drinks, souvenirs, and live musical performances. Few places within Tokyo are more festive than the Skytree Tower and the surrounding Christmas market.

• Where & When: Tokyo Skytree, Oshiage, Sumida City, Tokyo. 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM

• Interesting Fact: At 634 meters tall, Tokyo Skytree is not only the tallest structure in Japan but until 2021, it was the second tallest structure in the world behind the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. As of 2023, it is still the tallest tower in the world

• More Information: Tokyo-skytree.jp

Kyoto Illuminations

In addition to the stunning autumn leaves viewing spots around Arashiyama mentioned in the November article, here are a couple of other Kyoto highlights:

6. Arashiyama Hanatouro

This free 10-day illumination event in Kyoto occurs twice a year, once in March in Higashiyama and again in mid-December in Arashiyama. During this time, special night-time illuminations including thousands of lanterns create atmospheric and enchanting scenes in the walkways throughout the famous bamboo forest, and Togetsukyo Bridge.

In addition, many temples, shrines, and other popular attractions, such as Ogura Pond and the Kimono Forest, are also decorated with locally made lanterns, and many food stalls remain open later than usual during this time.

• Where & When: Togetsu-kyō Bridge, Tenryuji-susukinobaba-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto. Mid-December 2024

• Interesting Fact: The famous Fushimi Inari Shrine in the Arashiyama area has more than 10,000 red torii gates spread across 4km of the temple grounds. It is believed that the first gate dates back to the early 8th century

• More Information: Hanatouro.kyoto.travel

7. Kyoto Station

An easy one to tick off since most visitors will pass through the gateway to Japan’s cultural capital at some point, the station is beautifully decorated with thousands of lights and a giant Christmas tree. In 2023, 125 of the 171 steps of the station’s Grand Stairway were lit up with a unique and dazzling light display with over 15,000 LEDs. The display, known as The Big Staircase Graphical Illumination Plus, took place every night throughout November and December and featured a different display each night. 

Kyoto Station’s Grand Stairway also features other types of light designs throughout the rest of the year, including New Year’s Eve, Spring, and Autumn.

• Where & When: Kyoto Station, Higashishiokoji Kamadonocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto. 3 PM to 10 PM, November 25 to December 25, 2024

• More Information: Kyoto-station-building.co.jp

Osaka Illuminations

8. Festival of Lights

Osaka’s annual illumination event features several light displays across the city. Highlights include the dazzling 4-kilometer trail of lights along Midosuji Avenue featuring the tree-lined streets covered in an array of colors to include pink, gold, and blue. 

The other focal point of the festival is the Hikari Renaissance which features projection mapping displays onto city buildings around the Nakanoshima waterside area in Osaka city center. Some of the attractions include the huge illuminated facade over City Hall, the Tunnel of Light along Miotsukushi Promenade, and the AI-driven laser light projection over the facade of Osaka City Central Public Hall.

• Where & When: Between Osaka City Hall and Nakanoshima Park, Kita Ward, Osaka, evenings throughout December, 2024

• Interesting Fact: Osaka is nicknamed Tenka no Daidokoro, ‘the nation’s kitchen’, due to its status as Japan’s rice hub during the Edo period. Most of the storage and trading warehouses were located in Nakanoshima, making it an important center of trade, which remains to this day

• More Information: Hikari-kyoen.com

9. Osaka Castle Illuminage

The area surrounding Osaka Castle is home to a popular illumination event throughout winter called Illluminage, which fuses LED light displays with other technologies and art to create a range of stunning illumination events to create a sense of wonder for visitors.

Past attractions in previous years have included a maze area, restaurant, illuminated scenes depicting Japan’s Taisho Period, and a large-scale drone show. Tickets to the event can be purchased here, and the event is open every day, including during Christmas and the New Year holiday period.

