Christmas Eve Dinner in Tokyo
November 6, 2023 9:57 AM   Subscribe

I'll be in Tokyo with my wife and two college-age kids for Christmas and New Years, and we're looking for a restaurant we can book for the four of us on Christmas Eve and/or Day.

We're open to any type of cuisine. Would also appreciate any general suggestions of interesting things to do in or within reach of Tokyo at this time of year. We're going up to the Nagano area between Christmas and New Years, so we've got that covered. Thank you!
posted by lex mercatoria to Travel & Transportation around Japan (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: I'm not sure about dinner reservations, but I've found Time Out Tokyo and Tokyo Cheapo to to be helpful for things to do in the Tokyo area.

Also, there's so much to do! For me, I like winter holiday lights - here's a list of winter light shows in the area.
posted by golden at 12:19 PM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


It’s worth knowing that Christmas Eve is kind of a date night for young Japanese couples and that KFC is a big deal for Christmas! That said, all restaurants will be open normally, although some might have Christmas specials.

What kind of experience do you want to have? Christmas-y? Totally the opposite?
posted by chocotaco at 12:26 PM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: If you want to have a very Japanese experience you might do fried chicken which is actually a Christmas time thing in Japan.
posted by brookeb at 12:27 PM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]


What kind of experience do you want to have? Christmas-y? Totally the opposite?

Yeah, Christmas isn't a holiday so everything will still be open, it's just a matter of what you want to eat.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:51 PM on November 6, 2023


Bento.com has a Tokyo restaurant guide with hundreds of listings; perhaps you'll find something in your price range and near your hotel that sounds interesting.
posted by Umami Dearest at 5:08 PM on November 6, 2023


Best answer: Having been to Tokyo a bunch of times, including at Christmas, I would suggest:
* Tokyo is big. Like really really big. So use one of the above sites or even Google Maps to find something close to where you're staying or you'll spend a lot of time on trains.
* Christmas is just another day for the most part, you shouldn't find much closed
* The Tokyo metafilter crowd are a warm and welcoming bunch, you should definitely propose a meetup. Yes, with your family. We had a great time and were introduced to something we never would have come up with on our own when we did this.
posted by Runes at 6:48 PM on November 6, 2023


Response by poster: Huh. Did not know about the KFC thing. We'll check out the suggested websites as the date approaches. Thank you everybody!
posted by lex mercatoria at 9:48 PM on November 6, 2023


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