Japan’s Best Designer Christmas Trees of 2025

japanese art, design and culture

Japan takes Christmas very seriously, but in a commercial sense rather than a religious sense. Which is perhaps why, each year, we find some very interesting, unorthodox Christmas trees. So each year we make a point of cataloguing our favorite trees. This year we expanded our scope to include not just Tokyo but Osaka as well. From hand-knitted trees and hinoki wooden trees to trees made from 1000 prisms, here are the ones the wowed us the most.

And a reminder that these are all up until December 25, 2025 but after that they’ll be gone.

If it’s a wintry wa-nderland you’re after, look no further than the Kitte shopping center in Osaka, which has installed a 5m (16ft) high tree made from from fragrant Japanese cypress. It’s inspired by the world of kabuki theater, and features red and golden fans that mimic a kabuki stage.

At NU Chayamachi in Osaka’s Umeda district you’ll find a truly one-of-a-kind tree, hand knitted by artist Chihiro Hasunuma. If you want to instill some color into your holidays, this is a 4m (13 ft) handmade masterpiece that puts even Joseph’s coat of many colors to shame.

If you’re more of an orthodox Christmas tree-person, KITTE