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GoWithGuideFind your perfect tour guide at GoWithGuide. Relax and cherish unforgettable tours with loved ones. Create personalized tours for a truly memorable trip!

Winter in Tokyo - Things to do, Events and Festivals

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by GoWithGuide travel specialist:Fidelia A.

Last updated : Apr 28, 20226 min read

Itinerary Ideas

Winter in Tokyo sounds so romantic, right? And it is! Spending your winter holiday in Tokyo could be really romantic, if only you know what special events, festivals, and things that you can do during that specific season!

 

In this article, I will discuss what winter in Tokyo has to offer you! Hop on! 

Events, Festivals, and More... 

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  1. Omotesando Winter Illuminations

Every year, about thousands of LED lights up the trees that paves the road between Harajuku and Omotesando. Visitors that comes during November - December could have a chance to see this romantic view. You can shop around the many shops in Omotesando while enjoying the nice atmosphere the light gives out.

Location

Omotesando (map)

Schedule

Late November - Late December

After sunset - 22.00

 

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  1. Tori no Ichii Festival

Join this festival for good luck! In this festival, locals would celebrate and pray for good luck in business. You would be surprised to find stall vendors selling rakes that would, apparently, “rake in good lucks for businesses”. This early winter celebration is held every 12 days in November, which is the day of the rooster. Although it is held in several locations in Tokyo, the most famous one would be held in Otori Jinja Shrine, Tokyo.

Location

Otori Jinja Shrine (map)

Schedule

November every year (exact date changes every year)

 

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  1. Jingu Gaien Icho Matsuri

For those of you who would come during mid- November until early December, you might still find some autumn colors in Tokyo. Each year, the Ginkgo trees that paved this avenue would all turn into a brilliant yellow color, which attracts both local and international tourists.

Location

Jingu Gaien Icho Namiki  (map)

Schedule

Mid November until Early December

Website

http://www.meijijingugaien.jp/event/

 

  1. Go Strawberry Picking!

Winter is, surprisingly, the perfect time to pick some strawberries. Beyond all the metropolitan areas that Tokyo has to offer, you can find some places where you can enjoy activities like picking seasonal fruits.

My recommendation is the Mizuta-En Farm in Higashimurayama City. They offer different fruits to pick all year round, according to each season. Because of this, you will always find different fruits for each visit!

Location

3-23-8 Onta-cho, Higashimurayama-shi, Tokyo. (map)

Schedule

10.00 - 16.00

Website

http://kazyu-mizutaen.server-shared.com/

 

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  1. Go on a shopping spree!

Look;

New year in Tokyo is the perfect excuse for a shopping spree.

 

Besides the many special deals and discounts that are available during New Year Seasons, you could also join the fun shopping tradition of fukubukuro (lucky bag).

Basically, you’ll buy a certain price for a bag that contains a few items (there is usually a selection of things that you can get in that bag). You wouldn’t know what is inside the lucky bag till you buy it. Then, if you don’t like it you can always exchange or sell it again!

My recommendation is to go shopping in Shibuya, Shinjuku, or Harajuku area. Shibuya 109 is also known to give out crazy discounts and special fukubukuro deals during winter time.

Shibuya 109 (map)

 

6. Skiing

For sports lovers, winter is the one season of the year where they can do their favorite winter sports activities. Although it rarely snows in Tokyo, you can still find places to do winter sports such as skiing in areas near Tokyo! Here in this link, you will find more information regarding ski resorts around Tokyo. 

 

If you prefer to see other events and things you can join in each winter month, you can check these links below!

Things to do in Tokyo in November - Events and Festivals

Things to do in Tokyo in December - Events and Festivals

Tokyo in January - things to do, events and festivals

Things to do in Tokyo in February - Events and Festivals

 

More tips

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Here’s the thing:

You can make your trip way easier by hiring a private guide!

 

By hiring a private guide, you would spend your days in Tokyo more efficiently by saving yourself from the hassle of navigating your way through Tokyo’s complex public transport system.

Moreover, your guide could give you their recommendation about the things you could join in during your winter visit to Tokyo.

