17 Best Christmas and Winter Illuminations in Tokyo 2023-2024

Christmas in Japan is a dazzling affair, filled with sparkling lights and festive cheer. While Christmas here is less about religious traditions and more about a vibrant holiday atmosphere, the illuminations are a true spectacle. Streets and landmarks across Tokyo light up beautifully, offering magical experiences for couples, families, and solo adventurers alike. Seeing the illuminations from the train or bus on my commute makes the winter season even more magical for me.

Whether you’re visiting for a romantic stroll or to capture Instagram-worthy photos, Tokyo’s illuminations in 2024-2025 promise to be unforgettable. Here’s your guide to the best Christmas and winter illuminations in Tokyo this winter season!

1. Tokyo Midtown Christmas Illumination

Tokyo Midtown is a large complex, located in the vibrant Roppongi district. It comprises of hotels, offices, fancy restaurants, a range of shops, as well as city parks. The Midtown Tower is an iconic landmark and one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo at the height of 248.1 meters.

This year’s theme is “Ensemblewrap – layers and layers of enveloping light” representing the feeling of being in a winter wonderland created by the shimmering lights. There is an Ensemble Lights illumination, Promenade of Lights illumination, Timeless Gold Tree and Santa Tree.

The Ensemble Lights illumination consists of about 240,000 bubble lights that cover the area in a golden magical glow. The addition of sound and light effects, and even effects of floating bubbles and falling snow, bring a wintry scene of the first snowfall to life. The Promenade of Lights illumination uses 320,000 lights to transform the trees of the Tokyo Midtown Garden into a golden dreamscape. There is even a light show every hour for viewers to enjoy. At the entrance of the garden area stands the Timeless Gold Tree, a tall fir tree adorned in dazzling ornaments. The Santa Tree is by far my favorite. Standing at 4 meters tall, the entire tree is a dazzling display of 1600 Santa ornaments! If you are a fan of Christmas, Tokyo Midtown Illumination is a must-visit stop.

Closest station: Roppongi Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 14 (Thu), 2024 – December 25 (Wed), 2024
Hours: 5-11pm
Website: Tokyo Midtown Illumination 2024

2. HIBIYA Magic Time Illumination

Based on the concept of “magical moments,” the HIBIYA Magic Time Illumination transforms Hibiya into an ethereal space that millions of visitors flock to every year. This year, in collaboration with the Disney animated film “Moana 2”, a tree will be displayed at Hibiya Step Square, to the delight of Disney fans. At Hibiya Nakadori, illuminations will express the natural phenomena of the sky in colorful detail. Park View Garden will display a rainbow-colored carpet that will represent a stage full of shining stars. The locations of this year’s Christmas illuminations will be held Tokyo Midtown, Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, and the Nihonbashi area, meaning that there will be so much for visitors to see and experience!

Closest station: Hibiya Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 14 (Thu), 2024 – February 28 (Fri), 2025
Hours: 4-11pm
Website: Tokyo Midtown Illumination 2024

3. Marunouchi Illumination

The area around Tokyo Station and the Tokyo Imperial Palace is called Marunouchi and for years it has been one of the most famous areas to go to see Christmas illuminations. At 1.2 km long, Marunouchi Nakadori Street is the main street of the area and is home to a range of boutique shops. During the winter season, about 220 of the trees that line the main street are decorated with an impressive 820,000 LED bulbs of champagne gold color, creating a classy and elegant atmosphere that perfectly matches the surroundings. In addition, switch-on ceremonies for the local Christmas tree and other special events are held every year.

Closest station: Tokyo Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 14 (Thu), 2024 – February 16 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 4-11pm
Website: Marunouchi Illumination

4. Roppongi Hills Christmas

Every year Roppongi Hills hosts one of the most popular winter events in Tokyo, the Roppongi Hills Christmas. During the Christmas season, the busy business districts full of skyscrapers and tall buildings spectacularly transform into the perfect illumination spot, and is famous among photographers aiming to capture the perfect Christmas shot. Keyakizaka Street is the main street stretching about 400 meters featuring rows of illuminated trees standing along both sides of the street. The blue and white lights decorating the trees form the perfect backdrop for the bright white and red Tokyo Tower!

In addition, one of Tokyo’s largest and oldest Christmas Markets is held here. There are festive Christmas decorations, seasonal food, drinks sold at 17 stalls, and of course popular live Christmas music. Roppongi Hills Christmas is one of the best places in Tokyo if you’re looking to experience a western-style Christmas!

