Chiba is celebrating the winter with plenty of activities until March 10. The trees at Chiba Central Park will be lit up in iridescent lights during the evening (5pm to 10pm; Dec 31 until 3am). It features Japan’s biggest artificial ice skating rink, with its 400 square-metre ‘ice’ being made out of synthetic materials. It costs ¥1,500 per person (¥900 for primary school students and under) to skate on the rink.
After you’ve enjoyed ice skating and admiring the illumination, check out the lounge by the skating rink to warm up with curry udon, char siu pork bowl or tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup). There’s also plenty of beer and cocktails, as well as soft drinks too.