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What to Do in Japan in December

If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Japan in winter, December is one of the best months to do it. Crisp air, early sunsets, quiet temples, and city illuminations make this month perfect for exploring or planning your next trip.

Here’s everything happening across Japan this December 👇


❄️ Top Winter Spots & Illuminations

🎎 Main festivals & events


Dec 1–25 Tokyo Midtown Christmas Illumination, Tokyo

Dec 1–25 Marunouchi Winter Illumination, Tokyo

Dec 1–25 Omotesandō Illumination, Tokyo

Dec 1–25 Osaka Hikari Renaissance, Osaka

Dec 1–30 Midosuji Illumination, Osaka

November 17, 2025 - January 3, 2026 Hiroshima Dreamination, Hiroshima

Dec 2–3 Chichibu Night Festival, Saitama

Nov 17–March 25 Tokyo Dome City Winter Illumination, Tokyo

Dec 10–25 Huis Ten Bosch Winter Illumination, Nagasaki

Oct 18th 2025 - May 31st 2026

Nabana no Sato Winter Light Festival, Mie

Nov 21st - Dec 25th 2025 Tokyo Christmas Markets

Nov 28- Dec 25 Osaka Christmas Markets

Nov 21- Dec 25 Yokohama Christmas markets

Dec 31 New Year’s Eve Temple Bell Ringing (Joya no Kane), Nationwide



All events in Tokyo in December here : https://tokyocheapo.com/events/december/

🍵 What to eat this month

  • Oden & Nabemono (hot pot)

  • Snow crab (zuwai gani) : freshly caught in Hokuriku, Tottori, and Hokkaidō.

  • Fugu (pufferfish) : peak season in Osaka and Yamaguchi.

  • Yellowtail (buri) : winter fish symbol of prosperity, served grilled or as sashimi.

  • Yuzu : used in food and for hot yuzu baths on the winter solstice.

  • Strawberry shortcake – Japan’s Christmas cake, sold mid- to late December.

  • Toshikoshi soba – noodles eaten on December 31 to welcome the New Year.

💡 Travel tips

  • Pack warm layers and a coat

  • Plan evening walks for illuminations around 5 PM

  • Book Christmas dinners or activities early in big cities

  • Many attractions close earlier during winter weekdays

  • Temples and shrines are quieter than autumn

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If you're going to Jpaan you're probably facing :

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Planning a trip to Japan usually breaks at the same point: you save a lot of places, but don’t know how to turn them into a realistic route. Cities are large, distances are not intuitive, and it’s hard to know what actually fits in one day.

This guide was created to solve that. It helps you understand how places connect, how many days make sense per area, and how to build an itinerary that flows.

With the interactive map, you can explore curated spots across Japan, follow ready-made itineraries and day trips, mix my routes with your own, and adapt everything to your pac

I created my Japan Travel Guide to help you organize your trip in a clear, realistic way.

Details on what you'll have

  • Best of both world : touristy & off the beaten path places

  • + 1000 things to do, filterable by category & tags

  • Lifetime access to my itinerary and all future updates.

  • 10 to 30 days curated itineraries, fully customizable

  • Kanto (Tokyo & surroundings) Day by Day customizable Itinerary (10 to 15 days)

  • Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Nara...) Day by day Itinerary customizable (13 to 15 days)

  • Tokyo Guide by Neighborhood (23 special ward)

  • 15+ additional day trips detailed for exploring nearby destinations from Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto.

  • Interactive map with all key spots marked & filterable by category & tags

  • Benefit from in-depth practical advice (navigation, accomodation, restaurants, cultural experiences)

  • PDF & Excel sheets (with less updates than online version)

GET ACCESS

What it looks like on the app :

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I design a day-by-day itinerary based on your dates, interests, budget, travel pace, and priorities. You simply follow the plan and enjoy your trip.

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And if you like flexible, editable itineraries, you can also find my ready-made itineraries on Holicay.
They’re ideal if you want a solid base you can customize with your travel companions.

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Marie creator behind @Tabimawari

Hi, I’m Marie, the creator behind @tabimawari.

I lived in Kyoto, learned Japanese, and keep returning to explore Japan beyond the obvious.

Planning a trip to Japan usually breaks at the same point: you save a lot of places, but don’t know how to turn them into a realistic route. Cities are large, distances are not intuitive, and it’s hard to know what actually fits in one day.

This guide was created to solve that. It helps you understand how places connect, how many days make sense per area, and how to build an itinerary that flows.

With the interactive map, you can explore curated spots across Japan, follow ready-made itineraries and day trips, mix my routes with your own, and adapt everything to your pace.

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CUSTOM TRIP
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Marie creator behind @Tabimawari

Hi, I’m Marie.


French islander from Reunion island, Japan lover, and travel planner behind Tabimawari.

I spent a year living in Kyoto, learning Japanese and falling in love with the culture. Since then, I’ve kept going back, exploring every corner from Tokyo to the tiniest hidden towns.

I created these guides after spending months planning, testing, and fine-tuning every detail so you don’t have to. Inside, you’ll find:

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Each guide is made with care, based on real-life travel, not generic blog advice.

This is what I wish I had on my first trip to Japan and now it’s yours.

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