There’s something really interesting about Christmas in Japan; it’s festive and totally low-key at the same time. I had a couple of days to explore Kyoto and Kobe during December. While there weren’t exactly over-the-top holiday displays, I was struck by the little things.
There were nicely decorated places, well-lit public areas, and an overall vibe of celebrating Christmas on there own terms. It was quieter then back home, but in a really pleasant way. I visited a few spot in each city, from real tourist draws to regular locations done up for the season.
Here’s what I saw. If you’ve been wondering what December is realy like as you wander through this region of Japan, here ya go.
My Christmas Trip to Kobe and Kyoto
BE KOBE and Kobe Port
Another night, I strolled over to Meriken Park, where you can find the BE KOBE monument illuminated.
.. A collection of basic white letters on the water’s edge where half the fun is people lining up to take pictures. It has realy turned into one of those must-do things in Kobe (and there’s good reason why).
At sunset, the entire area is beautiful, the port spreading out from the letters, The Oriental Hotel looming above them.
It was a laid back crowd milling around the plaza in the evening, and I noticed that there is a Ferris wheel at the Mosaic shopping complex over near the Port Tower that lit up nicely against the sky. Someone had even erected a Christmas tree beside it. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a simple seasonal display that went well with the feel of the place.
Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel
I really liked that the hotel was on the waterfront. You could just walk out and be right there by the water whenever you wanted!
The Oriental Hotel where we were staying is pretty striking from the outside (long and tiered), all in very white. It was a little on the retro side, a bit grand, but comfortable. There is also a big open atrium inside.
It has palm trees and a multi-tiered stone fountain that was running when we checked in. The front desk area were easy to find, and the whole place had a calm, slightly formal hotel feel.
They had set up a Christmas display in the lobby, not huge, just a seasonal arrangement that added a bit of festive touch without taking over the place. I appreciated that it felt tasteful rather than trying too hard.
Kobe Animal Kingdom
Kobe Animal Kingdom, Who knows what to expect there? It turns out it is something rather special: part greenhouse, part zoo. Everything is under cover or indoors.
It cost 2,200 yen for adults. And it sounded like a decent way to take a breather from sightseeing. Signage was clear enough.
They had sand cats (which I’ve never seen before), check!
The greenhouse hall itself were very open and light inside, full of plants and has this really warm, calm atmosphere about it. It felt more like walking through a giant indoor garden with animals wandering around than being in a usual zoo building.
I discovered the sand cats asleep: buried in their nest bedding or curled up on some wooden perch they’d chosen. Apparently they’re realy sleepy animals, and smaller than I thought. I watched one cat sleeping on a hunk of driftwood for several minutes straight.
It wasn’t exactly a thrilling zoo encounter, but there is something quietly charming about seeing a creature so completely unbothered by your presence that it falls asleep while you watch it.
One of the hallways even featured a water-lily pond complete with flowers floating along, it was unexpectedly tranquil. Everything about the place seemed laid back and sort of meditative in a way that I wouldn’t of imagined at a zoo. As far as holiday cheer went, this was as good as it was going to get.
Someone had decorated the reindeer with Christmas wreaths, which left them looking a little bewildered, but it also served as a nice picture opportunity.
Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens
Continuing our trend of following signs, we rode up to the Nunobiki Herb Gardens on the ropeway. The gardens has fully embraced the Christmas market theme. There are wooden market stalls and a Christmas tree made out of bamboo frames.
Buildings is decorated with garlands and other decorations. It was realy quite crowded when we went, with a lot of couples and families strolling around the stalls and taking pictures next to the clock tower.
They had set up quite an impressive display of poinsettias inside one of their greenhouses. It was a greenhouse worth visiting, with rows and rows of them all under glass. And there was a complete Christmas tree (all decked out) by the entrance as well as some gift sets of dried flowers for sale.
It was all quite strange: a European Christmas market atmosphere on a hillside in Kobe, but apparently people was enjoying it.
Kyoto Tower
If you’re around the station, it’s impossible to miss Kyoto Tower, that white spire reaching into the sky (and lit up at night). I saw it first from street level, sandwiched between buildings, then went over to see the observation deck.
