It's the most wonderful time of the year — well, that's what the song says, anyway. For many, December is a flurry of tinsel, wrapping paper and anxiety, while for others it as a time to reflect on the year ahead.
Yes, the Christmas season is upon us again, and parents around Tokyo are frantically planning out their holiday agenda. Some people will give gifts, others will attend religious services, and many more will take to the roads, rails and airways to visit family in far-flung locales. If you're staying in town this year, there will be plenty to do with you and your brood, both holiday-related and not.
Tokyo has never shied away from spectacle, and the amount of sheer wattage that will go into this year's illumination displays is likely to make the metropolis visible from other planets. Millions of twinkling lights always make a great background for holiday-themed family portraits, so if you don't mind keeping the kids out after dark, Tokyo has some stunning displays.