Christmas in Japan

Celebrating the holidays away from home is always a little strange.  I remember my first holiday with Anata’s family.  I was a little overwhelmed with all the new traditions and events.  Even though we are both American, our families had very different ways of celebrating this important holiday.  But it was nothing compared to the strangeness of Christmas time in Japan. 

Japan has embraced many international holidays.  I have written already about my experiences on Halloween.  But their adaptation of Christmas is something very unique and, to be honest, quite funny from an American point of view.  Because Japanese Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with Christ.  It is purely commercial – an excuse to buy and sell.  It is the inevitable end of American Christmas, if Christmas continues on its current capitalist path.  In many ways I find this blatant consumerism refreshing, especially after all the ridiculous stories coming out of America this year about the design of some coffee shop’s cups or the “War on Christmas.”  At least Japanese Christmas is honest with itself about its purpose.

I guess I should explain what Japanese Christmas traditions are a little more.  In Japan, Christmas is a time for children and couples.  Christmas music floats through the air at department stores and malls.  Christmas trees pop up in public areas.  Lights adorn streets and shopping malls.  A few private residences will put up a tree or other decorations, but this is quite rare.  Christmas cheer is pretty much taken care of by retailers and the city.  This is a time for illuminations, like those in Kobe, where the cities dazzle visitors with nighttime light extravaganzas.  Nowhere will you see a nativity scene, or a menorah for that matter, because Christmas in Japan is a secular event.  Many of my students had never heard the word Hanukah or Yule.  But, to be fair, we never talked about Shōgatsu, Japanese New Year, in our Christmas around the world lessons in elementary school.  So even though it is called Christmas by the Japanese people, don’t expect any religious significance.  No more than you would find in any Coca-Cola commercial, anyway.

The main aspects of Christmas that Japan has borrowed are the songs, decorations, and presents.  Because who doesn’t want an excuse for presents!  Japan loves gift giving.  I have written many, many times about how they have turned gift giving into a delicate art form and a social minefield for gaijin.  But unlike America, where there are gifts for coworkers, friends, family, and then presents for the ones you really care about, Japan focuses on gifts between two main groups – children and the person you are dating.  Santa is very popular in Japan.  On the 24^th, he leaves presents on the pillows of all the good boys and girls.  That part is pretty similar.  However, there is not the epic family gift exchange and wrapping paper apocalypse that most Americans know and love. 

If you are over the age of ten, you shouldn’t expect much for Christmas.  Unless you are dating.  In America, Christmas is a time for family, but New Year’s is the time to be with the one you love and want to spend the next year with (or at least the night).  In Japan, Christmas is a time for couples to flaunt their happiness.  There are gifts, special events, and just a whole lot of lovey-dovey things targeted at young couples.  One of my students even asked who I was spending Christmas with, like it was a huge and embarrassing secret.  Not understanding the implication, I said my husband.  It took a little chat with the teacher after class to help me understand the eruption of giggles at my response. 

So what do Japanese people do if they don’t spend Christmas eating turkey and celebrating their chosen religion?  Honestly, nothing.  December 25^th is just a normal day.  The trains run the same as every other day.  The mail gets delivered.  Businesses are open and people go about their regular lives.  I saw a bunch of store employees in reindeer and Santa outfits, but I think any excuse to dress up is welcome in Japan.  Most schools are closed, but only just.  I had work on the 24^th!  The only real difference I have seen is that many families will have a bucket of KFC for dinner followed by a Christmas cake.  That is about it.

As an American, it was strange to watch this very different version of Christmas.  There were some parts I found really amusing, but other parts that made me miss home and my family’s traditions.  I think the biggest thing I missed was being with family.   I was lucky enough to have visitors both years, but it wasn’t the same as spending the holidays with friends and family.  Regardless of your religion, winter celebrations seem to all have this at their heart.  And Japan has its own version of this family and religious centered holiday.  It falls on the 1^st of January.  During the New Year celebration, people spend the days with their family – eating, celebrating, and counting their blessings.  Though the date and trappings may be different, the sentiment is the same.  It is a time to be thankful and surrounded by those you love. 

Spending the holiday season in this amazing country reminds me of how different yet similar we all are.  We all find it necessary to gather together with family and friends at the close of the year.  To count our blessings and express our hopes for the year to come.  It is a time of presents, commercialism, spirituality, merriment, and love.  I will miss KFC, Christmas cake, mochi, and kotatsu next year, but I am excited to celebrating with the foods, traditions, and people I grew up with.  After all, the trappings don’t matter, it is the spirit of the season that spreads through us all.