Christmas at Disneyland is back. This year, the classic Disney decorations return, along with a completely new Christmas parade. The ever-popular Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights nighttime procession takes on a whole new, Christmassy theme, with Mickey and friends from movies including Aladdin and Toy Story appearing on colorful floats.

Brand new parade “Toys Wondorous Christmas,” sponsored by JAL, will see a host of Disney characters join Santa, the elves and a whole load of toys. In addition to holiday-themed firework displays, Christmas menus and ornaments, attractions include a Christmassy Country Bear Theater performance: “Jingle Bell Jamboree.”

All aboard for Tokyo DisneySea’s Christmas spectacular. This year includes Mickey Mouse and friends helming a bauble-decked boat, Santa Claus and Christmas-themed merchandise.

The Mickey Mouse Christmas boat will appear at the Mediterranean Harbor to spread festive cheer, joined by Santa Claus to perform a dance for 15 minutes each time. Visitors to the park will be greeted by a spectacular 15-meter-high tree bedecked in tinsel and sparkling lights. A special Christmas menu will be on offer from November 1, with guests able to sample special cake and roast beef.

Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kiki and Lala and more: rejoice! The characters at Sanrio Puroland, Sanrio’s official theme park near Tokyo, are set to get into the Christmas spirit. The park will be lit up with twinkling lights throughout the festive period, and there will be special appearances and greetings.

This year will be extra-memorable, as Jochum, the characters created in collaboration with boy band, JO1, will be at the park for the first time ever. They will appear spreading Christmas cheer on the Sanrio Character Boat Ride. As December 24 marks Kiki and Lala’s birthday, the twins host an exclusive greeting. Elsewhere, the park and merchandise will be Christmassed-up, and a special food menu will be served.

Celebrate the end of Halloween, Japanese style. Tochigi’s expansive Edo-period theme park welcomes ghosts and ghouls of the yokai (Japanese folk lore) variety, to haunt each nook and cranny of the park. The yokai will be on hand to impart the stories of how they came to be, including the mythical kappa. There will be performances and parades each day of the event period.

Visitors will be able to interact with the yokai too, playing a Japanese version of “rock paper scissors,” and receiving a treat if they win. Elsewhere, there will be special menu items on sale, goods and a yokai gambling den.

Yomiuriland’s popular Jewellumination returns for its 15th year. Directed by lighting designer Matoko Ishii, the illumination bonanza lights up the Yomiuriland theme park in 6.5 million LED lights. And that doesn’t include the lasers!

The theme for the 2025–2026 period is “Light is Love,” with the sub-theme of “Light Hop ⤴,” to reflect the next stage in the park’s 60th anniversary, celebrated in 2024. Visitors will be treated to illuminations including carpets of lights, a light show reflected in the theme park waters and lasers and dazzling trees, all powered by green energy.

The Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition is one of the — if not, the — biggest firework competitions in Japan. Its origins lie exactly 100 years ago, to commemorate naval soldiers who lost their lives in WW1. In 1936, it became a fireworks competition where pyrotechnics from across the country compete to win one of three prizes.

Over the years, the competition has become one of the biggest events in the pyrotechnics’ calendar, attracting over 750,000 visitors who come to revel in the festive atmosphere and marvel at the display. The competition sees over 20,000 fireworks launched across 2.5 hours, including an impressive finale which sees 2,000 fireworks shot over a six-minute time frame.

The Autumn Grand Festival at Meiji Jingu is held to celebrate the birthday of the Meiji Emperor on November 3, and sees a host of traditional Japanese activities. It’s a great way to get a dose of Japanese culture with a backdrop of autumn leaves.

Events and ceremonies include traditional theater performances such as Noh, and a grand archery tournament with 200 participants. The priests conduct their own archery display once the main tournament is complete. There is also the chance to see yabusame (Japanese horseback archery).

Despite its name, which translates to “Rooster Market,” the annual Tori-no-Ichi Fair doesn’t sell any birds. Instead, it draws enormous crowds for its dazzling display of rakes (kumade) and other auspicious items. The roots of the festival go back to the Edo Period, to a local shrine festival where rakes were sold and traded, believing to bring good luck by “raking” in prosperity for the upcoming year.

