Christmas Markets in Asia

Christmas markets in Asia are concentrated in Japan, where six markets open between 13 November and 4 December 2026 and all close on 25 December, four of them German-inspired, and in Dubai, where the Festive Market at Madinat Jumeirah runs from 4 to 27 December and where Winter City, the Christmas attraction at Expo City Dubai, opens from 11 to 31 December. Entry is charged in Tokyo and Yokohama, as at Expo City, free at Roppongi Hills, Azabudai Hills, Osaka and Madinat Jumeirah, and Japanese prices are in yen (JPY).

Tokyo, Roppongi Hills, Azabudai Hills and Yokohama: the Christmas markets of Tokyo and Yokohama

The Tokyo Christmas Market began in December 2015 in Hibiya Park around a 14 m Christmas pyramid from Seiffen, in Saxony. It moves almost every year. In 2026 it occupies two sites: Shin-Toyosu, with a sea theme, from 20 November to 25 December, 11am to 9:30pm, and Shiba Park, in front of Onarimon station, with a forest theme, from 4 to 25 December, 11am to 10pm. Entry costs 1,000 JPY on weekdays, 1,500 JPY at weekends and on public holidays, 2,000 JPY on 24 and 25 December, 500 JPY for children, and under-6s go in free. The market welcomed around 560,000 visitors in 2025.

In the Roppongi district, the Roppongi Hills market holds its 20th edition in 2026. Ten stalls, including a Käthe Wohlfahrt shop, Glühwein, sausages and Stollen, recreate the Stuttgart Christmas Market on the covered Ōyane Plaza, from 21 November to 25 December 2026, 11am to 9pm, free entry. It is run by Mori Building, the company behind Roppongi Hills.

The Azabudai Hills Christmas market, in Minato ward, is Mori Building’s other market in Tokyo. It fills the central plaza of the complex, the Azabudai Hills Arena and its lawn, from 21 November to 25 December 2026, every day from 11am to 9pm, free entry. Its 19 stalls, 4 shops including Käthe Wohlfahrt and 15 food and drink stalls, from panettone to Belgian fries, surround a tree of around 10 m lit until 11pm, and Santa drops by on nine days between 21 November and 25 December. Kamiyachō station, on the Hibiya line, and Roppongi-itchōme, on the Namboku line, give direct access.

The Yokohama Christmas Market sets up on the plaza of the Red Brick Warehouse, the two red-brick warehouses of the port, from 20 November to 25 December 2026, 11am to 9pm and then until 10pm from 5 December. The chalets, the Hütte, are imported from Germany, the tree is a living spruce of around 11 m under 20,000 LEDs, and a 30 m canopy of lights links the two buildings. Entry costs from 500 JPY depending on the day, with a free-access area, and Yokohama residents get in free on 25 November.

Osaka: the Christmas market of the Umeda Sky Building

The Osaka Christmas market, the Wonder Christmas Marche, sets up on Wonder Square, at the foot of the Umeda Sky Building, from 13 November to 25 December 2026, every day from noon to 10pm, free entry with access regulated when crowds are heavy. The setting is Nordic rather than German: chalets selling food, drinks and goods surround a tree of around 25 m covered in 130,000 LEDs, which serves as a screen for sound and light shows every evening, from 6pm in November and from 5pm in December. The 2026 mug costs 900 JPY at the merchandise stall, and JR Osaka Station is 7 minutes on foot.

Sapporo: the Munich Christmas market in Hokkaido

The Sapporo Christmas Market bears the name of Munich, its twin city: the Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo grew out of the twinning in 2002 and celebrates its 25th edition in 2026. It occupies the 1st and 2nd chōme of Odori Park, at the foot of the TV tower, from 20 November to 25 December 2026, 11am to 9pm, during the Sapporo White Illumination. Mulled wine, Christmas dishes and decorations make up the stalls. The 2026 entry price is not yet known.

Dubai: the Madinat Jumeirah Christmas market and Winter City at Expo City

The Dubai Christmas market is the Festive Market at Madinat Jumeirah, on Fort Island, in the middle of the souk and canals of the resort, facing the Burj Al Arab. It opens from 4 to 27 December 2026, from 3pm Monday to Thursday and from noon Friday to Sunday, until late in the evening, with free entry subject to capacity. A 36-foot (11 m) tree serves as the backdrop for sound and light shows, decorated abras (the traditional boats) sail along the canals, and a Venetian carousel, a little train, a bungee jump and gingerbread houses round off the stalls. The market is closer to a family attraction than to a craft market.

