4. ❄Japan has only a very small Christian population, so
Christmas wasn’t traditionally a big festival. However, over the
past few decades, it’s become more and more common to
celebrate Christmas in a uniquely Japanese way. Although
Christmas isn’t a public holiday, many workplaces and schools
close, and families celebrate it together. Whereas you might
mark the occasion with gingerbread cookies or roasted goose in
Europe or the USA, in Japan you’re far more likely to dig into a
bucket of KFC and a strawberry sponge cake on Christmas
Day.
10. ❄ Christmas in Japan is considered a time of good
cheer, but the religious significance of the day isn’t
really considered important. As a result, the
traditions adopted in Japan are quite different than
elsewhere. Like much of the rest of the world,
Christmas is considered a special time for kids who
have parties with their friends and receive gifts and
treats.
11. New Year is the more traditionally important
time in Japan. It’s the time when families come
together to share a special meal. The New Year
break is celebrated over 5 days, running from
December 31st to January 4th.
😂
12. ❄The traditional Christmas dinner in Japan is - as odd as it sounds -
KFC. Families will order buckets of fried chicken to eat together and
it’s the busiest time of year by far at KFC stores. They have extra staff
and accept orders in advance to be able to deal with the demand. As
well as the regular options which are available all year round, there
are lots of premium packages available over Christmas. You can get a
pack with everything you need for Christmas, including food, wine and
cake. All this is thanks to the first ever KFC manager in Japan, who
started promoting ‘Kentucky for Christmas’ in the 1970s. With no
Christmas tradition in existence, it was heartily embraced, and now an
entire generation considers it completely normal to have your
Christmas dinner from a fast food chain.
❄
13. Aside from chicken, there’s a Japanese
tradition of Christmas cake - but not a
fruitcake as you might find elsewhere over
the winter. Instead, the usual cake is a
sponge cake served with cream and
strawberries.
17. Dec 23rd
Dec 24rd Dec 25th Dec 31th
The Emperor’s
birthday
クリスマス・
イブ
(Christmas
Eve)
クリスマス
(Christmas) 大晦日 Ōmisoka
public
holiday
Christmas
eve Christmas
New year’s
eve
20. ❄Gift-giving has certainly become popular over the Christmas period in
Japan. サンタさん (Santa San or Mr. Santa) brings gifts and can be found
in shopping malls and kids’ parties throughout Japan.
❄Although couples usually give each other gifts at Christmas, they’re
unlikely to give presents to anyone else. That’s because お歳暮 (Oseibo) is
the tradition of giving gifts, usually at New Year, so people often hold off a
few days and give their gifts then.