• Where & When: Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden, Chuo Ward, Osaka, from 5:30 PM to 10 PM, between mid-November 2024 and mid-February 2025

• Interesting Fact: Despite the 20-meter high stone wall and the large defensive complex that was constructed with an estimated 1 million stones, Osaka Castle has been destroyed four times throughout its 450-year history, including being struck by lightning and burned down, and bombed

• More Information: Illuminagegroup.com

10. Tokyo Whisky Festival

Entering its eighteenth year, the Tokyo Whisky Festival in Shinjuku is a large-scale whisky-tasting event that takes place in four parts spread across two days. Visitors can purchase a broad range of whisky from around the world, many of which can be sampled for free. There are more than 100 booths at the event offering many varieties of whisky including the world’s top five, to craft distillery specialties. The event also offers a cocktail booth, lectures from industry professionals, a blind-tasting contest, and a wide range of food stalls. A ticket will get you into a single session and entry is limited to 1,200 people at a time. 

• Where & When: Bellesalle Takadanobaba Event Hall, Sumitomo Fudosan Shinjuku Garden Tower, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Part 1: December 7, 10 AM-1:30 PM, Part 2: 2:30 PM to 6 PM, Part 3: December 8, 10 AM-1:30 PM, Part 4: 2:30 PM to 6 PM

• Interesting Fact: Japan is the third largest producer of whisky in the world after Scotland and the US. Although whisky production in Japan started relatively recently compared to other countries, it frequently produces some of the best-blended whisky in the world

• More Information: Whiskyfestival.jp

11. Nationwide Christmas Markets

Although it would be hard to compete with Europe when it comes to Christmas markets, Japan does have a few worthy offerings if you feel the need for a cup of mulled wine and a German sausage. There has been a boom in recent years of Christmas markets and seasonal light displays popping up in many of Japan’s major cities.

Highlights include the Christmas Market in Osaka, the Yokohama Christmas Market in the fashionable Red Brick Warehouse district, the Tokyo Christmas markets at Roppongi Hills, the Tokyo Skytree, and the German Christmas Market in Sapporo.

Where & When:

• Osaka Christmas Market, Tennoji Park, Tennoji Ward, November 29 to December 25, 2024
• Yokohama Christmas Market, Red Brick Warehouse, Naka Ward, November 22 to December 25, 2024
• Tokyo Christmas Market, Roppongi Hills, Roppongi, Minato city, Tokyo, mid-November to December 25, 2024
• Tokyo Christmas Market, Tokyo Skytree, Sumida city, Tokyo, early November to December 25, 2024
• German Christmas Market, Sapporo, Odori Park, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido, November 22 to December 25, 2024 

12. Christmas Fantasy

The largest winter illumination event in Japan’s southernmost prefecture, Okinawa’s Christmas Fantasy is a three-week-long year-end festival that is held at Okinawa Zoo and Museum from through the final weeks of December and the first week of January each year. 

Entering its 29th year, the event features many Instagrammable light displays, a children’s amusement park, dinosaur battles, and multiple live music and street dance performances. In addition, visitors can take part in a snowfall show, pay a visit to Santa’s grotto, or enjoy the Super Aurora Attraction, one of the largest sound, light and fireworks displays in Japan. 

• Where & When: Okinawa Zoo and Museum, Goya, Okinawa. Mid December 2024 to early January 2025

• More Information: Xmas-fantasy.com

13. Tokyo Odaiba Fireworks & Illumination Island

One of Tokyo’s most popular date spots, Odaiba ramps up the romance factor with a weekly fireworks event throughout December every Saturday at 7 PM. The best viewing points are from the Aqua City Mall or Odaiba Beach. Expect spectacular views as the fireworks explode over Tokyo Bay against the backdrop of the city skyline and illuminated Rainbow Bridge.

Also throughout December, several sites around the manmade island take part in a joint seasonal illumination event where large festive installations make the island come alive at night.

Where & When:

• Illumination Island, late November to December 25, 2024. Rainbow Fireworks, December 7, 14, 21, & 28, 2024
• Viewing spots for both around the island include Decks Shopping Mall, Fuji Television building, Aqua City Shopping Mall, Hilton Tokyo, and more

14. Nabana no Sato

One of the country’s most epic illumination winter events, the Nabana no Sato light display takes place in the scenic botanical gardens of the Nagashima Onsen Resort, not far from Nagoya city. It features more than 8 million LED lights across a series of installations divided into 7 different areas, including the Great River of Light, Japan’s largest 3D water illumination display. 

