Celebrating Christmas in Japan

In the United States it is impossible not to know that Christmas season has arrived. It seems that stores and shopping malls begin advertising the Christmas shopping season earlier each year. In my neighborhood Christmas items began showing up on the shelves right after Halloween this year.

For many people Christmas is their favorite holiday. For others the chaos and the commercialism of Christmas is a major downer. For most however the overall feeling of goodwill and celebrations with family and friends make the holiday season cheerful and bright.

In Japan, Christmas only became popularly celebrated in the last few decades. It is not a religious holiday because the majority of Japanese are not Christians. However, the secular Christmas holiday traditions from the United States, such as sending and receiving Christmas presents and Christmas cards have become popular.

In Japan, Christmas is seen as a time to spread happiness with family, friends, and your significant other. One of the very cool things about Japanese Christmas is that Christmas Eve is seen as a romantic holiday for couples! Christmas Eve is often celebrated more than Christmas day, and seems more like Valentine’s day in the United States! Christmas Eve is usually a time for couples to celebrate together, exchange gifts and perhaps go out to a nice dinner together. It’s common to see couples out on Christmas Eve walking at night enjoying Christmas lights and then going to a nice dinner together.

On Christmas day it is more common to spend time with friends and family for a special Christmas dinner of--wait for it-- Kentucky Fried Chicken! Yes, Colonel Sanders is the absolute king of Christmas dinner in Japan.

Christmas day is the biggest sales day of the year for Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan. In fact, they even take orders in advance of Christmas to help people prepare for Christmas dinner. This all came about because of a marketing campaign launched during the 1970s showing families celebrating Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken and exclaiming joyfully, “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!” which means “Kentucky for Christmas!”

Christmas in Japan would also not be complete without a Christmas Cake. This is the traditional Christmas celebration food in Japan (sorry Colonel but the cake was there first!). It is traditionally in the shape of a yuletide log and decorated quite nicely for the season, chocolate frosting textured like bark, pine needles, holly, and frosted sprinkles or whipped cream for snow.

Christmas is not observed as a national holiday in Japan, but schools are closed on Christmas day. Although popular Christmas carols can be heard throughout many of the stores during the Christmas season, there is one classical piece that all Japanese associate with Christmas, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and its final movement the “Ode to Joy” is very popular and is performed throughout Japan during the end of the year.

To wish your sweetheart a Merry Christmas in Japanese is pretty easy. Japanese say, “Meri Kurismasu!” Celebrating Christmas in Japan is happy, joyful and fun. Be sure to take your special Japanese lady out for a romantic dinner on Christmas Eve, enjoy some KFC and a slice of Christmas cake.

Meri Kurismasu!

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