To get ready for Christmas, I’ve decided to do 12 blog posts every day leading up to Christmas. Here they are! Check back each day for a new post or go HERE to see what’s been posted already.
Disney Christmas is back at Tokyo Disney Resort from November 8 – December 25, 2019 (Christmas events have changed since COVID-19. Stay tuned for more information.
Each year they have bring new decorations, food, merchandise, and festive entertainment.
At Tokyo Disneyland, the park will undergo a full Christmas makeover, with festive story themed decorations and a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and illuminations display in World Bazaar. While Tokyo DisneySea will host “It’s Christmas Time!,” a musical revue in Mediterranean Harbor, featuring Mickey and Friends, Christmas music, and high-tempo choreography.
All entertainment during the Christmas season is included in your park admission and runs every day during the dates from 11/8- 12-25. Unfortunately, there’s no separate Christmas party event like Walt Disney World.
We are lucky to live only a short drive or train journey away from the Tokyo Disney Resort so we’ve been able to go during both the Halloween and Christmas celebrations this year. While I loved going for Halloween with all of the costumes and Halloween shows, there’s just something about Christmas at Disney that is extra special.
See what else you can do in Japan in winter in this post.
When Should You Go?
Days to Avoid:
November 3 (Culture Day)
November 23 (Labor Thanksgiving Day)
December 23 (Emperor’s Birthday)
December 25 (Christmas- this tends to be a verycrowded day)
Good Days:
Tuesdays to Fridays are the least busy. Check this crowd calendar for specific days. It is in Japanese but this guide from TDR Explorer helps you navigate without needed to translate.
Weather in December:
Weather tends to be much cooler in Tokyo than it would be in Orlando (if you’re familiar with WDW temps. In Tokyo, December temperatures tend to be around 12ºC (54°F) in the afternoon and drop to about 5ºC (41°F) at night. It is also usually sunny with little rain or snow. The air is dry, with the humidity around this time generally staying at a constant 30%. You will need a coat in December. On some days, gloves and scarves might come in handy. We find that the sun is usually warm enough during the day to keep us warm with a light jacket or thicker sweater. But if it’s not sunny (or later in the day) we definitely need a thicker jacket. For our time at Disneyland we had the kids in pants and sweatshirts during the day and had a winter jacket for Andrew, and a full bodysuit for Amelia, with hats, gloves, and full stroller muff. By 7 PM after the sun had been gone for a few hours it was definitely cold and with them not walking around to warm up, they needed some extra layers to stay warm.
Tokyo Disneyland has a fun and whimsical take on Christmas with typical Christmas decorations and a fun daytime parade, “Disney Christmas Stories.” The Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare overlay starts in September and runs until January 3, 2019. And as someone who really doesn’t like The Haunted Mansion (I blame an incident with a Disney Sing-a-Long that scarred me for life from that song) I really enjoyed the Nightmare Before Christmas Overlay. The “Country Bear Jamboree Jingle Bell Jamboree” is a classic (even though it’s in Japanese). The highlight is the Christmas version of Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade “Dreamlights.”
There are some great spots to watch the Disney Christmas Stories and Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade parades. Grab a spot in Westernland, the hub area, or Tomorrowland in front of Tomorrowland Terrace about 30 minutes ahead of time.
The “Disney Christmas Stories” parade stars Mickey and Friends abroad seven festive floats. There are 120 performers and characters in the parade, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Scrooge McDuck, Goofy, the Toy Story gang, Lilo, Stitch, Anna, and Elsa.
The parade is performed twice a day in addition to the regular “Dreaming Up!” parade. There are two show stops, one between Fantasyland and Westernland, and the second around the Plaza where the parade stops and there is a short performance.
Disney Christmas at Disneyland also includes:
- A 15-meter Christmas Tree in World Bazaar
- Christmas story decorative scenes in front of Cinderella Castle and photo locations in each land
- Starbright Christmas Fireworks display (visible from both parks)
- Characters wearing Christmas accessories at their greetings
- Festive atmosphere entertainment, including the Bicycle Piano, Fun Maintenance, and Tokyo Disneyland Band
- 65 Christmas merchandise items exclusive to Tokyo Disneyland
- Nostalgic designs with Mickey and Friends riding on a sleigh
- Mickey and Minnie plush wrist bands
- Festive drinking glass set
- 70 more Merchandise items available at both parks
- Snosnow Donald and Daisy
- Christmas Sweaters
- Festive caps and scarfs, including a reindeer Pluto design
- 15 Christmas-inspired menu items in the park
- Hot dog with white cheese
- Creamy seafood served in a bread bowl
- Meal inspired by the Beauty and the Beast parade float
- Special decorations and Christmas menu at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel
- Four different Souvenir monorail day pass tickets
We absolutely loved our time at Tokyo Disneyland in December. There was perfect weather, festive decorations, fun treats, and of course all of the small touches that make Disney so special at the holidays. We would definitely go back during this season (and might sneak back over there before Christmas) and would recommend you go too!
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