Christmas
Christmas With Kids in Japan: Illuminations and Dinner-Included Resorts
Book December weekends early. Three ways to spend it: city hotels, dinner-included resorts, or snow and hot springs
24 areas ยท 1116 hotels (total listings across these areas)
A family Christmas trip is often the one night of the year children look forward to most. But December weekends fill up at the popular hotels first, and the cold keeps outdoor play short. What works best with kids is narrowing the choice to one of two things: a hotel that has both the Christmas atmosphere and the meals on site, or a location right beside the illuminations and street decorations. A plan that keeps travel and outdoor time short, and leaves more hours for the room and the hotel itself, suits this season.
In this collection we split Christmas into three ways to spend it: a city hotel for street decorations and dinner, a large dinner-included resort where everything happens on site, and snow and hot springs for a white Christmas. Under each one we list the areas where family-friendly hotels are clustered. On every area page you can filter by features such as a kids' buffet, all-inclusive plans, room dining (heya-shoku, dinner served in your own room), Japanese and Japanese-Western rooms, and a kids' playroom.
Special Christmas dinners, cakes, decorations inside the hotel, and events all differ by property and by year. Check what is included and the age range on each hotel's Christmas plan when you book. For December weekends, booking during November is the safe choice.
Features to look for in this collection
City Hotels for Street Decorations and Dinner
Easy to combine with illuminations and shopping. Travel is short, and it is simple to get back to the room on a cold night. Dates and content for Christmas markets and illuminations change every year, so check each spot's official information.
Tokyo
Choose central Tokyo hotels by their in-house Christmas decorations and restaurants. The displays at Jingu Gaien, Hibiya, Roppongi and Azabudai are within walking distance of some hotels. Check the kid-friendly amenities by feature
Osaka
Many large hotels here pair well with theme parks and illuminations. Stay within walking distance of the displays at Tenshiba or Umeda and you can keep evening travel short
Kobe
Illuminations in a port city. Hotels with night views, and Arima Onsen close by
Kanazawa
Winter streetscapes and winter food. Reachable by the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Fukuoka
The gateway to Kyushu. Choose city hotels by their kid-friendly amenities. From a hotel within walking distance of the downtown displays, you can stop by briefly after dinner and call it a night
Kanagawa
Search Yokohama's illuminations and Hakone's hot springs together. Pick a hotel within walking distance of the displays around the Red Brick Warehouse and you can keep the evening outing short
Aichi and Nagoya
In Nagoya the hotels are clustered downtown. Stay within walking distance of the displays and the evening outing does not have to drag on
Large Dinner-Included Resorts Where Everything Is on Site
Dinner and cake both inside the hotel. A kids' buffet or an all-inclusive plan makes it easier to work around picky eaters.
Izu
Hot springs and the sea. All-inclusive and dinner-included large hotels
Atami
A hot spring town you can reach by Shinkansen. Large hotels with a kids' buffet
Minami-Boso
A drive from central Tokyo. Large resorts on the Boso peninsula, mild even in winter
Nasu Kogen
Large highland resorts. Many hotels where you can spend the whole day on site
Ise-Shima and Toba
A seaside resort area with a cluster of all-inclusive hotels
Okinawa
A warm Christmas. Check resort hotel events property by property. Even if you keep to the on-site events, a hotel near the downtown decorations lets you step out for a short while
Shizuoka
Search the prefecture's dinner-included and large resorts in one place
Chiba
Search the prefecture's dinner-included and large resorts in one place
A White Christmas With Snow and Hot Springs
Snowy scenery and hot springs. Keep the snow play short and plan to warm up inside.
Hokkaido
Large ski resorts plus the cities of Sapporo and Otaru. Many hotels offer airport transfers. Pick a hotel within walking distance of the city displays and you can see them and head straight back to the room
Niseko
Large resorts in deep snow. Well equipped for kids
Karuizawa
Reachable by Shinkansen. Winter street decorations and snow play
Echigo-Yuzawa
Hot springs and snow close to a Shinkansen station. Short travel even with a baby or toddler
Kusatsu Onsen
A Christmas with snow views in the hot spring town around the Yubatake hot water field
Nagano
Search the prefecture's snow play and hot spring hotels in one place
Dinner-Included Stays That Solve the Eating Out Problem
Restaurants are hard to book on Christmas Day itself, and with children both getting a table and the waiting can wear you down. Here we have gathered hotels where dinner is taken care of on site, in a form you can filter by feature. Nationwide there are 479 hotels with room dining (heya-shoku, dinner served in your own room), 510 with a private dining room, and 148 with a kids' buffet. In Kanto, Kansai and Kyushu you can narrow hot spring hotels down by prefecture: Gunma has 16 hotels with room dining, Hyogo has 28 with a private dining room, and Oita has 12 with room dining. What a special Christmas dinner includes and whether there is a children's menu differ by hotel, so check the plan details when you book.
