Now it is January and Christmas has passed. Last year, I went to two Christmas markets during the festive season. These days Christmas markets are very popular in Japan. I sometimes see pictures online or posters for them, but I had not visited any before. I have never visited such markets back home either. The ones here are influenced by German culture too, which made them seem unique and interesting to me.
The first I visited was in Umeda in Osaka. I went there in November, so it was a little early for Christmas, but it was fun to visit at the time. It was packed with people, and there were long lines at every food stall. I looked around the other stalls which were selling things such as Christmas mugs and snow globes. There was also a big lit up Christmas tree in the middle of the market which was changing colors depending on the song playing. I eventually found a food stall with a line that did not look so long. I ate a cream cheese-filled pretzel and cheese-covered fries. They were better than I expected and were not too expensive.
On Christmas day, I was in Tokyo. I stopped by the final day of the Christmas market in Ueno. It was also busy. I think the atmosphere was not as interesting as the one in Umeda, though the one in Ueno had a lot of interesting Santa statues depicting him in different clothes and situations. They were quite amusing to look at. At this market you could also buy real reindeer fur, which was quite expensive. Of course, most people were enjoying the food and drink at this market too. I once again got a pretzel, as well as a hot chocolate. The food and drink were not as good at this market, but I still enjoyed it.
