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November 2024

Cultural Article



Christmas in Japan

By Suzannah Nevas


When I lived in Japan over a decade ago, I recall my State-side parents being surprised to learn that Christmas was celebrated in Japan. “But Christmas is a Christian Holiday,” my mom said. “Aren’t most Japanese people Shinto or Buddhist?” It’s true, according to Pew Research data from 2010, only 1.6% of Japanese people identify as Christian. But for the most part, Christmas is celebrated as a secular holiday in Japan. In fact, I told my mom to think of it as switching between American Christmas and American New Year’s. 


In the U.S., and many countries in the West, Christmas is a family holiday with religious origins and customs. In contrast, New Year’s Eve is not so much a family affair- young people will get dressed up and go out with their friends or romantic partners, perhaps anticipating a romantic midnight countdown kiss. 


In Japan, New Year’s is a holiday when people return to their family homes and visit the local shrine together for the first time in the new year. Christmas, however, is not associated with family or religion, but is instead imbued with connotations and expectations of romance. Christmas Eve in Japan is a bit like Valentine’s Day in the U.S. 


If you find yourself in Japan this Christmas, here are the key elements for celebrating like the locals:



  1. Go on a date- preferable out to a popular urban center. Extra points if your outfits are coordinated or festive themed! Major cities may have European style Christmas markets, and many restaurants will have special menus, or couple set courses for the special day.



  2. Go see an Illumination (holiday light display). These get more elaborate and spectacular each year and often feature special photo-op displays. Here is a list of Japan-Guide.com’s 2024 Illumination locations by city. I personally recommend the Kobe Luminarie which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this winter, though it technically doesn’t begin until well after Christmas is over.


KOBE Luminarie 2007 by 5th Luna (Copyrighted under CC BY-NC 2.0)


  1. Eat Cake. It isn’t Christmas in Japan without a Christmas Cake! Japanese Christmas cake is usually some version of strawberry shortcake- layers of sponge cake, whipped cream and strawberries. Either rolled or round, these beautiful, picturesque cakes tend to be cute and small compared to an American-sized cake- because they’re often meant for serving just 2! Pretty much anywhere that sells cakes will have these but they tend to sell out quickly. Department store patisseries will display their Christmas cake options weeks in advance so you can pre-order if you know where you’ll be.


    Tokyu Department Store 2013 Christmas Cake Catalogue (via this site) 


  2. Exchange gifts. While the exchanging of presents between koibito (lovers) is a far cry from the piles of wrapped boxes in stockings and under living-room Christmas trees in America, many couples do get each other a gift to open together on Christmas Eve. Don’t fret- there will be LOTS of gift ideas on display at every shop you see. 


Now don’t despair if you find yourself single in Japan around Christmas time. First of all- plenty of venues offer singles mixers to try and cash in on all the people not already paired off. Furthermore, pretty much everything listed above can be enjoyed just as much with your friends instead of a lover. 


One Japanese Christmas custom that really doesn’t have anything to do with romance is eating Kentucky-fried chicken! Thanks to an incredibly effective and enduring ad campaign by KFC in the 1970s, a bucket of fried chicken is about as iconic a holiday image in Japan as a Santa hat! In fact- you’ll often find both together!


If you make it to Japan this winter, I hope you will enjoy some of these modern Xmas traditions!



KFC Christmas Advertisement (via this site)



Sources


https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/feature/religious-composition-by-country-2010-2050/


https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2304.html


https://www.feel-kobe.jp/kobe_luminarie/eng/


https://www.jrpass.com/blog/do-people-celebrate-christmas-in-japan


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