Christmas and New Year in Japan

One way to escape the post-Christmas blues is to jet off to Japan. It won’t help with the January credit card bill, but having enjoyed the emotional charge of carols, Christmas trees and all the rest at home, you can touch down in Tokyo for the build-up to New Year.

I’ve done it a couple of times, on planes full of families like mine: one parent from the UK and the other from Japan, both subject to a certain amount of familial pressure to be with them for the biggest festival of the season - Christmas in the UK, New Year in Japan.

If you can bear 12 hours of babies crying and toddlers taking guided walks up and down the aisles, knocking your drink into your lap, then you may find yourself rewarded by blue skies, crisp air and the prospect of some serious feasting.

It’s possible to feel Christmassy in Japan, of course: the department stores go all-out on music and decorations, there are light displays, and for young couples there’s plenty of romance to be had on Christmas Eve.