Xmas in Japan

[thomas]

Christmas in Japan = A night in a love hotel?

Love hotels throw in tarts, beer and balls for XXXmas

=> http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0212/021220xxxmas.html

Related:

The Japan Love Hotel Guide

Japanese Christmas

[lineartube]

Here's a link that a japanese friend sent me. Nothing special, just christmas images in Japan.

Have fun and merry Christmas to all!

http://www.excite.co.jp/season/2002/xmas/spot/

[thomas]

'Tis the season of . . .

However, not all Japanese are so thrilled with this hedonistic hurly-burly. Fed media images of Christmas charity drives and church services in the West, they wonder whether there isn't more to Yuletide than this. [...] On the other hand, there are some Japanese, particularly among older people living in the countryside, who would be just as happy without Christmas altogether. Such types refuse to acknowledge that the imported festivities have now become an integral part of Japanese culture. Christmas, they mutter, is about as Japanese -- and, for that matter, as appealing -- as yak's milk or grilled locusts.

=> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20021222a1.htm

Christmas spirit? Well, as long as you don't drive

=> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20021222tc.htm

Home sweet family Christmas



While many families gather for a feast on Christmas Eve, as neither Dec. 24 or 25 are holidays here, some families, including the Sasakis, may be digging into their Christmas meal this weekend. And whatever else they put on their tables, the special dinner just wouldn't be complete without Kurisumasu keki (Christmas cake) and chicken, which are, according to several surveys, the top two items on Japanese people's Christmas menu.

Unlike the heavy fruitcakes in some other countries, though, Japan's Christmas cakes are typically light sponge cakes covered with whipped cream and decorated with pieces of fruit and ornaments made of sugar. Although cakes like these are often sold in slices, many people favor buying a whole one for Christmas -- typically spending between 2,000 yen and 5,000 yen.

=> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20021222a2.htm

Doesn't Christmas cake have second meaning in Japan?

[Hoyu]

"Home sweet family Christmas" is an excellent article Thomas... Thanks for sharing. Several interesting subjects are mentioned. Although I knew that the Japanese enjoyed a “Christmas Cake” on the holiday, I had no idea that chicken was the main course for the Christmas meal; and it appears that artificial Christmas trees have also caught on in many households. An interesting side note is that I have seen these artificial Christmas trees crop up in Buddhist temples here in the USA too.

Although Santa is considered by most Japanese children as being a mysterious benefactor that comes bearing gifts as they sleep on the night before Christmas, the phenomena of Santa Clause appears to have no religious significance whatsoever. In fact the Christmas holiday seems to have little religious meaning (if any) for the vast majority of Japanese who celebrate it.

This does appear to be a growing trend in the USA as well. Many Christians in my country seem to have completely forgotten the religious meaning of Christmas, and the holiday has become all about gathering with family and friends in order to enjoy the food, the gifts and the football game. As a Buddhist living in the USA... I must tell you that I have no qualms with a secular Christmas. Yet insane consumerism during this season is not something that I would easily condone... if not for the children's joy.

original article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin...l20021222a2.htm

[thomas]

Originally posted by Kakuzen
Many Christians in my country seem to have completely forgotten the religious meaning of Christmas, and the holiday has become all about gathering with family and friends in order to enjoy the food, the gifts and the football game. As a Buddhist living in the USA... I must tell you that I have no qualms with a secular Christmas. Yet insane consumerism during this season is not something that I would easily condone... if not for the children's joy.

I have to agree with you: Christmas has not only lost its religious meaning, but also its magic touch and atmosphere (perhaps I'm just getting old). On the other hand it seems it is no longer the consumerist orgy it used to be, but perhaps that's just a side effect of global recession.

Addendum: "Christmas is all about love"

What does Christmas mean to you?

=> http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content...27&display=all

[den4]

people need to chill out.....or warm up, if you're freezing out there....

probably another look at this one should give people the true meaning of xmas...

http://www.toonedin.com/movies/chipmunk.swf

at any rate, I'll be heading out to J-land for the New Years.....I wonder what's changed in the 6 years I've been away...

[thomas]

Den4, hope you'll send us an occasional report once you're there.

Stars & Stripes reported on Christmas in Japan as well:

Christmas in Japan: A different kind of holiday fun

In Japan, Christmas has evolved into a day of fun, including gift giving and partying. Younger people celebrate Christmas at parties with their friends, or a romantic dinner with their boyfriends and girlfriends. Families with younger children put up Christmas trees and celebrate with dinner, cakes and gifts.

=> http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=12269

Christianity not big part of day for many Japanese

After World War II, Christmas became widely celebrated in hostess bars in areas like downtown Tokyo. Hostesses would give customers party hats and cakes to take home to families as gifts in return for staying out late drinking. Gradually, Christmas became even more popular, celebrated by families during the period of economic expansion. However, Christmas celebrations and partying have calmed compared to during the boom economy of the 1980s and early 1990s. “I will be working. I have no special plans,” said Hiroshi Amagai, a hairdresser. “It is only an event.” According to the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, the number of people celebrating Christmas in Japan declined in the past decade.

=> http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=12264

[den4]

ended up catching the flu over in J-land over the new years.....not fun...
watched a lot of TV and ate some good food, but all in all, only got into Tokyo twice, both times to meet up with some friends, but forgot how nasty some of those smoke filled resutorans and izakayas were.....



maybe next time I'll be able to see and do more.....

one thing of note is that you don't need to go to Tokyo these days to find the same stuff locally...

[Missy]

I really like Xmas in Japan actually .
Its not half as commercial as it is in the USA ,and I dont have to hear Brintey Spears verisons of white xmas or what have you every 2 seconds.
News Years is kind of a drag if you do not have alot of friends or family there tho .
everything closes ,and people do family stuff ~
I was rather lonely, and shopping was no fun .