I took a minute to work that one out: The 11th floor is where the ticket counter and reception are located. If you’re ever here, there’s also a Kansai Tourist Information Center in this same building. Just follow the signs and you’ll be fine.
With my ticket in hand, I went straight up to the observation deck to check out the view.
As a nice touch, they’d hung a big golden-colored Christmas tree and some Christmas ornaments from the observation deck. This didn’t block any of the windows but it added some seasonal style to the place. And there were lots of people posing for pictures in front of it with the citys lights in the background.
Beyond that is the view: in every direction Kyoto sprawls out in front of you (no dramatic mountains here), just the even spread of the city at night.
Amanohashidate Kasamatsu Park
Getting to Kasamatsu Park meant taking the cable car up from Fuchu Station. It rained on the day I visited so going uphill in the cable car wasn’t exactly fun, but it was a straightforward ride up. There are posters displaying timetables and maps as you’d expect at stations, though, and I stood around them for a while working out how much the ride cost and when it ran.
Alternatively, you could try the chair lift, but the rain put me off that one.
Nice little touch was that inside the station they’d put up a tiny Christmas tree. A little random, but nice nonetheless. Some other people were waiting there for the next car up.
It just had a couple of hanging lanterns inside. It was all pretty simple, if you wanted to go on the chair lift there were signs pointing the way, etc. , and it all ran to time.
Kyoto Railway Museum
Now I’m not really a fan of trains, but the Kyoto Railway Museum was way more interesting than I thought it would be.
It’s a new, moddern building… Although the exterior has a big overhanging entrance.
Once you went in, there was a clear floor guide showing what was where, and there were ticket machines too. Admission info was posted right next to the entrance. There was also a place to get a commemorative ticket at the counter.
I got one, just because I figured that’s what you’re supposed to do.
As a continuation of the December motif, they also had a Christmas tree set up in one of the rest areas. In addition to the interactive exhibits, there’s a good selection of vintage rolling stock and locomotives on display inside the museum (and an operational turntable out back if you catch it at the right time). It took me a couple of hours to wander around and I found it fairly well executed.
Rickshaw Café
I was mainly attracted to the traditional building and the noren curtain hanging across the doorway. Rickshaw Café is a tiny restaurant with a gabled roof and a standee out front advertising their current specials. When I stopped by, they were having a hojicha fair for fall.
The interior of the place is a bit of an odd mix of traditional Japanese cafe with a beautifully decorated (and fully-lit) Christmas tree inside the service space, but for some reason it works. Snowflakes and gold cherub ornaments hung from it, and I stood alongside the tree eating my order of matcha soft-serve. The art on the walls added to the cozy feel.
The decorations were neither over-the-top nor thoughtless. It was a nice little visit. It was a fast pitstop, but a pleasant one.
The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji
The other hotel we spent a night in was the newish The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji close to the railway museum.
It’s clean and modern outside; you can see the hotel name from the street and there’s a nice little plaque by the door. Stepping inside takes you down a long hallway into the lobby area.
Everything is unfussy and modern: laid out simply so it’s easy to find your way around, polished floors that has the hotel logo inlaid, etc.
When we arrived at the hotel there was a Christmas sleigh display in the lobby (and some cool frame-and-branch wall art, which I’m assuming is seasonal as well). It was not over the top, but it gave it a little extra festive flair. Overall the hotel were nice and conveniently located if you want to visit the museum and wander around that area of Kyoto.
December in Kyoto and Kobe was more of a subtle touch of the season versus a full-on Christmas frenzy, but looking back at it now, I kind of liked it. There was nothing wrong with the decorations. They had their trees up and everything was there.
It just had a simple, quiet quality that was pretty refreshing. So if you’ve got expectations of a North American holiday lights or a European Christmas market, you might be surprised here, but if you’re open to a quieter, more Japanese take on the season, it’s one you’ll want to experience. Have you ever celebrated the holidays in Japan, or would you want to?
Tell me about your December travels in the comments below.
