Episode 979 | Filmed December 2025 | Kyoto, Japan & Shanghai, China. We discovered the world of “travel hacking” while planning our honeymoon & became addicted ;) After 2 years of obsessively saving $35k and over 2 million miles and points, we sold our cars and apartment and left home January 10, 2016 for a “one year” trip around the world. Our goal was to see as many places as possible before we ran out of money and went back home to “normal life.” We started this channel to share our experiences with friends and family, but quickly fell in love with living on the road and found a new passion for capturing our travels through video. So we did everything we could to keep going. 4 years later, we achieved our new goal of visiting 100 countries and all 7 continents. We had no plans to slow down, until 2020 forced us to ;) Which is when we bought a converted van to start exploring our own country for the first time! After ~2 years of van life, we are back to full time international traveling! And now we are in our 10TH YEAR of finding the best adventures the world has to offer :) We are incredibly grateful to be able to continue doing something we love every day.
Kara and Nate explore Christmas markets in Japan and China, finding surprising holiday cheer with unique food, giant cotton candy, and stunning Shanghai views.
Kara and Nate bring their beloved Christmas market tradition to Asia, discovering that China and Japan put their own delightful spin on the holiday classics. From Osaka's LED wonderland to Shanghai's surprisingly authentic German-style market, they taste everything from mulled wine and matcha churros to a three-foot cotton candy. The grand finale in Shanghai—with a rooftop view of the skyline—proves that Christmas cheer knows no borders.
Episode 979 | Filmed December 2025 | Kyoto, Japan & Shanghai, China ✈️ @DailyDrop is our *FREE travel newsletter!* Get all the best travel news, tips, and tricks every weekday in your inbox by subscribing here ➡️ Who are Kara and Nate?! Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, we got married 2013...
Exploring Christmas Markets in Japan and Shanghai China
From the twinkling lights of Osaka's first-ever Christmas market to the unexpected charm of a Chinese Christkindlmarkt, we discover that Asia celebrates the holiday season in wonderfully unique ways! We kick things off with mulled wine and festive cheer at Osaka's market, then head to Kyoto for a hilarious Christmas scavenger hunt through historic streets. Shanghai surprises us with an authentic German-style market complete with sausages and beer, and we stumble upon a full-on 'Swirling Karneval' that feels like a fever dream! The Pokemon-themed market in Shanghai is pure joy - think Pikachu in a Santa hat! And the Paulaner German Market serves up the best pretzels we've had outside Bavaria. We end with bloopers and reflections on how Christmas markets in China and Japan are full of surprises, proving that holiday magic knows no borders. From Osaka to Kyoto to Shanghai, these Asian Christmas markets are not what we expected - they're better.
Attractions in this video: Christmas Market, Chris Kindle Market, Pokemon Christmas Market, Polaner Beer House, Paulaner Rooftop Market, Swirling Carnival, Lita Skybuilding
Kara and Nate, veteran Christmas market explorers, take their tradition to Asia for the first time. They start in Osaka, Japan, at the city's only holiday market—a lively, LED-lit affair that feels like a Japanese train station meets a German Christmas market. The mulled wine comes in paper cups (though they buy the souvenir mug), the food skews sweet (matcha churros, custard pretzels, and a waffle Christmas tree), and the orderly crowds add to the festive energy.
Kyoto's market proves a bust—just a decorated mall with a Nordic food stall—so they revive their own tradition by watching *The Office* Christmas episodes. The real magic happens in Shanghai, where they visit four markets in two days. The Chris Kindle Market, a paid-entry replica of a German market, blew their expectations out of the water: proper mulled wine, raclette cheese, truffle pizza, and even a Middle Eastern stall. One vendor gifted Kara a handmade Christmas tree candle. The Swirling Carnival offered carnival games, and a Pokémon-themed market delivered the most meticulously crafted mulled wine they'd ever seen, complete with rosemary and a free candle. The final stop was the Paulaner Beer House rooftop, offering a stunning Shanghai skyline view and authentic German food. Kara reflects that while these markets can't replace Europe's, they are absolutely worth a visit if you're in Asia during the holidays.
