So you'll be in Japan this December, great! If your trip includes December 25th and 31st, you might be wondering about Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

First of all, do some searches here - there's great info in this subreddit already. Here's a search for Christmas and one for New Year. You might try similar searches in area-specific subreddits, like /r/Tokyo and /r/Osaka.

One thing you might note is that Japan doesn't celebrate these holidays the way many Western countries do. Christmas, in particular, is not a national holiday. Most people don't spend it with their families, and it's a regular workday, but it's still a very commercial holiday. Thanks to a fantastic marketing campaign by KFC, many Japanese associate Christmas with fried chicken. Christmas gifts might be exchanged, especially between couples, as this is generally seen as a romantic holiday, much like Valentine's Day in the US and the UK. New Year's, by contrast, is when most people will get together with their families. There are a number of special dishes associated with New Year's, and while large cities will certainly have major parties at midnight, visits to a temple are more common, to ring the temple bell for the first time in the new year.

If you're looking for specific activities in Tokyo, there's some guides out there, such as Travel and Leisure's What to Do Guide for Christmas. For New Year's events and parties, try this website.

This thread is a great place to ask additional questions you might have, but don't forget to click the subreddit searches above - your question may already have been answered!

Have a great holiday season!