Ask a Japanese person what Christmas means to them, and they probably won’t mention huge family gatherings, roast turkey or decorating the tree. In fact, the Japanese take on the holiday season is quite different from what we’re used to in the UK. After four years of living in southwestern Japan, I’ve experienced these differences firsthand and want to share how the country celebrates Christmas in its own unique way. I also spoke to my friend and fellow UEA student Yuichi, who is from Tokyo, to hear his thoughts on the season.

Christmas is a relatively new holiday in Japan, only becoming known in the late 19th century when Christian missionaries and Western migrants introduced it during the Meiji era. At the time, Japan was opening its borders after centuries of isolation, and Western customs began to influence urban life. The holiday didn’t really take off until after World War II, when Western media, advertising and popular culture helped spread the idea of a festive winter celebration.

Today, Christmas in Japan feels quite different from its Western counterpart. It isn’t recognised as a national holiday, so most people still go to work or school, and the day passes much like any other. Unlike the much more important O-shōgatsu (New Year), Christmas isn’t viewed as a religious or family-centred event. As my friend Yuichi explained, “It’s difficult to spend the whole day celebrating and eating a huge Christmas meal because of work and school… many people in Japan take Christmas as an opportunity to spend time with someone important to them, as New Year’s is definitely the time when you have to spend time with your family.”

There’s also far less of a build-up to the day itself. Whether you love it or hate it, the excitement in the UK starts just after Halloween and lasts right up until the 25th, filling the air with festive cheer. In Japan, you really don’t get the same palpable sense of festivity, and the celebrations only really last a day. As Yuichi pointed out, in Japan, “Spending just one day on Christmas is a bit intense…It would be great if people could spend a few days with their close friends and partner rather than trying to do everything on the 25th.”

Even though the celebrations are short-lived, the atmosphere is still special. For many, Christmas has become more like a winter-themed Valentine’s Day, with couples spending the evening together enjoying lights, dinners and gifts. Yuichi told me it’s common for “[couples] to book a chic restaurant or a bar lounge for a romantic dinner.” Glittering winter illuminations have also become a staple of the festive season, with parks and shopping districts transformed by colourful light displays that make perfect photo backdrops for young couples.

But the romance has a negative side, as Yuichi explained that Christmas feels “like a trend these days,” centred on “how much you can make it as aesthetic as possible.” There’s even a term for those who spend the day without a partner: kuribocchi, which literally means “lonely Christmas” – an expression that captures how deeply the holiday has become linked with romance, for better or worse. Yuichi remembers, “When I was in high school, all of my friends were desperate to get a girlfriend. As you can imagine, Japanese high school boys were sort of pressuring each other to find a partner.” Still, whether you’re spending it with someone special or flying solo, one thing everyone can agree on is that Christmas needs good food, and in Japan, that means fried chicken.

Say goodbye to roast dinners with all the trimmings, mince pies, and that Christmas pudding no one really likes. Instead, turn your thoughts to Colonel Sanders. The tradition of eating KFC on Christmas began in the 1970s, when a hugely successful marketing campaign convinced families that fried chicken was the perfect festive meal. It caught on so well that some Japanese people still believe it’s a widely practised custom overseas. When I told my Japanese students that other countries don’t eat fried chicken on Christmas, they were shocked, and a few even told me they’d never heard of turkey. As Yuichi pointed out, “eating KFC on Christmas… does make sense when we don’t really eat turkey, and it’s difficult to even find turkey in Japan, so I’m okay with that concept.”

People place their orders for KFC “party boxes” weeks in advance to avoid the long queues on Christmas Eve. These boxes don’t just contain fried chicken but also sides, desserts and sometimes even a bottle of wine, all packaged in limited-edition Christmas designs. They usually cost ¥5,000 (around £25), which is honestly a bargain considering some people here spend hundreds of pounds on the turkey alone.

Once the fried chicken’s gone, there’s only one thing left to look forward to: dessert. Ask any British person what they think of when you say “Christmas cake” and they’ll probably picture something spiced, covered in thick marzipan and full of dried fruit, but in Japan, it’s a whole other story. Instead of heavy fruitcake, it’s all about light, fluffy sponge covered in snow-like whipped cream and topped with fresh strawberries. Known simply as Christmas cake (kurisumasu kēki), it’s sold everywhere in the weeks leading up to the 25th – from fancy bakeries to convenience stores. These light, delicious cakes are an infinitely more palatable contrast to the stodgy, flammable Christmas desserts we have here, and it’s something I desperately wish we’d import. They’re a small part of a much bigger picture that shows how Japan has adapted Christmas to suit its own tastes.

Whether it’s a couple sharing fried chicken under the city lights or a salaryman eating a slice of Christmas cake after a long day at work, Japan’s version of Christmas shows how traditions can evolve to fit a culture’s own rhythm. It may not have the same build-up or religious roots as in the West, but it’s full of warmth, light and love – and that, I think, captures the true spirit of the season.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons and Paris Forsythe-Fields