Facts About Christmas In Japan
The holiday season in japan seems to be celebrated the exact opposite way as it is in western countries.
Facts about christmas in japan. From what christmas carols are sung in japan to food and other practices foreigners might be surprised at what they ll find in japan over the christmas season. Japan fun facts about christmas are plenty. Numbers of illumination events are held across japan and you should definitely visit them as many as you can. Christmas in japan is a special time for couples just like valentine s day.
Inspite of this christmas is a popular festival. Some of illumination events are available till christmas while many of them run after new year. America s tallest living christmas tree is in coeur d alene idaho standing 161 foot tall with a 10 foot tall star on top. In fact christmas eve is a more important time for couples than christmas day.
Restaurants are booked to capacity and shopping malls are draped in beautiful festive lights as couples wine dine and take romantic strolls before ending up at a nice hotel for the night. There is a relatively small percentage of christians in japan but there are a slew of holiday customs. Christmas in japan tradition and facts. The celebration of christmas in japan is quite different from western countries like us and australia in which the population has a large percentage of christians.
Couples usually have a romantic date on christmas eve. Christmas in japan is an entertaining celebratory time of year. Another popular activity at christmas in japan especially in tokyo is visiting tokyo disneyland which opened in 1983 and seeing all the decorations and the parades. Tokyo winter illumination guide.
In summary christmas is more of a commercial event than a religious holiday in japan. In japan christmas is the time for friends and couples to have parties make plans to meet up for dinner and celebrate as much as they can and new year is the time of the year when all members of the family come together visit the temple and usher in january 1st. Scotland prohibited the christmas custom in 1640 until its legalization as a holiday in 1958. The major religions in japan are buddhism and shinto and the estimated population of christians is only of 1.
The largest floating christmas tree hails from rio de janeiro brazil where it stands tall at 278 ft. The idea of celebrating christmas took hold in japan during the 1950s a period of renewal and reconstruction. Since there are rare christians in the nation none of the spiritual connotations related with christmas were carried over from the west and it isn t a public holiday. While the traditional western christmas revolves around family in japan it s more about cozying up with your significant other.
Additionally according to hideyo konagaya in a christmas stripped of its religious meaning the cake was still seen as a moment of celebration a dish to be shared together with the family in a convivial and joyous moment. Christmas day in japan.