20 magical Christmas events to help you get into the festive mood in Tokyo

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea each have 15 metre-tall Christmas trees, all decked out with colourful ornaments plus Disney Japan’s 40th anniversary logo. The tree at DisneySea in particular, which will appear at the Waterfront Park, is returning after a three-year absence.

Disneyland will run two parades as usual, one in the day and another after dark. The daytime Disney Christmas Stories parade will feature Christmas-themed floats carrying Mickey Mouse and his friends in cosy winter outfits. The evening Electrical Parade Dream Lights, on the other hand, will feature illuminations as well as a special Christmas medley.

Sanrio Puroland offers an alternative way to celebrate Christmas with a lengthy line-up of exclusive events and activities for the holidays. The theme park turns into a Christmas extravaganza until December 25. You’ll be feeling the holiday spirit immediately at the entrance, which is decorated with a festive red and green gate for the season.

There’s also a designated photo spot there, featuring a choir of Hello Kitty and friends singing in the back. The main Christmas event at Puroland is a 20-minute illumination show taking place at Puro Village. Hello Kitty, Dear Daniel and the rest of the Puro Band will be singing Christmas carols accompanied by a synchronising illumination.

Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest has pulled out all the stops for its winter illumination show with a display featuring over six million LEDs. What’s more, this year there’s an entire area dedicated to Japan's beloved robot-cat, Doraemon.

You can hop on the park’s Rainbow Chairlift and sail over colourful stripes before arriving at the top of a hill to see a series of illumination art walls with the blue character and his friends. Walk further inside and you’ll come across a massive dome of Doraemon’s head, as well as a dome with other characters illuminated in colourful lights. Don’t miss the epic 360-degree illumination show where Doraemon-motif and laser lights synchronise to music for four minutes.

There are also plenty of Doraemon-themed meals and snacks you can munch on while you’re here. Order the Melody Hamburg Curry or the Doraemon Orchestra Plate for a proper meal, or a churro or cup of oshiruko (red bean porridge) for something sweet.

Ditch the department stores and head to these Christmas markets for gift shopping and festive food

Enjoy the city at its most sparkly – when Tokyo switches on its festive lights and illuminations in autumn and winter