Things To Do in Tokyo at Christmas and New Year 2026-2027
Live the holidays to the fullest with Metropolis' recommendations
As we enter the holiday season, Tokyo’s streets hum with Christmas holiday markets and temples prepare for the quiet reverence of New Year traditions. The season offers more than celebrations—it’s a chance to see the city shift between modern energy and cultural depth.
Whether you’re drawn to late-night music and New Year’s countdowns or the first shrine visits of the year, Tokyo has a rhythm that’s entirely its own. Here’s how to make the most of Christmas and New Year in Tokyo.
For more holiday activities, check out our other guides:
Tokyo Illumination Guide
Best Tokyo New Year’s Eve Countdown Events, Parties and Temples 2026–2027
Azabudai Hills Christmas Market
From November 21 to December 25, the Azabudai Hills Christmas Market fills the Central Plaza with holiday huts beyond a sparkling gate. Nineteen shops serve European Christmas market food and drink, alongside glittering trinkets handpicked from Japan and around the world. A roughly 10-meter Christmas tree stands at the center of it all.
Azabudai Hills
1 Chome Azabudai, Minato-ku
azabudai-hills.com
Christmas Market in Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
The 17th Christmas Market at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse runs November 20 to December 25. Around 60 stalls serve hot wine, juicy German sausages and jingling Christmas trinkets. An 11-meter real spruce, lit with about 20,000 LEDs, takes center stage at the dockside complex. Admission starts at ¥500, and some areas are free to enter.
Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
1-1 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama
yokohama-akarenga.jp
Candlelight: Christmas Pop Hits
Candlelight concerts transform striking venues across Tokyo into intimate, multi-sensory music spaces. This season, Christ Shinagawa Church hosts an evening of beloved Christmas pop hits on December 23, lit by the soft glow of candlelight. The same church also holds Christmas classics concerts from December 17 to 23.
Christ Shinagawa Church
4-7-40 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku
candlelightexperience.com
Christmas Services at Tokyo Union Church
Experience meaningful and welcoming Christmas services in the heart of Tokyo at Tokyo Union Church, one of the city’s oldest international congregations. Established in 1872, this historic church has long served as a community hub for English-language worship, bringing together people from around the world. For Christmas 2026, the church opens its doors for a series of services designed for different ways of celebrating the season, from family-friendly gatherings to candlelit carols.
Christmas Eve (December 24) typically brings a family-friendly service and candlelit carol services, followed by a communion service on Christmas Day (December 25). Check the church’s website for 2026 service times.
Tokyo Union Church
5-7-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
tokyounion.org
Tokyo Midtown Ice Rink
Tokyo Midtown’s outdoor ice rink returns for its 18th season, running December 5 to February 23. Set on the Lawn Plaza, it offers a glide on real ice in the heart of the city—a fun outing for families, dates or friends. Adult admission is ¥2,000, rising to ¥2,300 from December 12 to January 3. The rink is closed on January 1.
Tokyo Midtown
9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku
tokyo-midtown.com
ZEROTOKYO New Year’s Eve Countdown Party – Full details TBD
Ring in the New Year at ZEROTOKYO, Shinjuku Kabukicho’s iconic nightclub. Known for its electrifying atmosphere and dazzling performances, this annual countdown event promises a night of music, lights and celebration. Keep an eye on their official channels for updates.
ZEROTOKYO
1-29-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku
zerotokyo.jp
LIQUIDROOM New Year Party – Full details TBD
LIQUIDROOM’s New Year’s Eve party typically brings together a lineup of electronic music artists spanning generations. Last year’s edition kicked off at 8 p.m. and spread across four floors. Keep an eye on the venue’s website for the 2026–2027 lineup.
LIQUIDROOM
3-16-6 Higashi, Shibuya-ku
liquidroom.net
WOMB New Year Countdown – Full details TBD
WOMB’s countdown party is a fixture of New Year’s Eve in Shibuya. With its cutting-edge sound system, lasers and massive three-sided LED screens, the club draws guests from across Japan and beyond. Details for the 2026–2027 edition are yet to be announced.
New Year at Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea will not hold a New Year’s Eve event on December 31, 2026, so the parks keep regular hours that night. The festivities start on New Year’s Day instead, with the “New Year at Tokyo Disney Resort” program at Tokyo Disneyland running January 1 to 11, 2027.
Tokyo Disneyland
1-1 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture
tokyodisneyresort.jp
Hatsumode in Asakusa
Hatsumode means the first shrine or temple visit of the year. Greet 2027 at one of Tokyo’s major temples in a traditional Japanese way. While fireworks light up celebrations in many parts of the world, Japan welcomes the year with prayers at cultural landmarks like Asakusa’s Senso-ji Temple. Read more about New Year traditions in our guide to Hatsunohide.
Senso-ji Temple
2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku
senso-ji.jp
Hatsuhinode at Tokyo Skytree
Cramped high-rises obscure natural views, so city dwellers hoping to catch hatsuhinode (the first sunrise of the year) often head out of town. Those staying put can watch it from Tokyo Skytree’s observation decks on January 1, 2027, from 5:30 to 7:30 a.m. Tickets cost ¥11,000 and are sold by online lottery until November 26, with only 800 spots in total.
Tokyo Skytree
1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-ku
Tokyo-skytree.jp
Christmas Afternoon Tea “Christmas in New York”
This year, Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo’s Christmas afternoon tea takes its cue from the holiday season in New York. It runs November 1 to December 25 at District Brasserie, Bar & Lounge, with an evening high tea also on the menu. Plans start at ¥7,000 on weekdays, and reservations are required by 4 p.m. the day before.
Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo
3-4-7 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
kimptonshinjuku.com
One to Watch: Christmas Kakigori in Kichijoji
As shops around the city race to reinvent the humble art of shaving ice for a smattering of social media shares, Cafe Lumiere, a small bohemian outpost overlooking Kichijoji Station, has left its competition in the dust with a truly radical approach: set the ice on fire. The kakigori at Cafe Lumiere is coated with a fluffy meringue by the time it arrives at your table. Soon after, you’re visited by a server wielding a jigger of Myers’s rum and a lighter. The sight of flames engulfing an alcohol-soaked mound of ice is equal parts exhilarating and arbitrary. Please keep an eye on their Instagram to see if they bring it out again this year!
If you’re looking for more dessert places in Tokyo, check out our full guide to kakigori in Tokyo.
Cafe Lumiere Kichijoji
1-2-2 Kichijoji Minamicho, Musashino-shi
@cafe_lumiere_kichiyoji
Dezomeshiki – New Year Firefighters’ Parade
Kick off early January with one of Japan’s most striking traditional events: the Dezomeshiki. Tokyo’s fire brigades perform daring acrobatic stunts atop bamboo ladders and demonstrate modern firefighting techniques. The event is more than just stunts; it’s a centuries-old New Year’s tradition and is held around Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba, attracting thousands each year. Tokyo was once known as the City of Fires, so it’s no surprise that this tradition has been practiced since the Edo period.
Tokyo Big Sight / Odaiba Area
3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku
web-japan.org
Geikosai New Year’s Festival
Welcome the New Year amid fire, prayer and mountain ritual at Yakuo-in. On New Year’s Day, sacred goma fire rituals are performed from midnight through the afternoon before Izuna Daigongen, whose image is publicly displayed in the Main Hall. Led by the head priest, the ceremony offers prayers for family health and happiness in the year ahead and is held on behalf of the thousands who visit over the New Year period.
Mount Takao
2177 Takaomachi, Hachioji-shi
takaosan.or.jp
