Not being a predominantly Christian country, Japan doesn\u2019t celebrate Christmas with quite the same fervour as people in the US, Canada or Europe. For example, Christmas is not a public holiday in Japan. If you want time off work to spend with family or friends, you\u2019ll have to book it off.<\/p>\n
However, with a sizable expat community across its islands, Japan does get into the spirit somewhat and so it\u2019s possible to enjoy the festive season there. In fact, festive activities stretch out across the month of December (although be warned, they typically end on the 25th). In the Kansai region, you can enjoy seasonal events and displays, and even a slap-up Christmas dinner or two. Here\u2019s what to expect.<\/p>\n
Winter light displays are one of the most popular seasonal treats across Japan. Residents are treated to free colourful illuminations in streets, parks, train stations, shopping centers and other public spaces. Sometimes there will also be one-off events although you\u2019ll usually need to buy a ticket for these. Displays typically run throughout December but can start as early as late October and sometimes last until February. Top illuminations in Kansai include:<\/p>\n
An imported Christmas tradition gaining traction in Japan in recent years is the European-style festive market. These German and Scandinavian markets serve up a healthy dose of seasonal cheer, selling Christmas gifts along with food and drink such as smoked sausages, pickled herring, Christmas cake and mulled wine from stalls surrounded by Christmas lights and decorations. You can also expect live music from oompah bands and even Christmas choirs. Markets for Kansai in 2024 include:<\/p>\n
If you fancy something to entertain the kids, Universal Studios in Osaka will be running their NO LIMIT!<\/a> Christmas party season of fun events for children from November 20 until January 5, 2025.<\/p>\n Of course, Christmas wouldn\u2019t be Christmas without the traditional roast feast. Expats fancying a festive meal out with family or friends can find a few restaurants and cafes serving up seasonal menus. You won\u2019t find the range of options you\u2019d get in many western countries but, on the other hand, restaurants in Japan usually open on Christmas Day so you can dine out if you wish. Places with festive menu offerings include:<\/p>\n You can purchase your own supplies if you want to create your own Christmas atmosphere at home. The Meat Guy<\/a> is the go-to purveyor for all festive meats and trimmings. Also check out Horizon Farms<\/a> for meats, plant-based alternatives, vegetables and fruit. For other supplies such as Christmas trees, decorations and accessories, visit Costco<\/a> or Shimo Jima<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u82d7\u6728 \u60c7<\/a>, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Not being a predominantly Christian country, Japan doesn\u2019t celebrate Christmas with quite the same fervour as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":46162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,165,118,85,86],"tags":[203,151,72,74,177,119,406,120,92,168,188,347,169],"class_list":["post-46161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-kobe","category-kyoto","category-miscellaneous","category-osaka","tag-christmas","tag-december","tag-hyogo-prefecture","tag-kobe-city","tag-kobe-dining","tag-kyoto-city","tag-kyoto-dining","tag-kyoto-prefecture","tag-november","tag-osaka-city","tag-osaka-dining","tag-osaka-metropolis","tag-osaka-prefecture"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49501,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46161\/revisions\/49501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Christmas Dining<\/h2>\n
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Christmas Supplies<\/h2>\n
![\u82d7\u6728 \u60c7<\/a>,](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:%E3%81%86%E3%82%81%E3%81%8D%E3%81%9F%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%87%E3%83%B3.jpg\"){kind=link}