Visiting Japan At Christmas 2025? These Are The Attractions You Need To Book Now!
If you’re lucky enough to be spending Christmas 2025 in Japan, you’re in for something truly magical. I’ve been dreaming of spending Christmas in Japan for years: it has such a wonderful and unique charm, and I would love to see my favourite country in the world all lit up for Christmas.
From glowing winter illuminations to theme parks transformed into twinkling wonderland, Japan knows how to bring the festive cheer – which is funny for a country that doesn’t actually celebrate Christmas in the traditional western sense.
Christmas isn’t celebrated in Japan (in the traditional sense) because less than 2% of the population is Christian. However, if you’re looking for things to do in Tokyo in December, you’re going to find a whole host of Christmas-themed activities.
But here’s the thing – Japan in December is busy! And many of those most memorable and iconic Japanese Christmas experiences that you’ll find all over your Instagram feed book up fast. Even non-Christmassy activities (like visiting teamLab Planets) will sell out weeks in advance during December.
So that’s why I’m sharing this post before the kids have even gone back to school from their summer holidays! Because if you want to visit Japan at Christmas then you need to plan your Japan Christmas itinerary ahead!
Visiting Japan at Christmas and ready to book Christmas attractions in Japan? Then you’ve come to the right place! Here are the best of the best attractions you need to book in advance:
- Tokyo Disneyland at Christmas
- Christmas Lights in Yomiyuriland
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – Hogwarts in the Snow
- Christmas at Universal Studios Japan
- Book Your Christmas Day KFC
- Sanrio Puroland – Sanrio Christmas Illumination
- Tokyo Mega Illumination (Shinagawa)
- Other Events Worth Knowing About
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
Tokyo Disneyland at Christmas
The ultimate Japan Christmas itinerary wouldn’t be complete without Disney. Every year, both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea host an annual Disney Christmas event that is incredibly popular. This year the event will take place from 11th November 2025 – 25th December 2025. This is considered one of the best things to do in Tokyo at Christmas.
This is a wonderful and delightfully festive event, with both parks covered in twinkling lights. Visiting Tokyo Disneyland at Christmas is my DREAM and I know we’ll get there one day. As part of the Christmas event, the Haunted Mansion gets a ‘holiday nightmare’ makeover. You’ll also see all of the main characters in their Christmas finery.
On the flipside, you should expect large crowds at the Tokyo Disney Resort during the holiday season, because this is such a popular event.
🎠 Wondering if you should visit Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea? Read my opinion here!
You can only book Tokyo Disneyland tickets 60 days in advance, but I highly recommend scheduling your dates and booking your tickets exactly 60 days before you want to visit. Tickets for Tokyo Disneyland’s Christmas season typically sell out by October – book early to avoid missing out.
👉Click here to check availability and book your Tokyo Disney tickets as soon as possible
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off your ticket prices
Christmas Lights in Yomiyuriland
Yomiyuriland has attracted a lot of attention since news broke that it will be the site of the new PokePark Kanto theme park, which is opening next year.
But actually, the most iconic time of year to visit Yomiyuriland is at Christmas. This is when the park hosts their Jewellumination event. The most dazzling display of Chistmas lights you’re going to see in your time in Japan!
Jewellumination is a groundbreaking light display developed by the Motoko Ishii Lighting Design Office—the world’s first to feature LEDs inspired by the colors of gemstones.
Light symbolizes a profound love that envelops people, nature, and the entire Earth with comfort, hope, courage, and beauty.This radiant spectacle, exclusive to Yomiuri Land, warmly and gently embraces you with immense love.
And, if you come to the Jewellumination, you can’t miss the fountain show. 188 fountains shooting up, water screens and laser lights all come together to create Japan’s finest fountain show! The combination of light and fountains is simply breathtaking! Some of the rides at the park are open too, but in reality it’s the spectacular light displays that make this worth visiting, meaning this is consistently listed as one of the best things to do in Tokyo at Christmas.
👉Book your Yomiyuriland Tickets Here (These are bookable 60 days in advance)
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off your ticket prices
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Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – Hogwarts in the Snow
I cannot emphasise enough just how much our youngest, Harry Potter made son, loved the Warner Bros Studios Tour Tokyo. If you’ve already been to the one in London then this is still worth visiting in its own right – this is bigger and better.
🚂 You can read our full review of the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios Tour here.
