Tokyo Disneyland Christmas 2021 Guide

Disney Christmas returns to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea from November 9 – December 25, 2021, with decorations, food, merchandise, and festive entertainment! While the Christmas event isn’t as grand as previous years, it’s a step forward in welcoming back full seasonal events.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to visit for Halloween or Christmas, our article on when to visit gives you tips on how to visit the park for both seasons.

It’s important to note that all entertainment is included in your park admission and runs every day during the dates mentioned above. There’s no separate Christmas party event like Walt Disney World.

Things to Know

• There is no hard-ticketed party (meaning there is no Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party)
• The Disney Christmas events are part of your day ticket at no extra cost
• Decorations start going up the day after Halloween ends
• Decorations, snacks, merchandise, and entertainment all end after December 25
• This year, Tokyo Disney Resort is offering a 2 day Christmas Vacation package which includes seats for the “Big Band Beat-A Special Treat” Christmas show, exclusive character greetings with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, plus lunch and character greetings at Cape Cod Cook-Off, exlusive to guests using the vcacation package.

(Read More: Buy your tickets for Tokyo Disneyland in advance and save time & money)

Best Time to Visit

As of this writing, Japan’s borders are closed to tourism. If you live in Japan you can buy your tickets one month in advance.

The best time to visit Tokyo Disneyland for Christmas is in November when the weather is still fair at 12°C (54°F) on average. December becomes much colder with an average of 8°C (46°F) and sometimes drops below 0°C (32°F) in the evenings.

• Read our guide on what to wear to stay warm
• Avoid November 3 (Culture Day) and 23 (Labor Thanksgiving Day)
• Weekdays (Tuesday to Friday) are usually not too busy
• Use the Tokyo Disneyland Crowd Calendar to check your dates and adjust accordingly

Another time to avoid is the dates around “7-5-3 Day” on November 15. While this isn’t a public holiday, a lot of people head to the Parks around these dates to celebrate. Read my detailed posts about visiting in the months of November and December.

If you time it right, you can experience both Halloween and Christmas on the same trip (as a split visit). Halloween ends on October 31 and the Christmas event typically starts around November 8 (depending on the year). While the end of Halloween is a busy time at the Park, the beginning of the Christmas event and a few days before it begins is rather quiet. This gives you ample time to tour around Tokyo and other parts of Japan.

Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland has a fun and whimsical take on Christmas with cheery decorations, special menu items, and merchandise. The best decorations are found in the hub area in front of Cinderella Castle.

“Mickey & Friends Greeting Parade: Disney Christmas” will take place 1-2 times a day along the parade route. This Greeting Parade features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck in their Disney Christmas Stories costumes and jolly Christmas music.

Tokyo DisneySea

The evenings are the best time to experience Tokyo DisneySea with all the Christmas lights and decorations. Throughout the Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Cape Cod, and Lost River Delta you will find beautiful decorations for the Christmas season.

“Mickey & Friends Harbor Greeting: Disney Christmas” will be performed twice daily on Mediterranean Harbor. To keep things fresh, three different versions of the short show featuring different music and characters.

• “It’s Christmas Time!” From November 9th featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Max, and Santa Claus
• “Christmas Wish” from November 24th featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Chip, Dale, and Santa Claus
• “Perfect Christmas” from December 10th featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Duffy, Sherry May and Santa Claus

Merchandise

It isn’t a Disney Christmas without the release of new super cute Christmas merchandise!

Be sure to check out our Tokyo Disneyland Christmas 2021 Merchandise article featuring this year’s huge Christmas merchandise collection.

• Duffy and Friends Christmas merchandise will be released on November 4th, followed by the main Christmas merchandise range going on sale from November 8th.
• Some merchandise may sell out and not come back in stock (it’s hard to predict what items)
• Some items are available at Bon Voyage (outside Maihama Station) and at the Resort hotels

In addition to merchandise, guests can collect a Christmas-themed Disney Resort Line ticket from the automatic ticket vending machines at each monorail station.

Food and Snacks

Get into the Christmas mood with festive food and drink items across the resort.

Over at Tokyo Disneyland, If you’re in Christmas spirit then head over to Pavilion Restaurant, Eastside Cafe or Blue Bayou Restaurants for Disney-style Christmas special courses. The much-loved Christmas chocolate churros will be available at Pecos Bill Cafe.

At Tokyo DisneySea, six restaurants including the SS Columbia Dining Room will offer cheese-themed special courses in continuation of the “Seasonal Taste Selections” menu to commemorate the 20th anniversary of DisneySea.

Guests can continue their Christmas feasting at The Disney Ambassador Hotel and Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta which are offering some delectable-looking set menus.

Explorer Chris recently visited Tokyo Disneyland and tried out some of the Christmas food on offer!

Tips and Recommendations

Follow my tips and you’ll be more than ready for Christmas at Tokyo Disneyland & Tokyo DisneySea:

• December 25th is date night and the table service restaurants are busy or fully booked (make reservations in advance)
• Food and merchandise are always released the day after Halloween ends (before the event officially begins)
• Entertainment and decorations are almost always completely up and running the day before the event starts
• I recommend visiting Tokyo DisneySea on Christmas Day for the best atmosphere
• Listen to our podcast episodes on Christmas (Subscribe to us on iTunes or Stitcher)
• November is a bit warmer compared to December
• It gets cold in the evenings, so it’s best to dress warmly and layer
• Always buy your tickets in advance to avoid long lines at the Park
• There are Christmas-themed monorail day passes at the stations within the Resort (choose the machine with the design above it to get the one you want)

Featured photos and information from the Tokyo Disney Resort website.