Closest station: Roppongi Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 7 (Thu), 2024 – December 25 (Wed), 2024
Hours: 5-11pm
Website: Roppongi Hills Christmas

5. Oi Racecourse Tokyo Mega Illumination

During the winter season and on the horse racing off days, Tokyo Mega Illumination is held at the Oi Racecourse in Shinagawa. The highlights of the illumination are the massive Rainbow-colored Fountain of Light, the Mega Tree, the Aurora Forest and the Twinkle Light Show. The Rainbow-colored Fountain of Light has 3 dazzling performances every hour. The Mega Tree, accompanied by serene music, creats a fantastical atmosphere for all to enjoy. The Aurora Forest combines the ethereal glow of the aurora borealis in the night sky and the rainbow-colored forest below into an amazing space. Large areas of the ground and trees are covered in a variety of illuminations to create the The Twinkle Light Show, complete with music, light and sound effects. Come and see these and many more installations!

Closest station: Oi Keibajo-mae Station
Price: 800 yen (adult) *prices vary depending on the day of visit
Dates: November 2 (Sat), 2024 – January 12 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 4:30-9pm
Website: Oi Racecourse Tokyo Mega Illumination

6. Jewellumination at Yomiuriland

Yomiuriland is a popular amusement park in western Tokyo that boasts a range of attractions including exciting rides, swimming pools in summer, and much much more. In winter, the entire park is covered in a sparkling light display of 6.5 million LED lights, making it the largest Christmas event in the metropolitan area! YomiuriLand Jewellumination 2024 starts on October 24, 2024, with the theme “LIGHT is LOVE Diamond 60 Celebration” to commemorate the park’s 60 years of operation. During the event, the park is divided into 10 areas and shows different displays created by the Motoko Ishii Lighting Design Office. A fountain show is held every 15 minutes with water screen projections on a giant 15-meter ring, 238 fountains, and sensational effects created by lasers and flames!

Closest station: Keiō Yomiuri-land Station
Price: ¥1,800 (adult)
Dates: October 24 (Thu), 2024 – April 6 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 9/10am – 8:30pm
Website: Jewellumination at Yomiuriland

7. Yebisu Garden Place Illumination

Yebisu Garden Place is a rapidly growing commercial complex consisting of urban office buildings and a range of facilities, including restaurants, shops, residences, and art museums. It is conveniently located near Ebisu Station, which makes it a perfect spot for everyone to enjoy shopping after work or just relax. During the Christmas season, Yebisu Garden Place attracts visitors with a range of light displays and decorations featuring endless LEDs! Some highlights are the 250-light Baccarat crystal chandelier beautifully decorated with over 8,000 crystals, the Clock Square’s 10-meter tall Christmas tree decorated with over 300 ornaments, the Christmas Marche full of food stalls and Christmas products, and the European-inspired Christmas Market at Chateau Square.

Closest station: Ebisu Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 9 (Sat), 2024 – February 23 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 11am-11pm
Website: Yebisu Garden Place Illumination

8. Shinjuku Park Tower Winter Illumination

At the fountain area of Shinjuku Park Tower, 60,000 LED lights illuminate the evening sky in a scene reminiscent of a sea of fireflies. A fir Christmas tree is decorated and displayed on the first floor of the atrium. Enjoy the beautiful golden reflection on the fountain in a quiet area that is away from the crowds. There’s also another illumination spot located nearby called Twinkle Park illumination that is held at Shinjuku Central Park.

Closest station: JR Shinjuku Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 11 (Mon), 2024 – February 14 (Fri), 2025
Hours: 4pm – 6:30am
Website: Shinjuku Park Tower Winter Illumination

9. Tokyo Skytree Town Dream Christmas

Manish Prabhune, (CC BY 2.0), via Flickr

One of the iconic structures in Tokyo, Tokyo Skytree, turns into a big Christmas tree or a big candle during the holiday season and the whole area is covered with shining Christmas lights. There is also an ice skating rink at the Sky Arena on the 4th floor of Tokyo Skytree Town that will be open from January 4 to February 28, 2025! You can ice skate with a view of Skytree and the surrounding Christmas lights.

Closest station: Tokyo Skytree Station, Oshiage Station
Price: Free (Ice skating rink: ¥2200 for adults)
Dates: November 7 (Thu), 2024 – December 25 (Wed), 2024
Hours: 4-11pm
Website: Tokyo Skytree Town Dream Christmas

10. Omotesando Illumination

Omotesando, located near Harajuku, is known as a fancy shopping area. On the main street of Omotesando, a 1-km long line of zelkova trees light up with golden lights during the Christmas season every year. At the popular shopping mall Omotesando Hills, you can see a beautifully decorated Christmas tree!

