# Christmas in Japan: Pre-Ordered KFC, Strawberry Shortcake and a Night for Couples > Christmas in Japan 2026: why KFC chicken is on the festive table, strawberry Christmas cake, Christmas Eve for couples, Roppongi and Nabana no Sato lights, Tokyo markets and visas. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/rizdvo-v-yaponii/ - Language: en - Published: 2026-11-10 - Categories: Travel, Culture, Japan, Food & Drinks, Events --- By some estimates, several million Japanese families mark Christmas with a bucket of fried chicken from KFC, and they order it well in advance, because on 24 December the queue for walk-ins can take an hour or two. The habit grew out of a 1974 advertising campaign built on the slogan "Kentucky for Christmas!", and half a century later it is nearly as essential as the tree. Only around one per cent of the population is Christian, so **Christmas in Japan** is secular: tasty, brightly lit and very romantic, and people go to church on Christmas Eve mostly out of curiosity. ## A bucket of chicken, pre-ordered Japan's first KFC opened in 1970, and the popular story credits that restaurant's manager, Takeshi Okawara, with the Christmas chicken idea: turkey was hard to find in Japan, while fried chicken felt festive and suitably "American". The 1974 campaign hit the mark so well that December is now the busiest season of the year for KFC Japan. The plastic Colonel Sanders statues by the doors are dressed up in red Santa suits for the season, and it looks exactly as odd as you are imagining. The Christmas set with chicken, salad and a small cake can usually be reserved from early November, with a chosen day and pick-up time. Demand peaks on 23 to 25 December, and the convenient slots go long before the holiday. For a visitor it is more of an attraction than a dream dinner, but Japanese Christmas in this form is worth trying once: join the queue on 24 December and watch office workers carrying buckets home on the metro. ## Strawberry shortcake: white and red The second essential is **kurisumasu keki**, the Christmas cake. It is almost always a light sponge with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, as neat as something from a jeweller's window. The first Christmas cake in Japan is usually credited to the Fujiya confectionery chain in 1910, and it became a mass tradition after the war, once cream, winter strawberries and refrigerators stopped being luxuries. People often compare its red and white to the Japanese flag, which may be part of why it caught on so well. Cakes are reserved at patisseries, department stores and even convenience stores, with catalogues appearing in the autumn. A slice in a cafe on 24 December costs noticeably more than on an ordinary day, and on the evening of the 25th leftover cakes are often discounted, because nobody wants them on the 26th. ## Christmas Eve for two, New Year for the family In Ukraine Christmas is a family holiday, but in Japan the roles are reversed. **Christmas Eve** on 24 December is a night for couples, something like a second Valentine's Day: tables at good restaurants and hotels with a view are booked a month or two ahead, and couples stroll under the illuminations and exchange gifts. A solo traveller should not count on a free table at a fashionable restaurant that evening without a reservation. Families gather at New Year, shogatsu, which is a separate major holiday with its own rituals, food and first visit to a shrine. Many offices and some shops close from around 29 or 30 December to 3 January. Christmas, by contrast, ends abruptly: overnight into 26 December the trees and Santas vanish from shop windows, replaced by New Year decorations of pine and bamboo. ## 25 December is an ordinary working day in Japan There is no public holiday for Christmas. In 2026, 25 December falls on a Friday, so offices, schools, museums and transport run as usual. For visitors this is handy: unlike in Europe, nothing shuts, and temples, markets and restaurants carry on as normal. Just save the festive part for the evenings. ## Illuminations: Roppongi, Midtown and a field of lights near Nagoya The Japanese call their winter light shows "illuminations", and in December they are the main reason to go out after dark. Tokyo's best-known display is the Keyakizaka avenue at **Roppongi Hills**: in 2026 its trees glow white and blue from 5 November to 25 December, 17:00 to 22:00, with Tokyo Tower visible at the end of the street. Nearby, Tokyo Midtown lights up its garden from 26 November to 25 December, and its ice rink opens on 5 December. Roppongi posts current dates on the [official Roppongi Hills Christmas website](https://www.christmas.hills-site.com/). The most striking of all is Nabana no Sato in the city of Kuwana, less than an hour by bus from Nagoya. The 2026/27 season runs from 17 October 2026 to 31 May 2027, and its centrepiece is a tunnel of light flowers about 200 metres long. Separate tickets apply on 23 to 25 December, when the crowds are biggest. Kobe Luminarie, on the other hand, which often turns up in Christmas round-ups, has not been a December event for some time. The light arches first appeared in December 1995 in memory of the victims of the earthquake, but in recent years the festival has been held in late January: the next one is scheduled for 29 January to 7 February 2027. ## Christmas markets in Tokyo The Japanese genuinely love European-style markets, with mulled wine in souvenir mugs, sausages and little wooden huts. The Roppongi Hills Christmas Market holds its 20th edition in 2026, from 21 November to 25 December at Oyane Plaza, daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with free entry. The big German-style Tokyo Christmas Market once stood in Hibiya Park but has moved between venues in recent years, and reports for 2026 disagree, so check the address closer to the date. Yokohama deserves a mention too: the Red Brick Warehouse also hosts a Christmas market every year. ## Visas and practical details Ukrainian citizens do not have visa-free access to Japan. Short-stay tourist visas are applied for through the Japanese embassy, and the rules and document list are worth checking on the [visa page of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html) and on the embassy's website in Ukraine. Processing takes a week or longer, so for a Christmas trip it is best to apply in November. We checked the illumination and market dates at the end of October 2026, but organisers sometimes change hours, so check the latest schedule. December weather in Tokyo is dry and sunny, usually 10 to 12°C by day and 4 to 7°C in the evening, with nights sometimes closer to freezing, so bring a warm jacket for walks under the lights. For what else to eat in Japan besides chicken and cake, see our guide to [food in Japan](https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/yizha-v-yaponiyi/). ## Table: Christmas in Japan by date WhenWhat happensWhereTip17 October 2026 to 31 May 2027illumination with a tunnel of lightsNabana no Sato, Kuwana near Nagoyaseparate tickets and crowds on 23-25 December5 November to 25 Decemberblue and white Keyakizaka avenueRoppongi Hills, Tokyo17:00 to 22:00, view of Tokyo Tower21 November to 25 DecemberGerman-style Christmas marketOyane Plaza, Roppongi Hillsweekday evenings are calmer26 November to 25 Decembergarden illumination, ice rink from 5 DecemberTokyo Midtownwalkable from Roppongifrom early Novemberreservations for chicken and Christmas cakeKFC, patisseries, department storestake a 23 December slot rather than the 24th24 Decemberdate night, restaurants fully bookednationwidebook a table a month ahead25 Decemberordinary working day, discounted cakesnationwidemuseums and transport run as usual29 January - 7 February 2027Kobe Luminarie light archesKobenot on in DecemberJapanese Christmas works best when you stop looking for a European one in it. Get the cake, see the lights in Roppongi, and if your trip runs into January, stay for shogatsu: that is when Japan really celebrates, quietly and with family.