Things I love about winter in Japan: Christmas markets

Something I love about winter in Japan are the Christmas markets that pop up at this time of year. Sure, they might not be the biggest, and I'm sure if you come from Europe then you might find them a bit lackluster, but I think they're fun and they definitely fill me with some festive cheer.

The Niigata Christmas Market from last year

There are quite a few events that take place in Tokyo, but here in Niigata a good go-to event is the one held by the LoveLa Bandai mall. It's walkable on foot from Niigata Station, and they have a good variety of eats and drinks available for purchase. The best thing is the atmosphere, though! I recommend sticking around after dark if you can, because it's so lovely when the lights are on.

You can see more about the Niigata event on their official Instagram page here.