Where to See Tokyo's Famous Illuminations One thing you’ll notice if you come to Tokyo during winter is that Japan does Christmas a little differently than most. KFC Christmas dinners, romantic Valentine’s Day-style Christmas dates, and incredible illumination displays.
While the sun sets early and the nights are long and cold, between November and January, this is the best time of the year to get outside and admire Tokyo’s most vibrant neighborhoods covered in colorful and festive LED lights.
In celebration of this sensationally vivid season, here’s a guide to the best places to see the Tokyo’s winter Christmas illuminations in 2019/ 2020. Also, if you want a local guide to show you around some of the city’s best illumination spots, consider booking a private walking tour through Tokyo Localized.
Caretta Shiodome
Location: Shiodome Station, Shimbashi Station
Date: Now - Fri, Feb. 14, 2020
Mega shopping complex Caretta Shiodome is always one of the biggest events on the city’s winter illumination calendar. Each year the light show is based around an often cinematic theme. In previous years the themes have been “Beauty and the Beast,” “Tangled,” and “Frozen,” while this year, it’s “Arabian Nights” an homage to the Disney classic Aladdin which was released as a live-action film this year. With 25,000 LED lights and a musical soundtrack to boot, this isn’t only one of the most impressive displays but is also regarded as one of the most romantic, so grab your loved ones and head on down.
Tokyo Midtown Christmas Illumination
Location: Roppongi Station
Date: Now - Wed, Dec. 25, 2019
While it’s cold outside, the light show over at Tokyo Midtown manages to draw a massive crowd every single night it’s on. The highlight of this immersive display, which features a whopping 500,000 LED lights, is without question the Starlight Garden illumination in the park, located behind the main tower. Here in the garden, you’ll find an almost galactic display of futuristic lights, and soundscapes that are well and truly out of this world. For the ultimate romantic Christmas evening, plan a dinner at one of the many world-class restaurants inside the Tokyo Midtown complex before the visit, then let the night and lights take you where they may.
Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka Illumination
Location: Roppongi Station
Date: Now - Wed, Dec. 25, 2019
Roppongi has to be one of the city’s most illuminated pockets, but don’t just let Tokyo Midtown take all the limelight. Scattered around the sprawling Roppongi Hills complex, you’ll find rows upon rows of glittering LED lights covering the trees that run down Keyakizaka-dori, and nearby Mohri Garden (which comes complete with a heart-shaped illumination). It’s the perfect place for an evening spent cozied up, strolling the streets and admiring this high-end neighborhood at its most spectacular.
Tokyo Tower Winter Fantasy Orange Illumination
Location: Akabanebashi Station, Onarimon Station
Date: Now - Sun, Jan. 5, 2020
Also within walking distance from Midtown and Roppongi Hills is where you’ll find the iconic Tokyo Tower. The tower is impressive all year round but especially so in winter when it hosts the Tokyo Tower Winter Fantasy Orange Illuminations. This will be the 23rd incarnation of the event, and it looks like the organizers are doing all they can to make it the best one so far. The display features an 11.1-meter mini version of the original Tokyo Tower, known as the “The Candle Tower,” taking prime position in the display, complete with 1000 LED lights.
Shibuya Ao no Dokutsu (Blue Cave)
Location: Shibuya Station or Harajuku Station
Date: Now - Tues Dec. 31, 2019 While it may not be the flashiest when it comes to synchronized displays, there’s something incredibly alluring about Shibuya’s Ao no Dokutsu illumination display, which you’ll find adjacent to Yoyogi Park. Running all of 800 meters long through the backstreets of Shibuya, this cavernous light show is simple but powerful. With the rich blue of the 600,000 LED lights that hang from the trees which populate the area bouncing off the shiny black floor, create an ambiance that’s both bright, but somehow cozy and moody all at once. There are also often food and drink vendors dotted around the area to keep your belly full and warm.
Tokyo Dome City
Location: Tokyo Dome (Korakuen Station, Suidobashi Station)
Date: Now - Wed, Feb. 26, 2020
When it comes to space occupied, Tokyo Dome City’s illuminations are one of the largest in the city. The lights take up the entire Dome area and come in a range of different, equally as impressive forms. There are Christmas trees, a mini-Tokyo Dome, romantic light tunnels, and a few hidden surprises. This year’s theme is “Edo Scenic Beauty,” a tribute to the nation’s history. The focal point of this multifaceted display has to be the Edo Kiriko gate, which sits at the main entrance. Here you’ll find a display that shifts like a kaleidoscope depending on the movement of the viewer. A touch of the past illuminated by futuristic technology, this is the embodiment of what makes Tokyo so great.
Odaiba Yakei Illuminations
Access: Daiba Station, Odaiba Kaihinkoen Station
Date: Now - Wed, Dec. 25, 2019
The tourist magnet that is Odaiba is one of the city’s flashiest corners, but it gets even flashier at Christmas. It’s home to the Rainbow Bridge, a Statue of Liberty, both of teamLab’s new immersive art exhibits and the uniquely shaped Fuji TV building and in winter the Odaiba Yakei Illumination display. For travel photographers and amateur shooters alike, be sure to head on over to the 20-meter tall “Daiba Memorial Tree,” from there, you can get a shot of the illuminations, the iconic Rainbow Bridge and sparkling city skyline all in one perfectly framed shot.
Yebisu Garden Place Baccarat Eternal Lights
Location: Ebisu Station
Date: Now - Mon, Jan. 13, 2020
The more upmarket neighborhood of Ebisu, right by Shibuya, has an unmistakable European air to it; this truly comes alive during the festive season when Yebisu Garden Place Baccarat Eternal Lights are in session. Dotted with golden lit Christmas trees, lined by a large, red carpet and home to an impressive eight-meter chandelier as the main focal piece, Yebisu Garden Place, flanked by red brick buildings and upmarket dining establishments is the perfect simple but sophisticated romantic illumination destination.
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