Lauren and I spent one month in Japan during winter, including both Christmas and New Year. This was our first time visiting this incredible country and we loved how different it felt to anywhere else. Japan has a lot to offer during the winter. From ski-slopes in the snowy north to year-round tropical beaches in the South. Lauren and I however, based ourselves in the centre including Tokyo (read more about our Tokyo experience here), Osaka, Kyoto and the foot-hills of Mt.Fuji. This is our guide to what to expect from Christmas in Japan.
Christmas in Japan
My take-away from Christmas in Japan is that there is an excitement for the aesthetics of the season. It is not however, a serious or important tradition. Japan has taken on the fun and light-hearted parts of Christmas, making it a liberating place to enjoy the holiday.
Will it feel Christmassy?
If you are feeling at all worried that the magic of Christmas will be missing, don’t be. While not holding much religious significance in Japan, Christmas is still recognised and celebrated. Lights and upmarket decorations were all over Tokyo’s prestigious shopping district and throughout the upscale shops and department stores. We even found a temporary ice rink on the roof of one of the many high-rise shopping meccas.
Lauren and also spent time in Yokohama and its suburbs, including Christmas day itself. Yokohama is another huge city, just outside Tokyo. Filled with skyscrapers, it also contains the world’s largest Chinatown outside of China itself. Like Tokyo, many of the main streets were adorned with decorations. In the more residential suburbs, many private homes had decorations and garden ornaments too. Rather than a full scale adoption of the western style, I noticed a distinctly Japanese twist to the decorations, which often featured subtle and intricated details
Are shops and restaurants open?
Christmas Day is generally quiet on the streets, with many business closed for the day. Similar to the UK, I noticed some businesses closing earlier than normal on Christmas eve too. However, Japan’s business opening hours tend to be more limited than what I’m used to in the UK, particularly with small or independent businesses. 10am – 3pm seemed to be quite standard operating hours for day-traders such as coffee shops and boutique vendors. After Christmas day is over, trading mostly picks back up as normal, until New Year.
How is Christmas in Japan celebrated?
The celebrations themselves are fairly low-key. If you are interested and can find one, churches will normally offer traditional Christian religious ceremonies such as midnight and Christmas day mass. Otherwise, in Japan the day itself is treated as a holiday to relax with family and friends. From what I could tell, there were no strong social norms, such as Christmas dinner, speeches from public officials or gift exchanges.
On Christmas eve, Lauren and I spent the evening with friends in a nearby bar on the outskirts of Yokohama. Christmas music was playing and there were a handful of locals enjoying drinks. But while there was an upbeat atmosphere it was not obviously Christmas-related. The bar owners and Japanese patrons did however, seem enthusiastic at sharing the evening with us. Recognising the significance of the day and wishing us a merry Christmas whenever we walked by.
What do you eat and drink at Christmas in Japan?
By far the most popular food tradition is chicken. More specifically, and surprisingly, Kentucky Fried Chicken…yes, KFC! Apparently due to a successful 1970’s advertising campaign, KFC has become a Japanese Christmas tradition. There is nothing particularly unique about the available items, at Christmas but you will need to pre-order your Christmas box set, well in advance. Pick a collection time and on Christmas day head on down to your allotted restaurant. Lauren and I go to experience this tradition for ourselves and as with many aspects of Japanese life, people arrived on time. Orderly queues formed and neatly bagged-up orders handed-over.
Once we had eaten our KFC, we also got the pleasure of trying Japanese Christmas cake. Japanese Christmas cake is a light and creamy cake topped with fresh strawberries. Very different from the traditional British style of dense, dark fruit cake.
The only drink that I came across (but did not try), that was synonymous with Christmas in Japan is Chanmerry. I can only guess that it is meant to be a melding of the word ‘champagne’ and the greeting ‘merry Christmas’. It is supposed to be a non-alcoholic champagne aimed at children. It’s fizzy and comes in a corked bottle, so it provides the exciting pop when opened.
New Year in Japan
New Year in Japan is a far more significant event than Christmas with people taking time off work for several days. It can be a challenging time to be a tourist in Japan over this New Year with some unpredictability about what may be available to see and so. However, Lauren and I loved experiencing this special and unique time in Japan.
How is New Year Celebrated in Japan
New Year’s Eve is a big celebration, similar to the UK, except fewer fireworks. People take to the streets and congregate in communal spaces. People drink and eat on the streets or their chosen venue of choice and count in the new year. There is however a more spiritual element to the celebrations than in the UK. Many Japanese traditional temples will hold their own new year celebrations and I would definitely recommend spending some of the evening at one. Lauren and I counted in the new year at a temple in Osaka where the crowd watched a choreographed music and light-show, compared by a 6ft tall elephant mascot.
