Escape to Europe Dec. 5th to 25th!
The smell hits you first.
Roasted almonds caramelizing in a wide pan, sugar catching heat and turning amber-gold, smoke curling up into the December air. Then the sharp, savory drift of sausages. And—if you lean into the crowd just right—the warm punch of mulled wine: cloves, cinnamon, red wine heating in pots, steam rising like a winter spell.
For a moment, in the middle of Sakae, you're not in Japan.
And that’s the whole point.
It’s a Friday evening, just after 18:00. You step off the subway at Yaba-cho, walk two minutes, and suddenly you’re inside a warm pocket of golden light. The giant fir tree glows at the center of Edion Hisaya Plaza, string lights tracing the rooflines of wooden stalls. The TV Tower rises above everything, steel catching reflections. There’s a low hum of conversation—couples negotiating food lines, kids pulling parents toward the playground, someone laughing after their first sip of Glühwein. Vendors call out the next batch of sausages in Japanese with the occasional half-German phrase. Christmas music drifts through the speakers. The scent of fried dough and hot chocolate shifts on the wind.
Cozy. Lively. Not quite Europe, not quite Japan—somewhere in between.
Christmas in Japan is... Different
You've been here long enough. You know the drill. Christmas Eve is the main event—romantic dinner reservations, strawberry shortcake, champagne. But by Christmas Day, Japan is already moving on to New Year’s and Osechi. The Colonel has taken off his Santa suit and stopped pimping fried franken–chicken as a Christmas Eve tradition.
The Christmas holiday doesn’t stretch languidly through the week like it does back home. There’s no Boxing Day hangover. No leftover turkey sandwiches. No uncle arguing about politics over reheated pie.
And if you're a transplant or visitor who can’t make it home this year, that absence can feel sharper than the winter wind cutting through Sakae.
Nagoya Christmas Market Gets It.
Not perfectly. Not with the chaotic authenticity of a Cologne's Christkindlmarkt or the mulled-wine haze of a Vienna square. Close enough, though, that for three weeks in December you can stand under a giant fir tree, wrap your cold hands around a ceramic mug of Glühwein, and trick yourself into believing you’re somewhere cobble-stoned and European—even if you’re really just two minutes away from Yaba-cho Station and a snack bar.
So What’s It Really Like?
This year is the market’s 11th edition, running December 5–25, 2025. Last year, over 500,000 people showed up. This year, the big update is the expansion into Angel Plaza — more space, more stalls, more places to warm your hands around a drink.
It’s also the first year they’re making fresh Gebrannte Mandeln (caramelized roasted almonds) on-site. If you’ve never had it: think almonds getting baptized in molten sugar, cooling into crunchy, sweet-smoky clusters you’ll eat too quickly and immediately want more of. It’s German Christmas market crack, and now they’re making it right in front of you.
Food & Drink
Glühwein: The Main Character
Glühwein—spiced hot wine—is the signature drink, served steaming in limited-edition ceramic mugs that change design every year.
If you order the mug version (usually around ¥1,000 extra), you'll get a collectible souvenir, support the marketing vibe, and have something to bring back to your 1LDK that says, Yes, I did a Christmas thing this December!
Pro Tip: The mugs do sell out. Don’t wait until December 24th.
German sausages
Bratwurst, currywurst (?!), frankfurters. Grilled, juicy, served with mustard and sauerkraut.
Stollen
Dense, fruit-studded Christmas bread dusted with powdered sugar. Great for gifting, or hoarding in your apartment and eating slice by slice at 23:00. It doesn't matter when—it remains edible all year.
Stews & soups
Because standing outside in December Nagoya requires internal heating.
Hot chocolate with brownie topping
For when you want a break from wine.
Chocolate pretzels
Cute, portable, and photogenic for prostituting on Insta.
And of course, the Mandel. Fresh, warm, made in front of you at Angel Plaza. Don’t skip it.
Shopping!
Deck Your 1LDK Halls
Imported Christmas ornaments, wooden crafts, nutcrackers, glass baubles, wreaths—the kind of stuff that makes your apartment feel less beige and more seasonal. Even if your “tree” is a tabletop stick from Donki.
