In depth · Christmas & New Year
Christmas in Tokyo: the illuminations, the Christmas market and the New Year at the shrines
Christmas in Tokyo is a season of light rather than a holiday: 25 December is an ordinary working day, but from early November the avenues of Marunouchi, Roppongi and Ebisu glitter with illuminations, a German-style Christmas market opens in Roppongi Hills, and the grand hotels lay out their festive teas. Then the city turns to the New Year, its most important holiday, and to the shrines.
Updated October 2026
The illuminations
Tokyo’s Christmas is told in light. Along Marunouchi’s Naka-dōri, between Tokyo Station and Yūrakuchō, the avenue’s trees are wrapped in warm gold lights from 12 November 2026 to 14 February 2027. In Roppongi Hills, the zelkova trees of Keyakizaka are lit from 5 November to 25 December, with Tokyo Tower framed at the end of the slope.
At Yebisu Garden Place, in Ebisu, the winter illumination has for many years been centred on a great Baccarat crystal chandelier in the plaza; check the organiser’s site for this year’s dates before you go.
Our advice: walk the lights on a weekday evening, when the avenues are calmer, and end with a drink in a hotel bar above them.
The Roppongi Hills Christmas Market
From 21 November to 25 December 2026, Roppongi Hills’ Oyane Plaza becomes a German-style Christmas market, open from 11am to 9pm, with stalls of ornaments and mulled wine; hours may change in bad weather. Come at dusk, see the market, then walk down Keyakizaka under the lights.
Our advice: the Mori Art Museum, at the top of the same tower, stays open late on most days: combine the two.
Festive tea and Christmas dinner
The grand hotels of the palace district, The Peninsula, the Palace Hotel, the Imperial and Aman among them, dress their lobbies and serve festive afternoon teas and Christmas menus; their restaurants, such as ESTERRE by Alain Ducasse at the Palace Hotel and Les Saisons at the Imperial (both One MICHELIN Star, 2026), book up well ahead for Christmas Eve, which in Japan is the evening for a dinner for two.
A Japanese Christmas has its own treat: the Christmas cake, a light sponge layered with cream and strawberries, ordered in advance from the department stores and patisseries.
Our advice: book Christmas Eve dinner as soon as reservations open, often in early autumn.
The New Year at the shrines
The New Year, not Christmas, is Japan’s great family holiday. Many shops, museums and restaurants close for the first days of January, and on New Year’s Eve temple bells ring out the old year. In the first days of January, millions make hatsumōde, the year’s first visit to a shrine or temple: Meiji Jingū and Sensō-ji are the busiest in the city, with long queues on 1 January.
Our advice: go to the shrines on the 4th or 5th of January for a calmer visit, and check opening days before planning a museum.
Questions and answers
Is Christmas a holiday in Japan?
No: 25 December is a working day. The New Year is the great holiday, and many places close for the first days of January.
When are the Marunouchi lights on?
From 12 November 2026 to 14 February 2027, along Naka-dōri.
When is the Roppongi Hills Christmas Market?
From 21 November to 25 December 2026, at Oyane Plaza, from 11am to 9pm.
Join the conversation
Spent Christmas or the New Year in Tokyo? Share the lights, the tea or the shrine visit you would recommend.
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Dates are from the organisers’ 2026 announcements and can change at short notice, especially in bad weather. Check each organiser’s site before you go.