As the holiday season grows ever closer, Americans are once again treated to the traditions of drinking eggnog, holiday shopping, and watching classic Christmas movies. However, cultures across the world will inevitably celebrate their respective holidays differently and I believe that Japan’s adaptation of the Christmas holiday is one of the most interesting.
Christianity
We can’t analyze Christmas without discussing its religious origin. Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The popularity of Christmas in America makes general sense. Most Americans who identify with a religion do so with one that falls under the umbrella of Christianity.¹ In addition, the holiday is celebrated both religiously and secularly. This means many who celebrate Christmas don’t necessarily follow Christianity or celebrate the religious aspects of the holiday.
In Japan, the major religious viewpoints consist primarily of Buddhism and Shinto, though most Japanese people will not identify as religious. That said, about one percent of the Japanese population identifies as Christian.² Despite this, the holiday of Christmas has an undeniable presence in modern Japan during the months of November and December. Part of this is due to Japan’s adoption of various aspects of American culture that started in the 1950s.³ Christmas was one of the influences that made its way into Japanese culture.⁴ The holiday is not celebrated for its roots in Christianity and has most of its religious attributes stripped from its depiction. Not unlike America, commercialism has a lot at play in this case.
Food
The elephant in the room when discussing Christmas in Japan is the flagship meal of choice to celebrate the holiday. Yes, it is true that Kentucky Fried Chicken is a popular Christmas dinner in Japan. For those not in the know, allow me to explain.
In the early 1970s, KFC made the leap to selling the 11 herbs and spices in Japan. Shortly after this, a foreign customer visited one of their fine establishments in Tokyo on Christmas, lamenting that they couldn’t find turkey in Japan, so KFC would have to do. Apparently, a KFC Japan Sales team member overheard this exchange and used it as inspiration for a Christmas campaign that launched in 1974.⁵
クリスマスにわケンタキー。Translated as “Kentucky for Christmas,” the campaign was a success and embedded itself into popular culture as a staple of Japanese Christmas.
Now, KFC Japan didn’t just put out an eight-piece bucket meal and call it a day. There are several options to choose from their holiday menu. In 2020, one of the premium options was a whole roast chicken at ¥5,600 (about $56), while ¥4,000 (about $40) can get you eight pieces of fried chicken, a triple-berry tiramisu, and a shrimp gratin.⁶ The side options and bucket’s design change every year. Reservations for the festive feast may begin as early as late October.⁵ And with that, add KFC to the list of businesses that perform significantly better in Japan than in their country of origin. Right next to 7-Eleven.
Not talked about as much is Japanese Christmas Cake. Typically, this is a small red and white cake, sometimes reminiscent of the Japanese flag.⁷ This cake is one of the flagship meals of Japanese Christmas, though it liked to hide in the shadow of KFC during my research.
Music
When you think of Christmas music, there’s usually a wide spread of songs you can pick from. In 2022, it’s not unthinkable to hear Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas” from 1957 played alongside Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” from 1994. Being able to make an impactful holiday album can immortalize an artist in culture since these songs are played every year, preserving their relevance. In addition, I would say most Christmas songs are upbeat and joyful. Not all of them, obviously, as there are a fair share of songs about being apart during the holidays, but I would say it’s a prominent aspect of the genre.
That said, “Last Christmas” by Wham! is the face (voice?) of Christmas music in Japan. It’s not the only song, but it seems to be exceptionally common from what I can tell. It’s quite interesting to compare the melancholy lyrics and synthesized instruments with the happy-go-lucky lyrics and ringing bells of typical Christmas music. I have nothing against it, I just find it an interesting aspect of the holiday.
Timing
In America, the general rule of thumb is that the Christmas season starts as soon as Thanksgiving ends and lasts until the 25th of December. This is not a hard rule, as some begin celebrating as early as November 1, and Christmas decorations are often still up come New Year’s Day.
Compare this with Japan, where all decorations are practically gone by the morning of December 26th. It’s a bit jarring to imagine. For me, the week between Christmas and New Year’s has always been a weird limbo period between two large celebrations. I felt that a large part of New Year’s Eve’s identity is the leftover Christmas decorations. But I suppose discussing the Japanese tradition of celebrating the New Year is a Pondering for another day.
The Day Itself
When talking about Christmas Day in the States, it is often understood that December 25th is being referred to. However, this isn’t necessarily the case in Japan. There, the date referred to by “Christmas” is often December 24th.⁸ This is by no means exclusive to Japan, as many European countries also celebrate Christmas Eve as the main event.
In addition, Christmas is much more of a couple’s holiday in Japan, akin to Valentine’s Day, whereas it is much more family-orientated in the States. In this regard, it sheds a bit of light as to why aspects like the music and deeper meaning of the holiday have been altered so drastically. Like Valentine’s Day in America, Japan does not recognize Christmas as a national holiday. While the workday prevails, many schools will close on Christmas Day.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Christmas is a holiday that has shown the ability to transcend religion and culture. Japan’s celebration of the holiday is just one of many, but there is one common thread between all of them, and that’s bringing people together and celebrating. Whether there’s a roast turkey or a bucket of KFC on the dinner table, I think that’s a very good thing. Regardless of what you celebrate and how you celebrate it, I wish you all happy holidays.
メリークリスマス！
Citations and Notes
¹ Pew Research Center. (2021, January 12). Recent phone surveys, web/paper surveys produce similar estimates of religious composition of U.S. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/01/14/measuring-religion-in-pew-research-centers-american-trends-panel/pf_01-14-21_npors-00-0/
² DeHart, J. (2020). Background: People and culture. In Moon Japan: Plan your trip, avoid the crowds, and experience the real Japan (pp. 742-744). Moon Travel.
³ Robinson, K. (2014, July 10). Why does Japan love mid-century America so much? Heddels. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://www.heddels.com/2014/07/japan-love-mid-century-america-much/
⁴ Konagaya, H. (2001). The Christmas cake: A Japanese tradition of American prosperity. The Journal of Popular Culture, 34(4), 121-136. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3840.2001.3404_121.x
⁵ C, T. (2020, December 5). How “Kentucky for Christmas” began in Japan. KFC. https://global.kfc.com/stories/how-kentucky-for-christmas-began-in-japan/
⁶ Broad, C. (2020, December 30). Why I Avoid CHRISTMAS in Japan [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Pp6ggz_uwWE?t=519
⁷ Finn, C. (2019, December 24). The history of Christmas in Japan: A timeline. Tokyo Cheapo. https://tokyocheapo.com/travel/holidays/christmas-japan-timeline/
⁸ Korteman, J. (2020, December 19). A Japanese Christmas: How Christmas in Japan is unlike anywhere else. Notes of Nomads. https://notesofnomads.com/christmas-japan/