Tokyo named as the world's top city for Christmas + New Year travel

Having lived in Tokyo for several years before moving out to the Niigata countryside, I know how magical the city is during the festive season. My favorite thing about the wintertime here in Japan are the myriad of illumination events to enjoy, and it seems like I'm not the only one ;)

Google recently came out with their top searches on end of year travel, and Tokyo came out as the top searched travel destination for the Christmas and New Year's period. I'm not really surprised by that since travel to Japan has been a hot topic pretty much ever since borders reopened after the pandemic, but it has really reached fever pitch this year.

Keyakizaka Street in the Roppongi area is one of my Tokyo favorites around Christmas time.

If you've lived here a while now, do you have any favorite destinations for Christmas or New Year? Will you be traveling this year during that timeframe or opting to stay close to home?