Hello, this is Minato & Mirai♪
Since November began, Christmas trees have been popping up all over Yokohama Minato Mirai! At our home too, we finally had our annual “tree assembly day.” Now that it’s all set up again this year, we’d love to share a little bit of that process with you.
First, here’s a photo of the finished tree♪
This is our tree!!!
It’s so cute!
We Like Our Trees a Bit Bigger – Alsace 150cm Tree
Our tree is the Alsace 150cm Christmas Tree we finally found last year after a long search on Rakuten. For a rental apartment, it has just the right amount of impact without being too big.
![[商品価格に関しましては、リンクが作成された時点と現時点で情報が変更されている場合がございます。]](https://hbb.afl.rakuten.co.jp/hgb/4e6a3d06.fcda1217.4e6a3d07.eb10063f/?me_id=1230409&item_id=10042845&pc=https%3A%2F%2Fthumbnail.image.rakuten.co.jp%2F%400_mall%2Fgbt-dko%2Fcabinet%2Fhobby%2F25495_1.jpg%3F_ex%3D240x240&s=240x240&t=picttext "[商品価格に関しましては、リンクが作成された時点と現時点で情報が変更されている場合がございます。]")
For those living in Japan: Rakuten is one of the two major online shopping platforms in Japan, alongside Amazon. It’s widely used for home goods and seasonal items like Christmas trees, and delivery is fast and reliable.
If you live in a Japanese apartment with a delivery box (takuhai box), your order will usually be placed there when you’re not home. We received our tree without any issues, and it arrived exactly as described.
Also, many Japanese apartments have lower ceilings compared to Western homes, so the 150cm size is actually a perfect fit — big enough to feel festive, but not overwhelming for the space.
We used to have a 120cm tree, but we wanted something with a bit more presence, so we sized up!
In reality, the balance with LED lights and ornaments is great, and it’s big enough to really enjoy decorating. For home use in Japan, this size feels just right.
It Looks Authentic, but Assembly Is Super Simple!
People often think setting up a tree is a hassle, but ours is actually very easy to assemble and pack away.
Unbox → open the stand → insert the trunk → spread out the branches. In about 10 minutes, it takes shape.
The stand is extremely simple.
The main tree comes in three parts — you just insert them one by one from the bottom.
At this stage it looks a bit awkward…
But no worries! Once you quickly fluff the branches, it instantly looks like this♪
The branches are really dense, so just a little fluffing gives it a lot of volume.
If you don’t have many tools at home (which is common for expats in Japan), don’t worry — this tree doesn’t require any tools at all. You just slot the three parts together and shape the branches by hand.
After that, you just add your favorite LEDs and ornaments, and it’s done ✨
What Won Us Over Was How “Real” It Looks
Our tree – the Alsace 150cm Tree – is modeled after German fir, and the texture is very realistic. Even up close, it hardly looks artificial.
The deep green color also makes both silver and gold ornaments pop, which is another thing we love.
Even when you look closely, it doesn’t have that plasticky feel – it really looks like a real tree!
The price isn’t too high for the quality, and it should easily last for several years, so we’d recommend it to anyone buying a “proper” Christmas tree for the first time — especially if you’re living in Japan and want something that feels premium but is still easy to handle.
A Tree That Makes Us Excited for Christmas Every Year
It’s the same tree every year, but changing the decorations completely transforms the atmosphere – that’s part of the fun. This year, we also added some ornaments we bought at a Christmas Market♪
If you’re curious about this tree, you can check it out here!
For expats and international residents in Japan, this kind of tree is a nice way to bring a “European-style” Christmas feeling into a Japanese apartment — without worrying about storage, tools, or complicated setup.
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