Always found Christmas in Japan underwhelming (New Year better, though), but that was 20 years ago. There look to be some pretty amazing winter illuminations in Tokyo. Tokyo Winter Illumination Guide | The Official Tokyo Travel Guide, GO TOKYO share.google/v55H3uXNrzVq...
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, in the sense I don’t need it to be Christmas necessarily. I’d be quite happy with a rest focused retreat somewhere scenic lol The illuminations look cool though
If it's a rest somewhere quiet and scenic you want, one of the hot spring towns in the mountains could be an option. E.g. Yudanaka in Nagano Prefecture Yudanaka Onsen Japan | Reviews share.google/rRfgHoufwx1D...
Or Myoko Kogen in Niigata Prefecture Onsen in Myoko - Myoko Tourism share.google/VM8Fo1mNu3LZ...
Depends how you feel about snow, though! If you want to avoid that, stay the Pacific side rather than the Sea of Japan side.
Thanks for the recs! I like snow generally 😊❄️
January 1-3 are public holidays, with shops tending to be closed on the 1st at least, but it's peak temple and shrine season (NB it will be crowded). There will be lots of food stalls clustered around temples and shrines, which is good fun.
I've not been to Japan yet. So I'd choose Japan for all the cultural sites, temples, artisans, museums, and art galleries. I think I would grow more as a person in Japan. In Japan I would be harder because of the language barrier so I would be intellectually and culturally challenged.
*typo 'it' not 'I'
For me, Vancouver is more of a summer thang as I don't ski. But then again I've only been there in summer. 🤷
I don’t ski either. And summer makes travel hard for me, so going anywhere cold makes things easier
Obviously I'm coming to it as someone who lived there for 9 years, so it's a bit different than visiting as a tourist. But generally speaking (rather than Christmas specifically), I'd recommend visiting Japan (just avoid July and August, bc super hot and humid)
I've always wanted to go to Japan but I had saved Japan for my older years. So here's hoping I can get well enough to visit.