Closest station: Omotesando Station
Price: Free
Dates: December 2 (Mon), 2024 – January 5 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 5-10pm
Website: Omotesando Illumination

11. Tokyo Dome City Illumination

Tokyo Dome City has had many illumination events and has garnered a dedicated following. The theme for this, the 20th iteration, is “SNOW DOME.” The entire Tokyo Dome City will be decorated with round white bulbs to resemble a field full of fresh white snow. The variety of snow-inspired exhibits are sure to delight visitors and photographers alike. Some highlights include the 15-meter-tall Wonder Snow Tree, the SnowFlake Dome that lights up when the tablet inside is operated, the Sparkle Tunnel where reflecting lights create a gorgeous snow globe effect, and the interactive Reflective Dome where visitors can spin the mirror ball to make a beautiful light show!

Closest stations: Suidobashi Station / Korakuen Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 18 (Mon), 2024 – February 28 (Fri), 2025
Hours: 5pm-12am
Website: Tokyo Dome City Illumination

12. Shinjuku Southern Terrace

At Shinjuku Southern Terrace, the theme for this year’s illumination is “HELLO WINTER Light Show!” To foster a welcoming attitude, the Twinkly Lighting System is used to project different words like “HELLO.” The Twinkly Lighting System senses the movement of people, setting off the changing of the lighting as if they were dancing! There are many colorful light-up spots, making it a place where you’ll want to take photos.

Closest station: Shinjuku Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 15 (Fri), 2024 – February 14 (Fri), 2025
Hours:
Website: Shinjuku Southern Terrace

13. Meguro River Minna no Illumination

Translated as “Meguro River Illumination for Everyone,” this illumination covers the trees lining the Meguro River between Gotanda Station and Osaki Station by 350,000 LED lights. The Meguro River is a popular spot for cherry blossom viewing in spring and the LED lights in winter resemble the beautiful cherry blossoms. The illuminated trees span a length of about 1 km on each side, so in total the festive lights can be enjoyed on a short walk of about 2 km. This area is famous for using sustainable sources for lighting, and they recycle waste oil from houses and restaurants in the neighborhood to power the lights.

Closest station: Gotanda Station / Osaki Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 15 (Fri), 2024 – January 13 (Mon), 2025
Hours: 5-10pm
Website: Meguro River Minna no Illumination

14. Decks Tokyo Beach

Odaiba is a man-made island situated in Tokyo Bay that is known for its futuristic attractions and large range of entertaining spots and popular tourist attractions such as the Fuji TV Building and Aqua City Odaiba. It is also home to large parks and refreshing nature spots which offer a perfect environment for a relaxing stroll.

Decks Tokyo Beach is a huge shopping complex with wonderful shops, restaurants, and entertainment spots. The 3rd floor of the Seaside Terrace Hotel is the location of the art spot “ODAIBA” that is decorated this year with the theme “blue”, the color of the hotel, to symbolize Tokyo Bay. Enjoy the cozily illuminated space complete with rest areas and beautiful foliage. You can also see the illuminated Rainbow Bridge in the background!

Closest station: Tokyo Teleport Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 13 (Wed), 2024 – February 16 (Sun), 2025)
Hours: 5pm – 12 am
Website: Tokyo Decks Beach

15. Ginza Christmas Illuminations

Ginza is one of the best shopping districts in Tokyo, with a range of luxurious retail stores and brands. Visitors are welcomed with a uniquely sophisticated atmosphere that is completely unlike that of Shibuya and Shinjuku. Countless Christmas lights with bright colors bring a festive atmosphere to the area with all of the massive buildings and department stores.

Ginza Six is one of the largest shopping complexes in Ginza, home to more than 240 brands and shops. Every year during the Christmas season, a seasonal bar offers craft beer as well as other alcoholic and hot drinks. There is also the Rooftop Star Skating Rink on the rooftop of the garden! This eco-friendly ice-skating rink is made of resin and uses no electricity. Enjoy ice-skating surrounded by the enchanting Christmas lights and art installations like “WINTER ANGEL” by Kenji Yanobe.

Closest station: Ginza Station
Price: Free (Ice skating rink: ¥2000 for adults)
Dates: November 16 (Sat), 2024 – January 26th (Sun), 2025
Hours: 2-9pm (weekdays), 11am – 9pm (weekends and holidays)
Website: Ginza Six

16. Blue Cave Shibuya

Originally taking place near Nakameguro, Blue Cave Shibuya is now one of Shibuya’s highlights during the holiday season! Walking through the natural arcade made up of trees brightly lit up with blue LEDs makes you feel like you are in a beautiful blue cave! Shibuya Blue Cave is one of the most popular Christmas illuminations in Tokyo that attracts more than 2 million visitors every year. The 800 meter long street between Yoyogi Park and Shibuya Park is completely lined with over 700,000 LEDs hung on the trees. The blue color of the displays is simple yet very impressive and stunning!

