A visit to the Tokyo Christmas Market 2022

As a German, Christmas markets simply belong to Christmas for me, because I went to them several times during each Christmas season while still living in Germany. I am glad there are also some Christmas markets in Japan and that I have the chance to feel a bit more at home even though I am far away. 

The biggest Christmas market in Japan is the Tokyo Christmas Market, held every year at Hibiya Park in the heart of Japan's capital. I have been there nearly every year now and I am also happy to come back again. However, this year I was a bit hesitant, because you had to book a ticket beforehand and even pay an admission fee. In the end, I was close last week, there was still some free time slot and I had friends to go with - so we went!

The tickets for the Christmas market you have to book via the kkday website. You can find the links on the official website of the Christmas market. On weekdays, admission is 1,000 yen, while on weekends it rises to 1,500 yen. With vaccination proof or PCR test you also can book a ticket with a 200 yen discount. Time slots on the weekend and in the afternoon & night hours are gone quickly, so book early if you want to go. We were lucky to still be able to book a slot for 15:00 two hours earlier, but this was the latest we could still get for the day. Everything after 15:00 was already gone.  

Entering the Christmas market you get a mug as a present and then have two hours you can spend there. You get a colorful wristband with which you can go out and reenter during the time frame (for example to go to the toilet). 



One of the highlights is the 14m-tall Christmas pyramid imported from Germany, which is located right at the entrance between the stalls selling Christmas products and decorations. On the other side of the Christmas markets you find all the food and drinks, however, we just came from lunch and so we didn't buy anything.



I always love the Lindt stall, there you can get a hot chocolate which is pricy, but also delicious. Be prepared that the waiting lines for food and drinks are getting long in the evening hours. 

Another thing I also enjoy seeing every year is the wreath collection from different designers and shops that are displayed. There are so many different designs.

 

If you have the chance and want to visit a Christmas market in Tokyo, I think the Tokyo Christmas Market is one of the best to go. The others around are way smaller and have less to offer.  

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Tokyo Christmas Market

9th December to 25th December 2022
Open from 11:00 to 22:00 (last order: 21:30)

Hibiya Park, Tokyo

⇒ https://tokyochristmas.net/