Where to see the best winter illuminations in Tokyo

The holiday light displays have become a bit more subdued since the pandemic, but there are still plenty of amazing light shows, if you know where to look!

Here are the ones right in central Tokyo you can see for free!

Tokyo Midtown Roppongi

Roppongi’s Midtown mall stages a choreographed holiday light show along the boulevard between it and DesignSight21_21. The theme is different every year, but it’s always an entertaining spectacle of animated lights and music.

The trees lining the boulevard are also lit up with twinkly holiday lights.

Dates: November 14 – December 25
Hours: 17:00 – 24:00 (special shows every :15)
Admission: Free

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Tokyo Dome City

Tokyo Dome City’s winter illuminations continue with a few old favorites like the Wonka-esque tunnel of luv…

but they add some new light-up attractions every year…

making the most of the tree plantings, stringing them with white fairy lights and iridescent lanterns…

or color-changing spotlights

Dates: November 13 – February 26
Hours: 16:00 – 24:00
Admission: Free

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Shibuya “Blue Cave”

This is actually far better than I thought it would be – they cover the street with some sort of shiny surface, so the effect of the blue lights is doubled in the reflection. And the tunnel of blue trees is surprisingly long, so even if there are mobs of people there, it’s still spectacular

Where: Shibuya Koen Dori Street  to Yoyogi Park Keyaki Namiki (about 800 m)
Dates: November 29 – December 31
although the lights lining Shibuya Koen Dori street stay up until January 16
Hours: 17:00 – 22:00
Admission: Free

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Ebisu Garden Place

They finally updated this classic date stroll with colored lights on the main tree

And added some festive blue glow that splashes onto other bits and pieces around Ebisu Garden Place

I’m also happy to report that the elegant jumbo Baccarat chandelier is now lit up in colors…

that change in a pleasingly mesmerizing way

Dates: November 11 – January 8
Hours: 16:00 – 24:00
Admission: Free

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Meguro River “Minna no Illumi”

There are a lot of “streets lined with trees lit up with fairy lights” around Tokyo, but this one is the best, because the lights are doubled by the reflection in the Meguro River.

Plus, there are a lot of little bridges that criss-cross it, making for nice pix

As a bonus, there is this stretch of walkway near the Osaki end of the illuminations, where it turns into a tunnel of pink stars

The 2.2 kilometer stretch along the Meguro River between JR Gotanda Station and JR Osaki Station is lit up with 420,000 pink lights for your strolling pleasure. It’s about a 5 minute walk from either station to the river.

Dates: November 8 – January 5
Hours: 17:00-22:00
Admission: Free

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Keyakizaka Street

The best place to see the promenade of lights (and get a view of Tokyo Tower) is from the bridge from Roppongi Hills that spans the street by the Louis Vuitton store.

Most of the time the lights are a mix of “Snow & Blue”…

but for ten minutes (every half hour at :00 and :30), it switches to “Candle & Amber”

Dates: November 6 – December 25
Hours: 17:00 – 23:00
Admission: Free

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Shinjuku Southern Terrace

Shinjuku Southern Terrace is a pleasantly festive walk…

as is the east-west corridor of Mosaic Street, bathed in pink

Dates: November 5 – February 14
Hours: 17:00 – 24:00
Admission: Free

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Hibiya Midtown

The Midtown mall in Hibiya usually has some variation on a yule tree tricked out in animated lights…

and the bare trees lining the surrounding walkways make for a pleasant evening stroll, decked out in sparkled finery that changes colors in time with the music

Dates: November 14 – December 25
Hours: 17:00 – 24:00 (special shows every :15)
Admission: Free

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Marunouchi Area

The Marunouchi downtown area near Tokyo Station lights up all its street trees during the holiday season (and is a popular spot for wedding photos!)

It’s a neighborhood populated by big companies in their own skyscrapers, and many of them spend lavishly of festive decorations

Dates: Mid-November – Mid-February
Hours: Lit up until 23:00 every day; until 24:00 in December
Admission: Free

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But the very best free winter illuminations happen a half-hour express train ride away, in Yokohama!