Gunma
Hot spring towns in Kanto. Room dining or a private dining room makes it easy to keep Christmas dinner to just your family
Hyogo
Hot spring towns and a port city in Kansai. You can filter for hotels with a private dining room
Oita Prefecture
Hot spring towns in Kyushu. Easy to find hotels with room dining or a private dining room
Tips for traveling with kids
- checkDecember weekends and the days around Christmas fill up early. Book during November and check what the Christmas plan includes: dinner, cake, and the age range it covers
- checkSmall children get cold at evening illuminations. Book a hotel near the lights so you can see them and go straight back to the room
- checkA kids' buffet or an all-inclusive plan makes it easier to avoid the picky eater problem on a special dinner night
- checkWith room dining (heya-shoku) or a private dining room, Christmas dinner can be just your family, with no other guests around
- checkSome hotels will accept a present shipped ahead of your stay. Ask when you book whether they can receive it
Recommended hotels in this collection (48)
Selected automatically from the top-ranked hotels in each area.
Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo
Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel
Anda no Mori Osaka Tennoji Tower
InterContinental Osaka
Hotel Plaza Kobe
Hotel Okura Kobe
Hotel MyStays Premier Kanazawa
Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Hyakurakusou
The358 SORA
Hotel Marinoa Resort Fukuoka
See all hotels in this collection (48)expand_more
- Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo
- Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel
- Anda no Mori Osaka Tennoji Tower
- InterContinental Osaka
- Hotel Plaza Kobe
- Hotel Okura Kobe
- Hotel MyStays Premier Kanazawa
- Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Hyakurakusou
- The358 SORA
- Hotel Marinoa Resort Fukuoka
- Hakone Hotel Kowakien
- Hotel Okada
- Irago Ocean Resort
- Nagoya Prince Hotel Sky Tower
- Lucy Kiki
- Izu Kogen Hanairotei
- Kamenoi Hotel Atami
- Hotel New Akao
- Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa
- Kamogawa Grand Hotel
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
- Hotel Epinard Nasu
- Todaya
- Toba View Hotel Hanashinju
- Fukugi Terrace
- Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa
- Hotel Wellseason Hamanako
- Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
- Kameyama Onsen Hotel
- Kisui no Yado Monya
- Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace
- Hotel Naturwald Furano
- Ki Niseko
- Setsu Niseko
- Dormy Club Karuizawa
- Karuizawa Prince Hotel West
- Atema Kogen Resort Belnatio
- Angel Grandia Echigo Nakazato
- Hotel Sakurai
- Kusatsu Onsen Kusatsu Now Resort Hotel
- Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel
- Hotel Cypress Karuizawa
- Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Matsunoi
- Hotel Matsumotoro
- Awaji Sumoto Onsen Kaigetsukan
- Yumekaiyu Awajishima
- Beppu Daiichi Hotel
- Suginoi Hotel
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we book a family Christmas trip?
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December weekends and the days around Christmas draw a crowd, and the room types that suit families go first. Book during November, and check the dinner, the cake, and the age range for events on the Christmas plan so there are no surprises.
Where is the easiest place to spend Christmas with a baby?
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A large resort where travel is short and everything happens on site, or a hot spring inn with room dining and a private bath where you can settle into your room. If you want to see illuminations, choose a city hotel with the lights within walking distance and plan to head back to the room as soon as you have seen them.
Can children eat the special Christmas dinner?
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It differs by hotel. At a hotel with a kids' buffet or a children's menu, it is easier to find dishes children will eat even on a special dinner night. Ask when you book whether the Christmas plan includes a children's menu.
Where should we go if we want the children to see snow at Christmas?
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Large resorts in Hokkaido and the hot spring towns of Echigo-Yuzawa, Kusatsu and Karuizawa are areas where snow can be expected in late December. Keep the snow play short and plan to warm up in the hot spring or inside the hotel, and even small children will enjoy it.
Can we send a Christmas present to the hotel in advance?
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Some hotels will accept a package sent ahead, but the policy differs from one property to another. Ask when you book whether they can receive it and whether they can hold it until your stay.