Some of the most popular highlights include the Instagram-worthy Tunnel of Lights, the Millenium Garden, a brilliant field of green and white lights that surround a 1000-year-old olive tree, and a huge themed area, that was designed around the Golden Pyramids last year.

• Where & When: Nagashima Onsen Resort, Nagashima town, Kuwana city, Mie prefecture. October 19, 2025 to June 1, 2025

• Interesting Fact: Nabana no Sato is actually a flower park home to thousands of seasonal plants and flowers including plum and cherry blossoms, which are an impressive sight during the day

• More Information: Nagashima-onsen.co.jp

15. Tokyo Disneyland, Disney Christmas

Visitors to Tokyo Disneyland can take part in their festive events from mid-November onwards until Christmas Day as the park is filled with Christmas lights, decorations, and a huge Christmas tree. 

This year guests can expect to see a daytime Christmas parade along the main promenade that runs around the castle, and the Electrical Parade Dreamlights with its thousands of colorful LED lights in the evening. You will also find many holiday-themed rides, fireworks displays, and special Christmas-themed menus at many restaurants. Meanwhile, over at the DisneySea Park, expect special musical shows featuring classic Disney characters and more festive-themed food and drinks.

• Where & When: Tokyo Disneyland, Chiba, Tokyo. November 15 to December 25

• Interesting Fact: Tokyo Disneyland received more than 15 million visitors in 2023, making it the fourth most visited theme park in the world

• More Information: Tokyodisneyresort.jp

16. Nationwide, New Year’s Eve

Oshogatsu, Japan’s New Year period is not typically celebrated by drinking your body weight in alcohol but at home with family, during which time people visit local temples and shrines to pray for health and prosperity for the year ahead. In most large cities there are still the odd Western-style countdown parties to be found but generally, New Year’s Eve is a quiet affair, with many businesses closing early. 

Surprisingly, one of the best places to celebrate a traditional New Year’s Eve in Japan is in Narita (yes, the town where the airport is), which comes to life with food vendors and stalls set up in the traditional streets leading up to the temple.

• Where & When: Naritasan Shinsho-ji temple, 1 Narita, Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, 11PM December 31, 2024

• Interesting Fact: Domestically, Narita is known for its high-quality unagi (freshwater eel), so much so that the city’s tourism mascot, Unari-kun, is actually an eel mixed with an airplane!

• More Information: NRTK.JP, & Naritasan.or.jp

17. Akō Gishi Festival

What better way to complete this list than with an event that honors the tragic sacrifice of the famous 47 Ronin who avenged the death of their feudal lord. The Akō Gishi festival is held twice a year in April and December at Sengaku-ji temple where the ronin and their feudal lord are still buried. 

This year’s winter event will take place over three days in December, featuring a solemn precession of 47 men dressed as the former samurai warriors from the temple grounds. Temple treasures, including the homemade armor of the ronin, are on display inside the main hall, and food and souvenir stalls are scattered throughout the grounds. You can also visit the graves of the Ronin and their feudal lord Asano Naganori.

• Where & When: Sengaku-ji Temple, Takanawa, Minato City, Tokyo, December 13-15, 2024

• Interesting Fact: Ronin were former samurai who no longer had a master. They were considered a lower class than samurai as the title carried a sense of failure to their duty and former lord

• More Information: Sengakuji.or.jp

Dates to Avoid Traveling Japan in December

National Holidays

While there are no formal public holidays in Japan in December, many companies are closed between December 29 and the first working day in January, usually January 3, as part of the New Year’s holidays. This period is a popular time for visiting friends and family members so expect public transport and highways to be much busier than usual and avoid traveling if you can, particularly closer towards the end of the month.

December 31 is called Ōmisoka in Japan. It is popular to celebrate this event with various traditional activities that include gathering with friends or family, and visiting a local Shrine or temple at midnight. While many Shinto shrines can become extremely busy at this time it is well worth visiting one if you can to experience welcoming the new year in a uniquely Japanese way.

Japan in December Average Temperage Guide

Planning a trip to Japan this winter? Take a look at my article – Japan Winter Itinerary – Activities, Destinations, and Trip Ideas. Or, if you’re heading to Tokyo, check out my most popular article – A 5-Day Tokyo Itinerary for Beginners. I also have a 3-day Kyoto itinerary here.