Celebrating Christmas in Japan for the first time? You’ll soon come to find that there are several key differences between how Christmas is celebrated in Japan versus back home. Though it takes some getting used to, the differences in holiday tradition give you more insight into Japanese culture and something new to look forward to. In this post, we go through what it’s like to celebrate Christmas in Japan.
1. Business as Usual
Photo: iStock/ recep-bgChristmas is considered a regular working day here in Japan. All stores and offices operate just like they would on any other day. Since Christmas Day is not counted as a national holiday in Japan, you’ll likely have to take it off as part of your annual leave, depending on your company’s policy.
2. A Holiday for Couples
Photo: iStock/yumehanaIn Japan, Christmas is a time for friends and couples to throw parties, go out for dinner and celebrate. In contrast, New Year’s is when families come together, visit a temple, and usher in the beginning of January with food and drink at the family home.
If you don’t have a date on Christmas Eve, you won’t want to venture anywhere public. In fact, Christmas Eve in Japan is the most romantic night of the year – kind of equivalent to Valentine’s Day. All of the restaurants and hotels are booked, all of the stores are selling lovers’ Christmas gifts and all of the streets are overrun with sickly sweet displays of affection.
3. Christmas Food
Photo: iStock/ NyantananCan’t celebrate Christmas in Japan without seasonal favorites to fill up on. Aside from fried chicken and cake, you can basically fill your dinner table with anything you want. Tons of other Japanese fast-food chains offer limited-time menu items that are worth exploring.
KFC
If you’re wondering what to have for Christmas Eve dinner, then there really is only one place to go: Kentucky Fried Chicken. The story goes that after observing a group of foreigners opting for KFC at Christmas time in the absence of the traditional turkey, one of the KFC executives decided to launch an aggressive marketing campaign centered around Christmas. In December of 1974, the Kentucky for Christmas campaign proved to be a massive success.
Today, it is a core part of the Christmas tradition here in Japan. It’s so popular that you have to place your order more than a month in advance for some items on the Christmas menu and/or face a six-hour queue on the actual day.
Christmas Cakes
Have you ever heard of a Christmas cake? Like the name suggests, this tradition started in the 1950s when Fujiya, a well-known patisserie, began selling its strawberry shortcakes during the Christmas season. The cake is best identified by its combination of red and white color scheme. Nowadays, bakeries, patisseries and even convenience stores all over Japan start taking Christmas cake reservations as early as December 1. Not a fan of strawberries? Try out some alternatives that also go on sale like buche-de-Noel (Christmas log cake) or panettone (Christmas sweet bread).
4. Illuminations
Photo: iStock/ 7maruJapanese shopping malls, restaurants and other public areas also get the Christmas bug. And when it comes to over-the-top expressions of festive joy, nobody does it better than Japan. The whole country goes mad for “illuminations” or seasonal Christmas light-up events. These light-up events can range from small street decorations to spectacular audiovisual and projection-mapping extravaganzas. Plenty of these events take place all over the country from late November until Valentine’s Day and beyond.
5. No Religious Undertones
Since most of the Japanese population primarily practices Shintoism or Buddhism, Christmas isn’t as closely regarded as a religious tradition as it is in the West. The focus of this holiday lies more in the social aspect than in a religious celebration. Hence, it’s more like a secular holiday.
All in all, celebrating Christmas in Japan is a great way to learn more about Japanese traditions and customs. Whether you’re spending it just like how you would back home or incorporating some Japanese elements, it’s all about spending it with those closest to you.
How do you go about celebrating Christmas in Japan? Let us know in the comments! Happy holidays!
This post was originally written by Liam Carrigan in 2018.
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This is a great overview of Xmas in Nippon. Well done. That said, I don’t know where the photo of the smiling people came from, but if walked into a party and saw those kind of smiles, I’d spin on my heels and run for the hills.
Christmas in Japan is N.America’s version of New Year’s and Japan’s New Year’s is N. America’s version of Christmas.
The simplest way to describe each holiday in Japan.
the romantic Christmas eve thing started from a song by Yumi Matsutoya…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilfs0naUvPE
So many traditions of Japan have such historical links like KFC, chocolate at Valentines and romantic Christmas Eve!
After living in Japan for 30+ years, I still find Christmas in Japan one of the most depressing times of year because Japanese just don’t get Christmas the way people in the West do. They try, I will give them that, but they never quite succeed. They always seem to make it into a Japanese version of the “real thing.” Fortunately for me, the end of the year also tends to be busy for my work, so I try not to dwell on Christmas beyond the special time I am able to spend with my immediate family.