It is Christmas season all around the world — and also in Japan! Even though Japan is not traditionally a Christian country and, it could be said, some Japanese people don’t know the religious origin of Christmas, it has become one of the big seasonal events, that everybody looks forward to. Starting at many places directly after Halloween, on November 1, you will see a lot of Christmas decorations everywhere and there is a lot to do during this time of the year. One of these things, and probably my favorite, is eating all the seasonal sweets. So let’s take a closer look.
Christmas in Japan is Different
Before we start with the sweet side of Christmas, let’s take a look at the difference between Christmas in Japan and in Western countries. While in Germany, where I am from, Christmas is celebrated from the evening of December 24 to December 26 with two public holidays and all the shops being closed, in Japan, Christmas is not a public holiday at all. This year, having Christmas Eve on a Tuesday means it is a usual working day and many people work until the evening.
Furthermore, Christmas is not a “big family festival” as I know it from my home country. In Japan, families meet for New Year (just one week later) and Christmas is rather a day you celebrate with your partner — similar to Valentine’s Day — or in the small round of your family if you have children.
Outside of the family, however, Christmas is a big business, with decorations, Christmas presents and a whole spectrum of food! All the amusement parks, like Tokyo Disney Resort or Universal Studios Japan, have Christmas events and you can see Christmas trees and decorations at every corner.
Christmas Afternoon Teas and Sweets Buffet
December is the perfect time to meet up with your friends one more time and look back on the year so many people combine this with a Christmas-themed afternoon tea at a restaurant, café, or luxury hotel. Many places offer these from December 1 until December 25. Note that some require prior reservations and prices may rise on the dates closer to Christmas Day.
Voyapon was very kindly invited to taste the Noël Blanc Afternoon Tea Buffet at Grand Hyatt Tokyo. The buffet is served at The French Kitchen and is inspired by the white colors of its holiday theme “Love for Our Future.” The beautiful set-up of the buffet is located in a separate small room, giving an exclusive atmosphere. When you enter you are surrounded by the smell of chocolate and Christmas spices and guests can fill up their plates with carefully selected sweet and savory dishes. House-made stollen and mulled wine set up the perfect Christmas feeling together with cute Santa strawberries. There is even a chocolate fountain using chocolate which is made especially for the hotel itself.
While you are there, take a look at the Christmas decorations in the lobby of Grand Hyatt Tokyo, which follows the white theme, and is a gorgeous photo spot. Look closely and you will find cork ornaments made from recycled corks of champagne bottles used in the hotel. They are crafted in collaboration with Re Kikou, a non-profit organization helping disabled people live more independently, and can be purchased in the hotel.
Other places offering a Christmas sweets buffet in Tokyo are Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Ikebukuro, and Hotel InterContinental Tokyo Bay.
Aside from the buffet-style all-you-can-eat spots, there are also numerous afternoon teas with an exquisite selection of small savory and sweet dishes. We visited the Christmas Afternoon Tea at Café Accueil in Ebisu which had sweets with cute designs like a snowman macaron and a pistachio cream Christmas tree and cute drinks.
If you look for a nice Christmas Afternoon Tea around Tokyo, check the websites of the following places:
- ANA InterContinental Hotel Tokyo
- Royal Park Hotel Tokyo
- Tokyo Marriott Hotel
- Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo
- Cafe & Dining ZelkovA
- Ginger Garden Aoyama
- The Peninsula Tokyo
- Hotel Century Southern Tower
- Pepper Parlor
- Ristorante Mangiare
Christmas Menus at Cafés and Restaurants
You don’t need to opt for a whole afternoon tea set or a buffet (especially if you have to take care of your budget), however, because several cafés and restaurants offer a special sweet Christmas menu.
One of the cutest places in Tokyo for this is Q-Pot Café in Omotesando, where you can order Christmas plates with snowman or Santa bear cakes and a cute reindeer tea latte.
If you want to try one of the artistic parfaits, you can opt for Triangle Cafe in Futakotamagawa, Cafe & Bar RIGID in Asagaya or Ristorante Mangiare, which all have lovely designs. Also, Parfaiteria Momobukuro, specialized on night-time parfaits, has a selection of parfaits for the Christmas season.
The Strings Omotesando has an afternoon tea option, but also appeals with a cute Christmas teddy bear parfait and snowman pancakes. Or treat yourself with pancakes with a pistachio cream Christmas tree mountain at Eggs’n’Things.
Even in winter many people with a set tooth crave kakigori (shaved ice). Some cafés offer these all year round and have a time-limited design for Christmas, such as Cafe Lumiere in Kichijoji and CUPS in Machida. At the latter, you can purchase kakigori shaped as a Christmas tree or Santa Claus.
Christmas Cakes and Christmas Sweets for Take-out
In the weeks before Christmas, all supermarkets, convenience stores, and bakeries are papered with advertisements for their Christmas cakes, which you often have to pre-order if you want to have one for Christmas Eve. Many people in Japan opt for a special Christmas bucket from KFC and a strawberry shortcake for their Christmas dinner. However, the Christmas cake selection has become huge over the years, and nowadays it is hard to choose. Do you want to go for the regular strawberry shortcake, or do you prefer a chocolate cake, matcha, or something with cute characters?
While the Christmas cake is mainly for Christmas day itself, you can buy other sweets for take-out during December at many shops around Japan. Many coffee shops like Starbucks and Tullys have special drinks for Christmas. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts sells cute doughnuts looking like Santa Claus, a snowman, a reindeer, or a Christmas tree. Or you purchase a cute fruity reindeer crepe at Creperie Tirol in Tokyo.
Christmas time is filled with many sweet treats, either at cafés, restaurants, for take-out or at one of Japan’s many Christmas markets. And as it is the end of the year, let’s forget about counting calories and just enjoy the joyful time. We can start again with diets and good resolutions in the new year. Merry Christmas everyone!
