Christmas in Japan

Christmas in Japan is a little confusing. This is largely to blame by the fact that a Christian holiday is being celebrated in a country which is more than 99% non-Christian. They have adopted some secular traditions, like Santa and Rudolph, but if you look around it quickly becomes clear that Christmas revolves almost entirely around consumerism. It is said to be a night for couples to go out for an expensive meal, for children to get an expensive gift on Christmas morning, for specialty Christmas foods at restaurants, and special sales at stores. I am not saying that it isn’t as bad or worse in America, but there is a Jesus sized hole in Japan’s festivities. There are no songs being sung about Jesus, no special church services, no family gatherings, no Christian organizations gathering food and toys for the poor, no baby Jesus, no Christmas story, nothing.

Real Christmas trees at IKEA

Growing up I always enjoyed the secular celebration of Christmas. Every year we read the story of St. Nicholas, watched Charlie Brown, Frosty, and Rudolph, left cookies for Santa, and eagerly awaited his arrival on Christmas Eve night. I have always enjoyed making Christmas cookies and treats with my aunt and buying gifts for needy children with my mom. I will never forget the year that my family chose the poorest tree on the lot because it needed a little love. Christmas isn’t Christmas without Dirty Santa (white elephant gift exchange), eggnog, and “White Christmas.” This year I was very nostalgic for the Christmas that I have always known.

So, how does Japan celebrate? Could it really be so different? For starters, they dress up Kentucky Grandpa like Santa and eat fried chicken and Christmas cake. Oh? You thought his name was Colonel Sanders. Not in Japan!

Every store has something special for Christmas which is really fun. It is hard to resist all of the Christmas treats.

We shopped for a Christmas card for the groundskeeper at my school who fixed my bicycle when I got a flat tire. One series of cards featured multiple tiny Santas touring Japan. It was sad to me that baby Jesus wasn’t the star of the Christmas card show. This card almost got it right.

There are plenty of traditional Christmas decorations. I saw poinsettias and holly branches at the grocery store. There are many places in Japan that you can see what they call illuminations and we call Christmas lights. Snowmen, Rudolph, and Mickey Mouse light up figures are available at the hardware store. They sell trees, both real and fake, at IKEA, hot wine, and gingerbread houses.  Ben and I bought our tree at IKEA and sprayed fake snow on our windows.

This Christmas wasn’t the same without our family. Christmas in Japan can be a sad time for foreigners, but we enjoyed a Christmas party with friends. And the amazing part about Christmas without reminders of what Christmas is all about, is that you think about it all the more. We hope everyone had a merry Christmas wherever in the world you were!