During November and December each year, Warner Bros hosts a seasonal event that transforms the Studios Tour Tokyo into a Hogwarts themed winter wonderland. You’ll see all the same sets and attractions that we saw and loved during our visit, but this time with snow-topped Christmas trees and glittering festive banquets. Love Harry Potter and love Christmas? Then you’ll love this!
👉This limited time experience required advance ticket purchases. Book now to avoid disappointment.
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off your ticket prices
Christmas at Universal Studios Japan
There’s never a bad time of year to visit Universal Studios Japan – I think if they could live there, my boys would quite happily set up a tent! But the Universal Studios Japan theme park really seems to go all out at Christmas. Universal Studios Japan’s Christmas event, “NO LIMIT! Christmas,” is expected to run from mid-November 2025 through early January 2026.
🎢 You can read my full Guide to visiting Universal Studios Japan with kids here.
Some of the highlights of the Universal Studios Japan Christmas event include a Record-Setting Christmas Tree that is consistently one of the largest in the country, a unique Christmas parade, and special Christmas shows. Plus, of course, the whole park will be beautifully decorated for Christmas too.
👉Click here to check availability and book your USJ tickets as soon as possible
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off your ticket prices
Book Your Christmas Day KFC
Did you know that in Japan, you won’t find a turkey dinner with all the trimmings on Christmas Day? Instead, thanks to a clever marketing campaign in the 1980s, the traditional Japanese Christmas dinner is….a huge bucket of KFC chicken. No, this isn’t a joke!
Because it’s so popular, pre-ordering KFC for Christmas is highly recommended, often starting in October or early November, to secure your order and preferred pickup time. If you’re going to be in Japan on Christmas day and want to be about of this fun, albeit unusual tradition, then you can check for pre-order availability on the KFC Japan website or through the KFC Japan app as soon as possible.
🍗 Here’s the link to the KFC Japan website to make prebooking easy
Sanrio Puroland – Sanrio Christmas Illumination
My love of Sanrio Puroland is well documented – as a lifelong Hello Kitty fan, I think it’s one of the most kawaii, beautiful, albeit slightly insane, theme parks in all of Japan. And during Christmas the park takes things a step further by hosting a Sanrio Chistmas Illumination event.
🎀 Read my complete guide to visiting Sanrio Puroland in 2025 here.
As part of the Christmas event with Hello Kitty and friends at Sanrio Puroland, you can see the whole park decorated for Christmas. All the characters will also be wearing exclusive festive costumes. And there’s even a special Christmas show thanks to the 20-minute long ‘Starry Starry Christmas Party’ parade at Puro Village.
If you love Hello Kitty AND you want to be indoors so that you’re not open to the elements, then this is such a great choice.
👉Check availability and book your tickets here NOW
🎁Use my discount code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off these ticket prices.
Tokyo Mega Illumination (Shinagawa)
Held at the Oi Racecourse, this is a huge landscape themed illumination, and completely unique to Japan. You can visit this illuminated wonderland between November and January, and tickets are date-specific, so if you have a date in mind then it’s well worth buying your tickets as far in advance as possible due to high demand.
Worth noting that because it needs to be dark to really appreciate the illuminations, this event is only held in the evenings. This is the biggest illumination event in Tokyo and this year it’s themed around “the past, present, and future.”
⭐You can find out more about this illumination event here.
Other Events Worth Knowing About
These are the biggest Japan at Christmas events that you can start booking now. But there are plenty of other events well worth knowing about! It would be impossible for me to list them all, but some of the other events well worth knowing about and researching if you’re spending Christmas in Tokyo include;
- Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka Illuminations and Christmas market (A lit-up tree lined avenue, accompanied by a German-style Christmas market)
- Shibuya Sky “Sparkling View” Event. Enjoy the spectacular city views from the Shibuya Sky while surrounded by fun, festive decorations.
- Futako Tamagawa Rise “Blooming Lights”. This is an illuminated floral wonderland with light installations installed by local artists. If you’re travelling with kids, this event also has an ice rink which is a great way for them to let out their energy.
- Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market. Another European-style Christmas market with festive stalls and a fun atmosphere.
- Tokyo Christmas Market in Shinjuku. Right in the heart of the city, this event has food stalls and live music.
Are you spending Christmas in Tokyo this year? I’m SO JEALOUS! It really is my dream come true! Let us know all of the fun things you have booked/plan to do in the comments below!
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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
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