It is a testament to the problems Germany has when attempting to bring tourists from Asia: There are few landmarks in the country to rival Paris' Eiffel Tower or Rome's Collusseum. This means Christmas markets are one of the major attractions on the German calendar.

When I was in Japan, I wondered why Christmas markets were so famous in Germany, but I would say, if you are thinking of visiting the country, a market is worth visiting.

The Christmas market is known as a place where you can enjoy a wide variety of food and drinks, buy goods like Christmas ornaments for trees, nutcracker dolls and many other festive products. The scale is so huge and very famous that you can easily find a package tour from Japan, devoted only to the markets.

In Germany, the Christmas market is not only a festival, but also a social occasion, especially for adults.

But to be honest, I was never very happy when someone asked me to go to a market to drink gleuhwein (mulled wine, the must-have drink in the festive season). How could I have fun standing in temperatures that are often below zero?

Most buildings and houses in Germany have good central heating systems, so if you stay indoors, you feel comfortable and forget the cold, gray winter. Why should I stand shivering in the cold outside, wearing layers of clothes to keep out the chill?

However, it was not long before I learned about the fun parts of Christmas markets. You feel much closer to other people than you do in restaurants. The markets begin four weeks before Christmas. During this time, the so-called Advent season, you might be asked to meet at the market and drink mulled wine together. As it is quite crowded and noisy, so you have to speak loudly.

The exciting atmosphere is one of the things I missed about Japan. People in Germany have neither pubs like England nor izakaya (Japanese style pub) culture. Maybe this is the reason why Germans are very keen to go and get drunk during the four weeks in the runup to Christmas.

How did I get over the cold? There is a trick. Before you explore a market -- very important -- you first order a mulled wine. You will get back the deposit for the cup, but you should not return the cup as long as you stay there. If you drink your wine slowly, but all the time, you feel almost like you are in a warm party hall. If you still feel cold, you should try feuerzangenbowle (fire tongue punch, a drink made with red wine). This tastes much sweeter, and contains much more alcohol. You will not feel cold any more, but you may end up too drunk to make your way home.

Before leaving the market, it is a good idea to return the cup to get your deposit, though if you collect Christmas mugs, you can take it home with you.

Also it is good chance to organize a casual party because you do not need to think about who you are going to invite, the budget or reserving a table. You can enjoy the open-(cold)air party as long as you can stand the temperature. And you can just break up the party if you are too cold.

As I was writing this article, I began to remember firework festivals and cherry-viewing picnics in Japan, althou gh these events come in spring and summer. When I struggled to walk through night markets at the firework festivals, or when I got only a small ugly place among the cherry trees, with the view of a mountain of rubbish, I thought I would never go there again. But once the season starts, nothing is more exciting than getting to those festivals. Maybe, a mix of cherry blossom parties and firework festivals for Japanese might be a good way of summing up the way Germans feel about their Christmas markets.