Looking for things to do in Tokyo this December? From holiday celebrations, winter illuminations and traditional Japanese festivals, we got you covered!
Saturday December 2nd - Sunday December 3rd
Hitsujiyama Park
Photo Courtesy of https://www.chichibu-matsuri.jp/en/
The Chichibu Night Festival is one of three major float festivals in Japan, otherwise known as "hikiyama" festivals! Here, you can see handmade floats parade through the area, decorated with traditional Japanese craftsmanship, flowers and lanterns!
This festival will take place over two days, Saturday December 2nd and Sunday December 3rd. On Saturday you can find the floats being showcased around the streets from 12pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm in addition to a direworks display from 7pm to 10 pm! On Sunday, the "Grand Festival" will take place from 9 am to 10pm with the peak of the festival occurring from 7pm to 10pm. There will also be a fireworks display on Sunday from 7:30 to 10pm!
Akibasan Fire Festival
Wednesday December 6th
Akibasan Shrine, Odawara City
Photo Courtesy of https://www.akihasan-shuyoji.or.jp/himatsuri/
This event is about 2 hours outside of Tokyo but definitely worth the trip! The Akibasan Fire Festival is a "fire protection festival" that has origins reaching as far back as the 16th century. However, contrary to what you might think these activities can come off as more of a celebration of fire.
Some displays that you can witness involve writing Kanji in the air with fire, and shooting flame arrows into a larger flame as well as other traditional dances. These fire events will begin at 7 pm with the festival itself taking place from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
Tokyo Comic Con 2023
Friday, December 8th - Sunday, December 10th
Makuhari Messe
Photo Courtesy of https://tokyocomiccon.jp/
Comic Con is well known all across the world but Tokyo's Comic Con is always something special. This year will even feature the following celebrities with more coming!
Tom Felton (Harry Potter)
Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future)
Evangeline Lilly (Lost and The Hobbit Trilogy)
Mads Mikkelsen (Indiana Jones, Casino Royale)
Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange)
Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
Ewan McGregor (Obi-wan Kenobi)
Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett)
There is however a fee of typically over 20,000 yen to meet these celebrities. Additionally, if you're looking to cosplay at this event you will need to pay an additional fee.
Tickets for the event can be found here!
November 9th - December 25th
Tokyo Skytree
At the bottom of Tokyo's most prominent building will be a vibrant Christmas market that features an 8 meter tall Christmas tree and shops selling everything from beer, sweets and other foods! The venue is filled with an insurmountable amount of decorations making it ideal for photo opportunities. From December 15th to the 25th a projection mapping will also be featured.
Photo Courtesy of Photo by ©TOKYO-SKYTREETOWN
STAR DANCE: Japan Anime and Character Drone Show
December 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, and 31
Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise
Photo Courtesy of https://www.seaparadise.co.jp/special/stardance/
The Japan Anime and Character Drone show in Yokohama will feature 1,000 drones that will create displays of famous Japanese fictional characters from the likes of Demon Slayer, Ultraman and Evangelion.
The drone show itself will start at 5 pm and take place for 15 minutes with an hour interval in between. Each show will feature different characters so it makes for a good opportunity to explore the area! Tickets for this event start at 4,300 JPY.
November 16th - February 25th, 2024
Tokyo Midtown
Photo Courtesy of https://www.tokyo-midtown.com/jp/event/6734/
If being active is more your speed, Tokyo Midtown will have an outdoor ice skating rink not dissimilar to one you may find in New York! The ice rink is featured right next to the Midtown Winter Light displays so this area is perfect for photos but can get a little crowded. The rink is open from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Yomiuriland
October 19th - April 7th, 2024
Yomiuriland
The Yomiuriland amusement park will be COVERED in millions of LED lights for a truly stunning display this winter season! The amusement park itself features rollercoasters, a ferris wheel as well as other activities throughout, making it perfect for families, friends and dates. The park opens from 4:00pm and closes at 8:30 pm. There is a variety of different ticket options which can be found here.