Past years have featured hand-blown glass ornaments and aroma sachets (wax-and-flower decorations) that smell loads better than the air freshener you bought from Daiso.
And if you ARE going home for the holidays the market is a great place for small gifts that say, “I got you this Japan thing." without having to explain Matcha Kit Kats again.
But if you're not...
Get yourself a wreath. Hang it on your door. Confuse your neighbors. Get the pillow with a cat that says "I want to sleep with you." Live your life.
Santa, Workshops,
and Kid Stuff
Santa Photos
Santa appears at Angel Plaza on weekends and December 24–25.
Weekend time slots:
11:15 / 13:00 / 14:15 / 15:30 / 16:45
December 24–25:
14:15 / 15:30 / 16:45
Important:
Only the first 50 groups per time slot get photos. Remember people—it may look European-ey, but this is Japan. Efficiency applies even to Santa. Arrive early or accept defeat.
Workshops
Daily candle-making and herbarium workshops. Fees vary.
Good for dates, good for killing time, good for making something to put on that shelf you keep meaning to decorate.
For Families
Angel Plaza now has large playground equipment, which means kids can burn energy while you sip Glühwein and pretend you’re in a European square. Win-win.
Embrace the Christmas Cosplay
This isn’t a “real” European Christmas market. The stalls are too clean. The organization is too efficient. The crowd is too polite. There’s no drunken chaos at 22:00, no sketchy Glühwein vendor cutting corners, no pickpockets working the crowd.
But that’s also why it works.
You get the warmth, the light, the smells, the tastes—the feeling of a Christmas market—without the stress of navigating a European winter. You get to stroll through Sakae holding a mug of mulled wine, eat roasted almonds under a fir tree, and for a little while forget that you’re in a country where Christmas ends at midnight on the 24th and soon you will be eating pickled fish.
Don’t celebrate Christmas?
Come anyway!
This is about warmth, light, food, and the excuse to stand outside in the cold drinking spiced wine with friends. Be merry. Make merry.
The Nagoya Christmas Market won’t give you home. But it might give you something close enough to make December feel a little less far away from it.
The Details
Nagoya Christmas Market 2025
Location:
Hisaya Odori Park — Edion Hisaya Plaza & Angel Plaza
Dates:
Dec. 5–25, 2025
Times:
Weekdays: 16:00–21:00
Weekends: 11:00–21:00
December 24–25: 14:00–21:00
Price:
Free admission
(food/drinks/shopping are paid)
Your Game Plan
Weekday evenings (early December):
Fewer crowds, easier to grab a seat, better breathing room around the tree.
Weekend afternoons:
Peak chaos. Families, couples, tourists. If you thrive in crowds, great. If not, avoid Saturday at 19:00.
December 24–25:
Special hours (14:00–21:00), heavy traffic. The market stays open through Christmas Day—rare in Japan—use it.
Date Night vs. Family Outing
Date Night:
Weekday evening. Glühwein, stalls, Mandel, photos under the tree with the TV Tower behind you.
Family:
Weekend daytime. Santa slots (first 50 groups), playground, craft workshop, sausages, home tired and happy.
Oh - And budget reality:
One full lap—Glühwein in a souvenir mug, sausage plate, Mandel, maybe a dessert—will run you ¥3,000–¥4,000 per person. But hey- Christmas is the time to indulge yourself. You might as well spend some of the money you saved by not taking that legroom-optional flight home!
Payment & Practicalities
- Cash + electronic money widely accepted; some stalls take cards, but not all.
- Leashed dogs are fine in the open areas.
- Market runs rain or shine. Dress for December. Extreme weather may affect hours, but let's all remember - Nagoya basically has two weather patterns: hot and humid or cold and humid.
Access
By Subway:
Yabachō Station — Meijō Line (M05)
- Exit 6
- 2-minute walk straight into Hisaya Odori Park
Sakae Station — Higashiyama Line (H09) / Meijō Line (M05)
- Exit 13 or Exit 16
- 5-minute walk toward the TV Tower and Hisaya Odori Park
Nagoya Subway Map
Click here for our handy guide to using the Nagoya Subway!
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