Japan’s new year traditions extend several days into January and it is the traditional Buddhist temples that draw the crowds. At the stroke of midnight, each temple rings a gong and continues to do so 108 times to cast away each one of the 108 earthly desires and temptations that may torment a person in the year ahead. In the following 3 days, these temples become hubs of life and entertainment. Food and drinks stalls and street performers set themselves up, some operating day and night. People queue at the temples to receive a blessing of good fortune, a tradition known as Hatsumode, or the first prayer of the new year.
Other Unique Japanese New Year Traditions
The New Year Song Contest
Kohaku uta gassen is the name of a popular annual new year’s eve live music contest. Similar to watching Jools Holland to bring in the new year in the UK, in Japan people gather in their homes to watch this pop music show. Kohaku uta gassen is a relatively new tradition usually from home but you might also find it showing in some more modern-style bars or cafes.
The programme features many popular Japanese pop (J-pop) acts competing head to head and runs up to midnight. If you find yourself in a small town or just don’t fancy going out to celebrate, kohaku uta gassen would be a fun and traditional experience to enjoy from your hotel room.
…the crowd watched a choreographed music and light-show, compared by a 6ft tall elephant mascot.
Soba Noodles
Toshikoshi soba, a popular type of buckwheat noodle, traditionally eaten on New Year’s eve. Apparently, the dish symbolises longevity and by eating it you wash away the challenges and hardships of the year gone by. Lauren and I did not eat this for new year but we did try it several times during our time in Japan. It’s delicious and inexpensive.
New Year Greetings Cards
Nengajo is the name of a special type of Japanese greetings card, specifically for New Year. Approximately 1.8 billion were exchanged in 2021, so they are very popular. Importantly, each card contains a unique reference code, entering the recipient into a lottery, typically drawn in mid-January. The lottery gives the chance to win a multitude of prizes, including a generous cash sum for the 1st prize.
What are business hours like during New Year in Japan?
New year is a multi-day affair in Japan. Businesses close down and people often return home to see their families. As a result Lauren and I noticed a distinctly restrictive few days of business trading for most of the first week in January. Technically the holiday lasts 3 days but we found many smaller businesses took the opportunity to shut down for a little longer.
My tip would be, do not necessarily trust opening hours listed online, either on Google on on individual shop restaurants over this period. In fact we found that even opening hours listed in shop windows did not factor in the new year period. Lauren and I set our sights on visiting some particular cafes that unfortunately never reopened before we left Osaka, however we always kept walking and found something good in its place. just stay open minded and flexible.
How we spent our New Year
Lauren and I spent a lot of this time in Osaka which has an amazing food scene. We found the open hours to be a little restrictive but despite this, we really enjoyed the slower pace. We also found we were able to still pack in an enormous amount.
New Year’s Day
On New Year’s day we visited Osaka castle grounds and the nearby garden temple. In fact we felt the effects of a sizable earthquake for a few seconds while there. It had a fun carnival atmosphere, with street vendors serving all sorts of food and drink as well as entertainers and ceremonies.
2nd of January
On the 2nd of January we took a short excursion by train from Osaka to visit Nara. Nara is an historic town surrounded by forests and greenery and known for its exceedingly tame population of deer. You can buy some crackers from one of the numerous vendors and the deer may approach you and even bow to you to indicate they want feeding. Other than that, you must leave them alone and let them roam freely.
Nara is a busy area but there are plenty of areas to walk and appreciate the woodland. If you are seeking some quiet time, away from people, you don’t have to walk far before you lose the crowds. There is also a very beautiful temple in the Nara woodlands which, as we came to expect at this time of year, was very busy with people queueing to receive their blessings for the year ahead.
3rd of January
On the 3rd we took a trip to Universal Studios, on the outskirt of Osaka. As theme park enthusiasts, Lauren and I had a fantastic time here; it was one of the best we have been to. Being the 3rd of January meant it was still a Japanese holiday and therefore one of the busier times of the year to visit. However, with the right planning and tactics on the day, you can still have an incredible time and get on all the rides. Lauren has written some really helpful hints and tips for visiting Universal Studios Osaka here.
Jon
Jon is an adventurer at heart. He has driven 8000 miles across Europe, completed multi-day hikes and swum with sharks. He has had a long and impressive career managing in a training and education business as well as leading transformational change during Covid-19. He has now taken the brave decision to step away from corporate life to pursue his creative ambitions. He is currently editing his first book as well as creating this blog. Together with Lauren, Jon has embarked on many adventures including a winter road trip of Italy, a sleeper train tour for his birthday and kayaking in the Galapagos Islands.