On one of Sumire Sekino’s most memorable Christmases, she and her boyfriend spent the day touring some of Tokyo’s top dating destinations.
She recounted that the two started the day by taking pictures at TeamLab, a digital art installation that was immersive and incredibly Instagrammable. Then, in order to have a broad perspective of the Japanese capital, they went up Shibuya Sky, an observation deck that is 751 feet above the ground.
We were still anxious because it was only the first month of our relationship. However, I had a great time visiting these locations with him for the first time,” the college student says.
Another student, Akao Takao, 19, checked out some dazzling light displays and went to a Christmas market with his girlfriend last year, before they sat down for a belly warming hot chocolate.
“I had a wonderful experience,” he recounts.
In Western culture, Christmas is that time of the year when families gather around a long table to catch up, opening lavishly wrapped gifts and sipping eggnog. Some attend church.
But in Japan, the festive season has long taken on an additional dimension, a rather romantic one: it’s widely seen as another Valentine’s Day.
Couples go on a special date on Christmas Eve, checking out festive decorations, dining at fancy restaurants and staying at luxury hotels.
Love is in the air everywhere from Tokyo — where its bustling districts like Roppongi and Ginza are filled with couples holding hands on the streets, lined with sparkling trees — to Hokkaido, where the promise of a white Christmas awaits.
From Hokkaido, where a white Christmas is promised, to Tokyo, where its busy neighborhoods like Roppongi and Ginza are crowded with couples holding hands on the streets, lined with dazzling trees, love is in the air everywhere..