If you are thinking to book a guide, then I recommend you to book one from this GoWithGuide. They have the best list of recommended guides that will help your every need during your Tokyo trip.



In this article, I have given several suggestions about some winter activities that you can do in Tokyo. I hope that this article has been useful to you and wish you the best of luck for your holiday!

Tokyo Tour Guide - Arnold  H.

Arnold H.

4.94 / 5
(31 reviews)
Japan

Hi, my name is Arnold and I love meeting new people. I have been living in Tokyo for over 9 years and I believe I know the place well enough to provide a fun tour. It will be my pleasure to help you enjoy your stay in Japan. I can speak English, Chinese and Japanese, so feel free to talk to me in any language that you feel comfortable with. I was once a tourist myself, so I believe I can provide the best tour experience from a tourist's perspective. Let me know your interests and I will make the best tour for you. Hope to see you soon! 嗨,我的名字是阿諾,我喜歡結識新朋友。我在東京生活了9年多,我相信我足以提供您一個有趣的日本之旅。我很樂意幫助您享受在日本的旅遊,所以如果有任何需求請盡量告訴我。我會說英語,中文和日語,所以請隨意用任何你覺得舒服的語言與我交談。作為一個生活在日本的外國人,我自己也曾經是一名遊客,所以我相信我可以從遊客的角度提供最好的旅遊體驗。請讓我知道您的興趣,我會為您規劃最好的行程。希望能與您早日見面!                                                                                                                                 

Tokyo Tour Guide - Yasuro C.

Yasuro C.

4.79 / 5
(62 reviews)
Japan

Hello, my name is Yasuro (Mr). I was born and brought up in Kansai, graduated from a univ in Kobe city, after moved into Kanto, 30 years in Tokyo, 2.5 years in Nagoya city, 7.5 years abroad (KL & S'pore) as a rep of a construction company and I got the National Guide Certificate in 2011. My hobbies are making Haiku poems, singing various songs (voice-training for 18 years), playing the folk-guitar, trekking in mountains like Takao and Okutama in the West of Tokyo, visiting museums like in Ueno Park and travelling around Japan to make Haiku poems. Thank you for your attention.                                                                                                                                 

Yokohama Tour Guide - Haruo T.

Haruo T.

4.83 / 5
(6 reviews)
Japan

I live in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. I have a license to teach in high schools and was admitted to the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language in the University of Birmingham. Until 2015 I had been teaching English at public high schools in Kanagawa for 37 years. During that time, I had some experience of guiding students from overseas through sister-school relationship around Tokyo and Kanagawa. Therefore, I had good command of English with the TOEIC score of 935. As for a tour guide experience I earned the certificate of National Government Licensed Guide-Interpreter in English and since then I have guided tourists to the popular sites around Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura and Yokosuka. My guiding focuses on introducing not only Japanese historical and cultural backgrounds but also giving tourists some tips to travel Japan only by themselves, such as how to use trains and subways, find good restaurants, reserve tickets, buy survenier, and speak basic Japanese. In addition, my tour includes opportunities to experience Japanese culture like Zen meditation, ninja performance, visiting anime's location sites based on tourists' request. Besides, by means of my hobbies of writing English Haiku and Waka (traditional Japanese poems) and performing Rakugo (traditional Japanese funny story telling) in English, I can surely entertain tourists during the tour. My moto as a tour guide is let the tourists have a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Japan with my profound, intelligible and interestiog guiding.                                                                                                                                 

Kanagawa Tour Guide - Kaneo U.

Kaneo U.

4.97 / 5
(34 reviews)
Japan

I’m so excited to have a chance to show you around my favorite spots in Kanagawa prefecture. I was born in Kanagawa. I spent my whole school life, including university, here in Kanagawa. I worked as a high school English teacher here for 40 years. I love Kanagawa so much. We have many interesting tourist spots, like Hakone, Kamakura, Enoshima and Yokohama. I got my tour guide license in English in 2009. I am still an English teacher. To give an interesting and impressive lesson to young high school students, I’ve learnt and gathered many kinds of information. I also have a license to teach social studies, so I have a wide range of knowledge about Japanese culture and history. I’m sure to provide you an interesting tour.                                                                                                                                 

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