Christmas at Expo City Dubai takes the form of Winter City, a ticketed family attraction more than a market: Al Wasl Plaza brings together, from 11 to 31 December 2026, every evening from 4pm to 10pm, an illuminated tree, Santa’s grotto, Mrs Claus’ Bakery, a snow zone, festive markets and an open-air cinema. Entry costs 60 AED, free up to age 3, the skip-the-line pass 175 AED, and Jubilee car park is free. In 2025, the event was called Winter Wonderland and opened from 6 December.

Glühwein, Stollen and souvenir mugs: what to eat and what to bring home

Glühwein is drunk in Tokyo from a souvenir mug whose design changes from one site to the other, and at Roppongi Hills with sausages and Stollen. Sapporo serves mulled wine and Christmas dishes, Yokohama has its Noritake souvenir mug, Osaka its 2026 mug at 900 JPY, and the fifteen food stalls of Azabudai Hills range from Dolce&Gabbana × Fiasconaro panettone to Belgian fries, by way of paella. For gifts, Tokyo sells nutcrackers and decorations and offers an advance ticket with mug, Roppongi Hills has its Käthe Wohlfahrt shop, Azabudai Hills a stall from the same house, Sapporo its decorations. In Dubai, the gingerbread houses are part of the scenery, and Mrs Claus’ Bakery at Expo City offers seasonal treats.

Christmas traditions in Asia you will come across at the markets

The Japanese markets borrow German traditions, with official partners. Tokyo works with the German National Tourist Board, the representation of Bavaria, the Saxony tourist board and the village of Seiffen, where its Christmas pyramid, renewed in 2024, comes from, and brings over choirs from Germany, street performers and children’s workshops. The Sapporo market grew out of a twinning with Munich, Yokohama imports its chalets from Germany, Roppongi Hills reproduces Stuttgart. Azabudai Hills, from the same organiser, entrusts its main stall to Käthe Wohlfahrt, and Osaka prefers a Nordic town setting. Reusable mugs are the rule in Tokyo.

Illuminations are part of the market: the Sapporo White Illumination in Odori Park, the 20 m tunnel of light and the canopy of lights in Yokohama, where the tree stays lit until 11pm, the 25 m tree in Osaka under 130,000 LEDs, a screen for sound and light shows, the Madinat Jumeirah tree and its sound and light shows. 25 December is the last day of all the Japanese markets, and the 24th and 25th are the most expensive days in Tokyo. Santa spends nine days at Azabudai Hills, between 21 November and 25 December, and receives visitors in his grotto at Expo City Dubai, where a snow zone rounds off the programme.

Getting to Asia and travelling between the Christmas markets

Flights from Europe to Tokyo, Osaka and Dubai are worth comparing across airlines before booking. In Tokyo, Shin-Toyosu station on the Yurikamome line is 2 minutes from the Shin-Toyosu site, Onarimon station on the Toei Mita line, exit A6, 1 minute from Shiba Park, and neither site has a car park. Azabudai Hills has direct access from Kamiyachō station, exit 5, on the Hibiya line. In Osaka, JR Osaka Station is 7 minutes on foot from the Umeda Sky Building. Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaido, calls for a separate trip. In Dubai, parking at Madinat Jumeirah is limited and a taxi is recommended, whereas Jubilee car park at Expo City is free.

When to go: the 2026 calendar of Christmas markets in Asia

Osaka opens on 13 November 2026, Yokohama, Sapporo and Shin-Toyosu on 20 November, Roppongi Hills and Azabudai Hills on the 21st, Shiba Park and Madinat Jumeirah on 4 December, Winter City on the 11th. From 4 to 25 December, all seven markets are open at the same time, every day. 25 December closes the six Japanese markets, Madinat Jumeirah carries on until the 27th and Winter City until the 31st. To pay less in Tokyo, aim for a weekday, at 1,000 JPY instead of 2,000 JPY on 24 and 25 December.