Christmas in Japan is a spectacular affair, with huge decorated Christmas trees, Christmas markets, and illumination events across the country. However, one way that Christmas differs in Japan is that it is more of a couples’ day. Young couples typically go on romantic dinners or stroll amongst the lights of an illumination event. Families may choose to stay inside and order KFC chicken and Christmas cake. It is useful to note that Christmas day is not a national holiday and businesses and facilities will run business as usual. 

Conversely, whereas New Year’s Eve is a major party event in Australia, the New Year holiday, which spans 29 Dec to 3 Jan, is traditionally a family affair in Japan.

While there will be some count-down events around the country, we recommend doing what is traditionally done on New Year's Eve: visiting a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine in a ritual called hatsumode. We also recommend eating traditional food such as toshikoshi soba on new years eve, and  osechi ryori to ring in the new year after the 1st January. Many shops and restaurants will be closed over this period as well, so make sure that your clients plan ahead. Read up on our sister UK JNTO site for more New Year's inspiration!