5 Indoor Activities To Enjoy In Japan In The Winter

Depending on where you're coming from, you might think that the winter in Tokyo is excruciatingly cold. Or, maybe you think that it doesn’t deserve to be called winter if your gasoline doesn’t freeze inside the tank. Nonetheless, all of us probably agree it’s best to stay somewhere warm and cozy when it's cold outside.

However, that cozy place doesn’t necessarily have to be your bed or a kotatsu (*1)!

*1 Kotatsu... A low table with a heater under it and covered with a blanket. You pull the edge of the blanket over your feet to stay warm.

In this article, we will introduce five fun activities that you can enjoy indoors during your trip or stay in Japan.

1. Art Exhibitions

Yayoi Kusama exhibition 2017

Art exhibitions are the obvious choice if you like art. You can catch up on exhibitions you haven’t seen without having to skip on a beautiful day outside. Tokyo has many galleries and museums. From contemporary art, photography or manga art to Japanese history, there are fascinating exhibitions for everyone to enjoy!

Many of the museums have cafes and lounges where you can relax. All of them are great photo points as well, so you can snap cool photos while you're there.

You can take a photo like this on the first floor of the National Art Center in Roppongi.

Popular museum areas are Roppongi, especially these three, and Ueno has even more.

For a more comprehensive list of museum reviews, check out our article: Museums And Art Galleries In Tokyo: Where To See What.

Be sure to check the opening hours of each facility, as sometimes they can be shorter than expected.

Read also

10 Japanese Phrases to Use at Museums and Sightseeing Spots

2. Hot Pot Dinners: Nabe, Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki

There’s nothing better than warm food and drinks in the winter. If you want to follow the example of the locals, go to dinner in a restaurant that offers various types of hot pot dishes: nabe, shabu-shabu, and sukiyaki.

All these dishes are very healthy and delicious. You can check the differences between them by taking a look at our article: Shabu-Shabu, Sukiyaki, Hot Pot: The Differences, Recipes, And More!.

So much more than just dining, this is a fun social activity that involves friends sitting around the table, adding ingredients and cooking together a hot pot dish. Do try it when visiting Japan!

3. Izakaya Hopping

If you don’t want to stay in one place and just eat, how about going to an izakaya?

Izakayas are Japanese style pubs serving drinks and small dishes. A fun thing to do is visiting several izakaya on the same evening, an activity called izakaya hopping.

Wherever you go, izakayas tend to be lively places with cheerful staff and a lot of chatting and laughing. Sometimes people might even be striking a conversation from the table next to you, feeling emboldened after a couple of drinks.

Izakayas are usually open until early morning, most of them until 5 am. Some of them have all-you-can-drink and all-you-can-eat menu courses.

Izakayas in the Omoide Yokocho area of Shinjuku

If you want to visit more izakayas and have a drink in every one, choose izakayas that don’t have a table charge. You won’t have to walk far to find them. They are usually close to the station and a lot of them share the same street. Sometimes they are stacked on top of each other, so going to many of them on the same night cannot be easier!

If you would like to learn more about Japanese pubs, check out our article: Izakaya Guide: Menus, Prices And More At Japan's Best Drinking Spots.

4. Karaoke

If you wish to spend a night out in the city having fun, how about going to karaoke and singing your heart out?

Karaoke booths in Japan are private so no need to feel shy. You and your friends are the only superstars here. Karaoke facilities also serve food, drinks, and desserts. You can stay there for a long time without needing to go anywhere. (Be careful, though, that the payment is per hour.)

If you want a real bargain, you can go to karaoke during daytime on a weekday. The place won't be that crowded during this time and it's also much cheaper. Another option is the so-called ‘free time’ which is usually after 11 pm or after midnight and until early in the morning. During this time you don’t pay by the hour. You just pay a flat rate fee and stay as long as you like.

At some karaoke facilities, you can ask for the complementary tambourines, light shows and even costumes.Just enjoy yourself!

For more information on karaoke, please refer to our karaoke guides:
Sing Your Heart Out In Any Language: How To Use Karaoke Boxes
Karaoke - How To Enjoy The Services Of A Karaoke Facility In Japan

5. Arcade Games

Game centers can be found everywhere in the larger cities of Japan and you can't miss them as they have bright signboards and are usually very noisy. Many of their arcade games talk, sing, speak, shine and sparkle at the same time. Aren’t you curious to take a peek inside?

Many of the games might be familiar to you as they have been invented in Japan and got popular all around the world. There are UFO catchers, racing or fighting games, but also a lot of unique Japanese games to try such as Taiko Master, which requires the player to follow the rhythm of a song using a traditional Japanese drum.

Game centers are usually provided with vending machines selling drinks. They also have machines for changing money so that the customers can get coins to insert and play.

One of the places in Tokyo that's famous for games centers is Akihabara where you can practically find gaming facilities at every corner. Check out this MATCHA article if you'd like to learn more about the features of Akihabara's game centers: Let's Go! 7 Akihabara Game Centers

While you're there you can also try the Purikura machines. Purikura are photo booths where you can make your photos super-kawaii (super-cute) using various filters or by drawing onto them. It's a lot of fun and will surely become a great memory of your trip.

The word ‘Purikura’ is derived from the English ‘print club’, more specifically from the Japanese pronunciation of these words: ‘purinto kurabu’. The normal print club booths are meant to snap passport size photos when you need them in a hurry.

Read also

Japanese Game Centers - Drums, Cranes, Purikura and More!

Make the Most out of Your Winter Trip to Japan!

If it's too cold outside to go sightseeing, how about trying out some of these exciting activities? You'll be having fun and enjoying the coziness of the warm indoors at the same time!