30 CURIOSITIES ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN JAPAN

Christmas, a Christian celebration, was an almost unknown holiday for the Japanese until the Second World War , when following the influence of Western countries, festive occasions began to spread here too which led it to be an integral part of the Japanese culture .

A child in front of a window set up for Christmas © Clèmentine

We have found for you some peculiarities that characterize Christmas in Japan:

1. December 25th : Christmas in Japan is not a national holiday, therefore December 25th, like Christmas Eve, is a weekday like any other: adults go to work and children go to school.
2. The Eve : In Japan, December 24th is celebrated as a double Valentine's Day: couples in love are in fact the protagonists of this Japanese "Eve".
3. Tokyo Tower : One of the most popular romantic destinations on Christmas Eve: the Tokyo Tower is the meeting place for all those couples in love who want to swear eternal love. Tradition dictates that a ribbon is tied around the tree of love, the Christmas tree located in the most panoramic point of the tower.
4. Omikuji : Couples in love often go to temples or shrines to extract an omikuji, a sort of written oracle, to know their future.
5. Christmas for those who are single : Not only lovers celebrate, but also those who don't have a partner. It is usual to organize Christmas parties in discos, go bowling or karaoke with friends: Goukon is also famous, a kind of blind date, but in a group, for those who hope to find a soul mate with whom to spend the Christmas.

An illustrated Christmas card © Hallmark

6. Christmas cake : Christmas Cake is a dessert that can also be found throughout the rest of the year: sponge cake, whipped cream and strawberries are in fact the main ingredients. What makes it Christmassy are the decorations depicting Santa Claus, snowmen and hollies.
7. The history of Christmas cake : The traditional strawberry cake spread rapidly after the Second World War, becoming a symbol of rebirth for Japan. The colors of this cake, which are the same as the Japanese flag, are considered auspicious.
8. Being compared to a Christmas Cake : Among the various Japanese customs, it is customary on December 26th to discount Christmas cakes that have remained unsold due to excessive production. Kurisumasu Ke-ki or Christmas Cake is also a term that is used as a metaphorical nickname for women over 25 who have not yet married.
9. Christmas Wagashi : Wagashi are a very common dessert in Japan and normally come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. For the Christmas period they become real artistic compositions depicting the most common Christmas objects and characters. There are only three basic ingredients: rice flour, adzuki beans and sugar.
10. Japanese Santa Claus : Santa Claus also exists in Japan, but he does not have the same exact value as in the West. It is called Santa-san, where San stands for lord and Santa recalls the name Santa Claus, as he is called by the Americans and from whom this holiday was imported.

The Christmas Forest in Shinjuku © Flick @docchewbacca

11. The monk Hotei-osho : Known as the "Happy Buddha", in Japanese culture Hotei-osho vaguely resembles the figure of Santa Claus. He is a deity of luck, which is why he is always depicted with a bag full of objects and gifts. Children are told that Hotei-osho also has eyes on the back of his head, to encourage them to behave well in exchange for some gifts.
12. Letters for Lapland : A singular curiosity linked to Japan is that it is the country with the most letters sent to Santa Claus: the myth of Santa Claus (Santa-san) sparks the imagination of all the children of the world.
13. The exchange of gifts : In the Land of the Rising Sun it is naturally not customary for Santa Claus to bring the gifts: the gifts are exchanged by hand from person to person and are mostly aimed at children and their significant other.
14. Greeting cards : Although it is not customary to exchange gifts between friends and family, the Japanese, as true fanatics, do not give up on giving each other greeting cards: from the most classic with Santa Claus and reindeer to the most popular such as three-dimensional cards.
15. Oseibo : For Christmas it is still possible to receive an Oseibo as a gift: it is a low-cost gift, which usually concerns food or household products, to which the price tag is left attached to discourage the recipient from reciprocating the gesture.

One of Tokyo's parks lit up for Christmas © @youinjapan

16. The Great Santa Run : Despite everything, the figure of Santa Claus appears almost everywhere: in sweets, in greeting cards, in shops, in TV programmes. The Great Santa Run even takes place in the city of Osaka: a charity race where those who participate are dressed up as Santa Claus.
17. Fukubukuro : Among the modern Christmas traditions there is the nice custom of fukubukuro: an envelope containing surprise gifts sold by shopkeepers and having a lower cost in relation to the value of each product sold.
18. The first Christmas tree : The first documented Christmas tree in Japan dates back to 1910 and was initially decorated with typical Japanese details such as origami, paper lanterns and small decorative fans.
19. Homemade Christmas trees : In Japanese homes, bonsai and miniature decorative plants decorated with lights and festoons are common. This is because the interiors of homes do not offer adequate space for a possible tree. Christmas trees, from classic to more modern ones, are in fact placed in outdoor spaces.
20. Fried chicken by tradition : During the Christmas period since the 70s it has been traditional to consume fried chicken from KFC, a well-known American fast-food chain. This curious custom is due to the fact that chicken is seen by the Japanese as the cheapest solution to turkey, a typical American dish on this occasion.

Falling in love in Japan during the Christmas period © Pakutaso

21. Japanese mulled wine : Amazake is a hot drink typical of the period between Christmas and New Year, very similar to mulled wine. It is a young sake, albeit non-alcoholic, unfiltered and obtained from the fermentation of rice.
22. Yuzu : Yuzu is a citrus plant, very similar to a lemon, which bears fruit between November and January: during the Christmas period it can be found in many foods and drinks, such as pasta, desserts, teas and liqueurs . It is also traditional to let the peel of the fruit dry and use it for a hot bath: this is thought to help purify and prevent evils.
23. Roppongi Hills : Although they are not a very oriental custom, you can find many Christmas markets around Japan. The most renowned are those in Roppongi Hills, an urban complex in Tokyo, where from the end of November to December 25th there are stalls in complete European style.
24. Christmas markets : The typical Japanese Christmas markets are often found near temples and are generally food-related: the stalls are full of sweet and savory dishes of all kinds, from hot chocolate to tripe soup, including grilled cuttlefish and caramelized apples .
25. Theme parks : During the Christmas holidays, theme parks usually attract many tourists and visitors and are a favorite destination for families, groups of friends, but also couples: the Christmas parade organized in Tokyo Disneyland is among the best known and most awaited since public.

Ropponji Hills in December © Wiennat M via Shutterstock

26. Christmas Carols : Music certainly couldn't be missing for the right Christmas atmosphere: in addition to the commercial songs that everyone knows, in Japan Beethoven's Ode to Joy is a real Christmas carol.
27. Illuminations : As regards the Christmas lights, several areas stand out including that of Odaiba, in which there is the Yakei: a 200 meter avenue dotted with 40 trees illuminated at 20 meters each.
28. Typical Japanese decorations : Japan wouldn't be Japan without anime characters. In addition to the amazing lights that illuminate the streets and avenues, the more particular and atypical ones do not go unnoticed: in the streets you can in fact find large-scale representations of protagonists of famous manga such as Pikachu or Hello Kitty.
29. Commemorative illuminations : The city of Kobe, among its illuminations, includes those commemorating the 1995 earthquake, which attract hundreds of thousands of people every year.
30. The Jewel of Shonan : Every year on the island of Enoshima, lights and decorations are set up in the Samuel Cocking Garden, a botanical garden in the center of the island. This famous Christmas lighting is called "Jewel of Shonan" and completely covers the garden with thousands and thousands of colored LED lights.

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