One of the best things about living abroad is the chance to experience the holidays from a different culture. It’s not all good, of course. More often than not, I’ve found that the holidays and traditions I grew up celebrating don’t carry any weight in Japan.
For instance, yesterday I found out that my husband has to work on Christmas. It didn’t come up in conversation before, because he just assumed that I knew most companies in Japan don’t give you Christmas off.
I’ve lived abroad for over five years now (Ghana and Japan) and have picked up a couple tricks from other expats for celebrating the holidays abroad.
1. Compromise
When I was living in Ghana, we weren’t able to find a turkey for Thanksgiving. Now that we’re in Tokyo we can find a turkey, but don’t have access to an oven large enough to cook it.
If you’re living abroad, chances are you won’t be able to find the treats that make your holiday nostalgic. Try not to lose sight of what the holiday is really about, though.
2. Consider celebrating on a different day
This year, I threw a 4th of July BBQ on the 5th of July (Saturday), since most of my friends have work on weekdays. We typically celebrate Thanksgiving the Saturday after Thanksgiving as well. Since my husband has to work on Christmas, we’re going to celebrate the holiday the following weekend, with a romantic getaway.
In the end, a day is just a day. You can celebrate the holiday whenever you want.
3. Reach out to other expats
Depression strikes in full-force around the holidays. If you’ve just switched countries or are otherwise celebrating the holidays alone, consider reaching out to other expats and organizing some sort of party. Everyone can bring their favorite dish. It’s a great way to meet new people and can give you a little slice of home.
4. Keep low expectations and get creative.
You would be surprised by how much of a difference a cheap Christmas tree, some scented candles, and a Youtube playlist of Christmas caroling can make. As long as you remember that you’re in Japan (so of course, it’s going to be a little bit different), you can end up having a rather fun and memorable holiday season.
What about you? Do you have any tips for celebrating the holidays in Japan?
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Dude, I lived in ghana for 5 years an am planning on moving to Japan some day!
matchers
Haha, I like how one of the tips is to lower your expectations!
My husband really hates it because I always say “low expectations are the key to happiness!”
This could wrongly be taken as an indirect insult.
Why not cook the turkey over a grill with a spit? I imagine you could find a grill somewhere and a youtube video on how to do it. Maybe go cook it in a nearby park? Is that legal?
We actually thought about it… but I was worried about the inside being raw. In the end, we were able to find a turkey leg (that actually tasted pretty good) for Christmas at a nearby supermarket.
I don’t think it’s legal to grill at a public park, though.