In the run up to Christmas, I have been thinking about how different cultures celebrate this event. Unsurprisingly, the culture I’m most interested in is Japanese. Japan has a unique culture compared to the west and, as one might expect, celebrates Christmas in some very different and even unusual ways.
Christmas has not traditionally been celebrated in Japan with Christmas only beginning to be celebrated post World War II. This is down to the fact that Christianity is a minority religion in Japan with only an estimated 3 millions Christians out of a population of 126 million. Because of this, Christmas is celebrated secularly rather than religiously.
It is also worth noting that Christmas is not a national holiday. However, former Emperor of Japan Akihito’s birthday was December 23rd and, as the Emperor’s Birthday is a national holiday in Japan, the timing of both of these events complemented each other.
Interestingly, Christmas Eve is probably more popular than Christmas Day itself. Christmas Eve is viewed as the most romantic night of the year with a strong societal pressure for single people to seek out boyfriends or girlfriends in the lead up to the day. On the day itself, stores sell romantic gifts and restaurants are booked out as couples reserve their meals.
Two foods are heavily associated with Christmas in Japan. The most famous is undoubtedly KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). Back in the 1970s, an incredibly successful marketing campaign with the slogan “Kentucky is Christmas!” cemented this tradition and has become so popular that KFC meals have to be reserved in advance!
The other food heavily associated with Christmas in Japan is cake! To be specific it’s a sponge cake covered in whipped cream and topped with strawberries. There are several theories as to why this food had become so synonymous with Christmas but there can be no doubt as to the popularity of this dish in Japanese Christmas.
These are some of the most popular and well-known differences between Christmas in Japan and in the West. I have no doubt that there are many other traditions in Japan that relate to Christmas that I am unaware of. If you’re aware of a Christmas tradition in Japan that I have not mentioned, don’t hesitate to mention it in the comments below!
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you are thinking of buying anything for Christmas, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk, amazon.com or bookdepository.com for all of your needs!