Closest station: Shibuya Station / Harajuku Station
Price: Free
Dates: December 6th (Fr) – 25th (Wed), 2024
Hours: 5-10pm
Website: Blue Cave Shibuya

17. Caretta Shiodome

A massive shopping complex close to Shinjuku station, Caretta Shiodome consists of more than 60 shops and some cultural facilities such as a theater and museum. From November to February, it draws big crowds with its popular Christmas lights event. Featuring popular characters from Disney movies, visitors are fascinated by exciting live performances of famous (Christmas) songs! Dive into this magical world sparkling with 250,000 LEDs and experience the impressive show!

Closest station: Shiodome Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 15 (Fri), 2024 – February 1 (Sat), 2024
Hours: 4-11pm
Website: Caretta Shiodome

18. Kioi Winter ’24/’25

Held at Tokyo Garden Terrace in the sophisticated Kioicho area, Kioi Winter ’24/’25 illuminates the cityscape with elegant lights placed at different elevations. The combined effect of 400,000 lights create a wintry atmosphere reminiscent of the gold color of champagne. Don’t miss the centerpiece Christmas trees named “STAR TREE” that embody the stars by illuminating the hearts of all visitors that will gaze upon them.

Closest Station: Nagatacho Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 15 (Fri), 2024 – February 28 (Fri), 2025
Hours: 4:30-11pm
Website: Kioi Winter

19. White KITTE

White KITTE in Marunouchi is renowned for its elegant, all-white Christmas decorations. The centerpiece is a real fir Christmas tree that stands at 13.5 meters! The decadently decorated tree is surrounded by glistening lights and occasional artificial snowfalls. With the theme “Heart, Wrapping, Christmas”, this chic display offers a serene winter wonderland in the heart of Tokyo.

Closest Station: Tokyo Station
Price: Free
Dates: November 20 (Wed), 2024 – December 25 (Wed), 2024
Hours: 12-10pm
Website: White KITTE

20. Tokyo German Village

A bit further out but worth the trip, Tokyo German Village offers one of the largest illumination displays near Tokyo! The theme this year is “The Fusion of Music and Light” that incorporates a variety of music genres like disco and classical music. The illumination typically consists of over 2 million LEDs, where music, vibrant light tunnels and themed installations create a magical holiday experience. Perfect for families or couples looking for a day trip!

Closest Station: JR Sodegaura Station
Price: ¥1,000 (adult), ¥1,000 per car (admission fee for vehicles)
Dates: November 1 (Fri), 2024 – April 6 (Sun), 2025
Hours: 9:30am – 8pm
Website: Tokyo German Village

From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, Tokyo’s Christmas and winter illuminations offer unforgettable experiences for all. Whether you’re strolling through blue-lit streets, enjoying a hot drink at a Christmas market, or marveling at sustainable light displays, there’s something for everyone. Make your holiday season brighter by exploring these stunning spots!

Japan Wonder Travel Tours in Tokyo

Japan Wonder Travel is a travel agency that offers guided tours throughout Japan.
From private walking tours to delicious Food and Drink tours, we can help organize the best tours just for you! If you want to explore Japan and learn more about the history and backstories of each area you are traveling in, our knowledgeable and friendly guides will happily take you to the best spots!
In addition, we can provide you with any assistance you may need for your upcoming trip to Japan, so please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need some help!

▶Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Drink Tour
Explore the most lively and popular fish market in Tokyo, where you will have the chance to try some of the local’s favorite street foods and sake along with your friendly English-speaking guide!

Book Here

▶Tokyo 1–Day Highlights Private Walking Tour (8 Hours)
There’s no better way to explore an area than taking a tour with a knowledgeable local guide. You will have the chance to learn about the history and interesting background stories of Tokyo, as well as discover some hidden gems which can be hard to do without a guide.

Book Here

▶Shinjuku Bar Hopping Tour: Experience Tokyo’s Nightlife in Izakaya
Check out the best spots in Shinjuku while bar hopping through the lively and vibrant area. Try some delicious local food and drink as you explore the narrow yet photogenic alleys that the town has to offer. Experience Japanese izakaya culture and drink in Shinjuku like the locals!

Book Here

▶Kimono Experience in Tokyo
Step into the charm of the kimono, a beloved icon of Japanese tradition, ideal for festivals and wandering quaint streets. Asakusa offers the perfect setting to don your kimono and create cherished memories with picturesque backdrops. Let Kimono Rental Wargo dress you up for a day of delightful exploration in timeless style!