Can you believe we are already in the second half of December? Whether you are on holiday mode or too busy to feel Christmassy, here are the places in Tokyo where you can feel the holiday vibes.
1. Tokyo Midtown Christmas 2023
November 16, 2023 – December 25, 2023
17:04～23:00
With the concept “Be Enchanted…”, Tokyo Midtown will be beautifully lit up with gentle orange lights. The highlight will be “Gold Trees” where you can enjoy the golden tree lights in combination with sounds and smoke effects as you walk through this 80m-long stretch of Midtown Garden. We would recommend you check their official website for the crowd calendar before you visit, so you can avoid the crowd. During the weekend of Christmas Day, there will be a crowd control to manage the traffic flow.
For more information, visit this website.
2. Marunouchi Illumination 2023
November 16, 2023 – February 18, 2024
16:00-23:00 (16:00-24:00 in December)
A 1.2km stretch of the main Marunouchi Naka-dori Street and neighboring alleys will be illuminated with champagne-gold LED lights on the trees along the roads. This light-up event is celebrating the 22nd anniversary, and this year, the light-up area will be expanded to a part of Gyoko-dori Street that connects Tokyo Station and Imperial Palace Outer Garden for the period of November 28, 2023 to December 25, 2023. The official website has a map of trees with lights so you can best enjoy the event. Do not forget to visit the ground floor of Marunouchi Building (commonly known as “Maru Biru”), as there is a monument inspired by the Disney movie “Wish” that marks the 100th anniversary of Disney Studios. The lighting show (about 4 minute-long) will run every 15 minutes every day from 17:00 to 21:00.
For more information, visit these websites (1) (2).
3. Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka Illumination
November 6, 2023 – December 25, 2023
17:00-23:00
Japan is experiencing a milder winter and expecting less snowfall this year. But you want a White Christmas? Then, go to Roppongi Hills. A 400m-stretch of Keyakizaka in Roppongi is illuminated with whitish lights with the theme of “SNOW&BLUE”, creating a magical holiday scenery. A German-inspired Christmas market is also open from November 25 to December 25. During the illumination period, the Keyakizaka area will be extremely crowded. We recommend you use public transport to visit this area.
For more information, visit this website.
4. Ao-no-Dokutsu Shibuya
December 1, 2023 – December 25, 2023
17:00-22:00
Ao-no-Dokutsu is the Japanese translation of “Blue Grotto”, like the famous blue cave in Capri, Italy. Literally, part of Koen-dori Street toward Yoyogi Park will be lit with mystical blue lights. Total number of lightbulbs used for this event is as many as 770,000. This year, the event is not happening only after dark. You can enjoy snacking and shopping at the Christmas market (15;00-21:00) while waiting for the trees to be lit up.
For more information, visit this website.
5. Yebisu Garden Place
November 11, 2023 – January 8, 2024
11:00-23:00
Baccarat is a fine crystal brand established in Baccarat commune, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. Here in Yebisu Garden Place, we can admire one of the world biggest Baccarat chandeliers, which is about five meters tall and three meters wide with 8,500 crystal pieces and 250 lights. In the Clock Square stands the 10-meter tall Yebisu Garden Place Big Christmas Tree for the first time after four times of cancellation due to the covid pandemic. The tree will be lit between 16:00 and 23:00 until December 25, 2023.
For more information, visit this website.
6. Omotesando Fendi Illumination 2023
December 1, 2023 – December 28, 2023 (light-up on shorter trees: December 29, 2023 – January 5, 2024)
Sunset – 22:00
Omotesando – Japan’s one of the trendiest fashion districts – will be lit up in champagne gold color. The 1.1km-long section of Omotesando street from JR Harajuku Station to Tokyo Metro Omotesando Station will be sparkling with about 900,000 LED lights, while two trees in front of the sponsor FENDI Japan’s flagship shop Palazzo Fendi Omotesando will be lit in FENDI brand yellow color. During this illumination period, the two pedestrian bridges in the section are closed for safety reasons.
For more information, visit this website.
7. Meguro River Minna-no-Illumi
November 11, 2023 – January 8, 2024
17:00-22:00
Cherry blossoms along Meguro River is one of the most popular Hanami (cherry blossoms viewing) places in Tokyo in spring. You missed it? Do not worry. The cherry trees along Meguro River (around Gotanda Fureai Waterside Square) are dressed with more than 386,000 LED lights glowing in soft pink color, as if they were blooming in winter. This light-up event is also interesting in terms of the energy source for the illumination. The LED lights are lit up by bio diesel fuel, which is upcycled from used cooking oil collected from the businesses in the neighborhood.
For more information, visit this website.
8. Tokyo Mega Illumination
November 11, 2023 – January 8, 2024
16:30-21:00 (entry before 20:00)
This is a limited-time illumination event held at Oi Racecourse (also known as Tokyo City Keiba). The inner and outer areas of the race track are converted into a large-scale theme park. The centerpiece of the event is the “Rainbow Fountain” which decorates the night sky with rainbow color lights. There will be three different light shows running in turn. For those who would like to take perfect selfies for Instagram, make sure to stop at the area called “Sparkling Area of Japan” that reproduces traditional Japanese landscapes (river, cherry blossoms, wisteria pergola, and rice fields) with lights. Tickets are required for the entry and different fees apply depending on the date of your visit.
For more information, visit this website.
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