Christmas in Japan

Being that Japan as a country is only 1% Christian; Christmas is celebrated differently from heavily Christian and Catholic populated countries. It is still a very special time of the year to visit.

 The winter illuminations and light displays in Japan are extreme! Every city has massive, over the top illuminations for everyone to enjoy!

There are also Christmas events and markets that are dotted through each of the main cities.

KFC. Kentucky. Fried. Chicken. Is THE Christmas meal of choice. An estimated 3.6 million Japanese families get their holiday meal from none other than the Colonel. The demand is so high that people start placing their orders for the special Christmas menu 2 months in advance! The queues on the day are hours long.

Why is KFC so big? Because of very compelling marketing campaigns in the 70’s. The campaigns centered around the party bucket and how it will bring everyone together and get people in the mood to party! Advertising!

The other Christmas treat to have on the day is a Christmas decorated cake! It can be any flavour and can be bought from many stores. The most popular is strawberries and cream on a sponge cake.

Christmas day is not a public holiday and many people will work normal hours during this time.

The season is treated as a romantic holiday instead of a time to spend with family. It is probably considered more romantic than Valentines Day! I can see why with all the spectacular displays. If you don’t have a date and are still young – it’s time to dress up and go partying!

For anyone who finds Christmas difficult for whatever the reason may be; you aren’t alone and many people feel depressed over Christmas and the holiday period. We hope you can set aside some time to take care of yourself.