I wish you have a wonderful Christmas!!
Christmas in Japan is totally different to the Western world. It is not a public holiday here and people just work as usual unless it falls Saturday or Sunday. 25th December is an ordinary day in Japan.
But do we have no Christmas?
The answer is... See the picture below.
Christmas Lights up at a former Primary School
Yes we do have Christmas stuffs, but things are different to the Western countries.
Families with young children celebrate Christmas at their homes until approximately kids finish Primary School. They tend to have chickens and Christmas cakes. Fathers go to KFC, supermarkets and convenience stores to pick up chickens after work. Also cakes are taken home by these fathers. Celebrations are done on Christmas EVE. Kids go to bed on that night hanging Christmas socks by the bed wishing to get presents from Santa while sleeping.
Packs of Chickens Sold at a Hamburger Shop
Trends for couples on Christmas Eve have been dining at top-end restaurants and spending night at hotels, for decades here in Japan. And indeed they exchange Christmas presents.
How we spend Christmas are unlikely big family occasions that Western people do. Instead of Christmas, Japanese people do at New Year.
By the way, you can find mixture of the cultures by seeing below picture.
Christmas Lights up by a Temple
Also on the 23rd, there was a Christmas Parade at the Arcade Shopping Street near Nijo Castle and Nijo Station (JR Sagano Line). Santa Clauses were marching on the street with singing songs. Then I realised one of them from tuning. It was "When the Saints Go Marching in". But I know only lyrics for St Kilda Saints (a Melbourne based Australian Rules Football club) theme song. So I sang the mighty Saints song instead the original one.
The Original One (part of the song):
Oh when the Saints Go Marching in
When the Saints Go Marching in
O Lord, I want to be in that number
When the Saints Go Marching in
St Kilda Football Club Song
Oh when the Saints go marching in
Oh when the Saints go marching in
Oh how I want to be with St Kilda
When the Saints Go Marching in
As bing curious to know, I asked the Santa if they played "When the Saints Go Marching in" or not, but she (a western lady) had no idea...
I hope you had a nice Christmas.
Thank you for reading and Happy holidays.
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