Yoru-no-Yu

In the month of December, Yoru-no-Yu lights up the Yokohama waterfront with truly wonderful art installations. They’re different every year, but the last time I went, they were spectacular. This building-sized cube, for example, was sit with an endlessly shifting laser light show projected onto its many planes and the surrounding lawn.

Lit-up art installations range all long the waterfront…

and the Yokohama skyline itself is worth stopping to snap a pic.

Where: Along the Yokohama waterfront near Yamashita ParkDates: December 5 – December 30
Hours: 17:00 – 21:05
Admission: Free

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And these winter light-up extravaganzas aren’t free, but they are well worth the price of admission!

Tokyo Mega-Illumi

This one is right in Tokyo! The Oi Racetrack turns into an illuminated wonderland every winter during the off-season, with sparkly tunnels…

tunnels pulsing with light…

twinkling illuminated landscapes

and color-changing “rice paddies” that are lit by lanterns and traversed by orange bridges.

There are glowing bamboo groves…

…and gardens of color-shifting blooms

as well as a light and water show choreographed to music.

Dates: November 2 – January 12
Hours: 16:30 – 21:00
Admission: Adults ¥1500, Children ¥800

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And if you really want to see more lights than you’ve ever seen in one place before, it’s worth getting out of town and paying the price of admission for…

Hana Biyori

Right next to the YomiuriLand amusement park is a botanical garden that turns into an enchanted traditional light-up landscape at night. The art of pierced bamboo is on display in all its glory…

The shrine on its grounds is awash with illuminated flowers…

and every step along the way brings illuminated delights

Dates: Late October – Late February
Open: Every day
Hours: 16:00 – 21:00
Admission: Adults ¥900

And of course, right next door is the mother of all illuminations extravaganzas:

Yomiuriland “Jewellumination”

The Yomiuriland illuminations are especially worth seeing, because they use millions of lights and boast an array of colors not found anywhere else.

As you can see, everything in the park is lit to the eyeballs

The tunnel o’ lights is more dramatic than ever – you feel like you’re in the midst of a spinning galaxy as you walk through.

It’s a landscape of color-changing LEDs that pulse and change all around…

…including at the ghostly Matterhorn-like mountain.

The dancing fountain shows (included in the price of admission) are first-rate.

Getting to Yomiuriland is a bit of a pain, but it’s really worth it! It takes hours to see all the twinkly bits, and the quality does not disappoint. No surface or growing thing is left un-sparkled, and it’s fun to see it all, even if you don’t go on a single rollercoaster.

Dates: October 11 – February 17
Open: Every day except for these holidays: Nov 26, Jan 20-23, Feb 4-6
Hours: 16:00 – 20:30*
Admission: You can go see the illuminations with a special Night Entrance Fee that starts at 16:00 and includes a free pass for all the attractions: Adults(18-64) ¥1500; Middle and high school students ¥800; Children ¥500 (under 3 are free); Senior(65+) ¥500

*Check Yomiuriland’s English web page for other prices and hours, because sometimes they’re open later

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Illumillions Theme Park

This park a fun place to walk around and get your fill of LED goodness, and it’s got areas geared more for kids. The last time I went, there was an undersea theme, but they change it up year to year.

the sparkling tunnel does not disappoint…

and there are always some good places to take selfies of the season.

This place is a bit of a trek from Tokyo (it takes about an hour by train from Shinjuku Station, then a short bus ride). Tips & tricks for getting there are here, and be sure to dress warmly because it gets hella cold up on the side of the hill.

Dates: November 2 – April 5, open every day until January 8, closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays from Jan 8 – Mar 12
Hours: 16:00 – 21:00 (last admission 30 minutes before closing time)
Admission: ¥1000

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And if you know someone who’s planning a Japan trip, here are all the places I take my friends when they come to town…

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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had