During the all-night, all-day event, over 800 stalls surround the shrine, selling rakes, food and other goods. The rakes, designed for ornate purposes, are eye-catching and impressive. Many are fabulously decorated, with prices ranging from 5,000 to millions of yen.

The biggest event of the year in Japan’s sports car racing series welcomes over 40 teams competing to be crowned champion of the 2025 season. They’re racing cars from domestic super-makers: Honda, Toyota and Nissan, and international players: BMW, Porsche and more.

The event sees over two hours of non-stop racing in two main categories: GT500 and GT300. Visitors will be spoilt for choice with other activities including talk events, autograph opportunities and vehicle demos. Also on the site is Honda’s museum, theme park-style rides, and forest trails — staying for the whole weekend is advised.

The Deaflympics enters its 101st year — officially its 100 anniversary — with its first ever edition in Japan, a major coup for the local deaf community. The games, designed for deaf and hearing-impaired folks, is one of the oldest international sporting events in the world — it’s even older than the Paralympics.

Participants all have at least 55dB of hearing loss in their better ear, and compete across Olympic Games-style sports, including Athletics, Running, and Swimming. Starting sounds and signals will be used or replaced with cues such as flashing lights and vibrations, making for an active learning for those who are outside the deaf community.

Last chance to catch Mori Art Museum’s first major exhibition upon one of Japan’s most famous modern architects. Sou Fujimoto has been active since the early 00s, coming to prominence with The Aomori Museum of Art Design Competition Proposal, then again with his stark white design for the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in 2013. Recently, Fujimoto is the architect of Osaka Expo, designing its famous Grand Ring structure.

This exhibition looks at Fujimoto’s works from the past three decades, taking viewers from his early projects to the present day, including works that are still in progress. Using large-scale models, plans and photos, visitors are invited to step into Fujimoto’s architectural world.

Ramen shops from around Japan converge at Ramen Festa, the largest ramen gathering in Japan, across a 12-day ramen bonanza. The festa, now in its third year, is linked to other similar ramen events across Japan, and uses its network to stretch to the far-flung reaches to find the best local ramen. Last year’s edition saw Michelin-guide-rated ramen from Okayama Prefecture, new wave ramen from Fukuoka Prefecture and miso ramen from Hokkaido.

As the event aims to promote ramen as a cultural asset, it has its own mascot, Naruto-chan, a character based on naruto-maki, the small fishcake that is found atop bowls of noodles. Naruto-chan promotes Ramen Festa’s goods and is around on all event days, taking part in talks and shows.

One of the biggest movie events of the year is back. The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) is now in its 38th year, showcasing the best movies from the past 12 months and beyond, with a particular focus on Asia. Japan’s most famed movie stars walk its red carpet, and accolades include names like the Akira Kurosawa Award, which honors those who’ve made splashes in the cinema world.

The festival screens hundreds (2024’s edition screened 208 movies) of pictures across 10 days, alongside talks, workshops and, of course, its award ceremony. Workshops and talks bring fans and industry titans together to talk all things big screen, with many actors and directors appearing at the screenings.

The ever-popular Warner Bros. Studio Tour gets a wintery makeover just in time for the festive season. Peep into the Hogwarts Great Hall to see a veritable feast, that will be lit by 400 “candles” for the first time ever. The Hogwarts model will turn a snowy white, while fans can wander around a Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade Village that are buried under crisp snow. There will also be a sneak peek into the making of the “footprints in the snow” scene.

Elsewhere, fans will be spoilt for choice in the cafeteria with its special festive menu, and the shop will have warm-whether merchandise on sale, including onesies and festive sweaters.

For anyone interested in art, the fall biannual Design Festa is like Christmas come early. The biggest original art festival in Asia welcomes over 10,000 artists each time, who exhibit their goods in over 6,500 booths on site.

Design Festa often incorporates anything to do with “design” meaning that you’re just as likely to pick up a cute bracelet from a local artist as you are to pick up a painting. This year welcomes handicrafts galore, as well as fashion brands selling knitwear, performance artists, manga artists, pottery… Its long-running theme is “freedom of expression,” so anything goes.