Why do the Japanese recognize Christmas on 12/24 instead of 12/25?

Christmas Day is on December 25th. As an American Expat in Japan, I found this holiday familiar on the one hand since every shopping center was decorated to the hilt as it would be back in the US, but on the other hand, felt awkward when I started looking into Christmas in Japan and realized that it was a romantic day for sweethearts on Christmas Eve, the day that my family and I would be worshiping at church for the peak of the Christian season. Also, hearing Wham's "Last Christmas" playing in every store and sung by Japanese musicians was a bit too much George Michael for me too. Furthermore, Japanese Christians are few and far between unlike what you may find in larger numbers in nearby South Korea. As a result, in Japan, Jesus Christ's birthday of 12/25 is nothing more than another day where busy Japanese salarymen are off scurrying around like they did on 12/24 and will do on 12/26. Also, all those Christmas decorations are taken down on 12/25.

Even the retail outlets in Japan have no dog in the fight when it comes to Christmas but in the US, this sector is expected to have their lion's share of its annual sales take place for Christmas. In Japan, when it comes to Christmas, if you are single and dating someone, you basically take you sweetheart out to a fancy restaurant, maybe exchange a small gift, and visit the love hotel. Love hotel bookings are at capacity on 12/24. The Japanese have adopted some Western traditions at Christmas such as eating Christmas Cake, something I learned of when I lived in Japan since this is big in the UK. In the US, eating turkey the 4th Thursday of November for Thanksgiving is big, but nearly a month later, the Christmas dinner is pretty much up for grabs in the US with the possibilities of a repeat of turkey, hams, steaks, etc. However, KFC in Japan sell buckets of chicken to the point that lines are out the door and around the corner on 12/24.

In recent times, the Japanese children want to meet Santa who is usually the bigger Caucasian in the area. I've done this several times and had to always remind myself to not speak Japanese since Santa isn't to know any Japanese.

So, now you know why Christmas in Japan is celebrated on 12/24 instead of 12/25. If you weren't a Christian, you wouldn't celebrate Christmas on the correct day either. Thankfully, it is celebrated for those Christians living in Japan, but not like the way that you are use to back home. Often, I would travel to a Lutheran church in Tokyo on Sundays and would receive a sermon from another American like I would in the US. So, the possibility of worshiping as it is intended if available in Japan as "Christ is the reason for the season" and if Christ is taken out of "Christmas" then there wouldn't be Christmas.

Out of the all the Christmases in Japan, I worshipped the way I would in the US the first year and hated it so the next year, I returned to the US. The following year, I traveled to Okinawa. Way back when, when I was in Japan the first time, I did Christmas the way the Japanese did and got lucky in the front seat of my girlfriend's Nissan, a good ol' Japanese gal from Yokohama. I'd have to rate the trip to Okinawa as the best Christmas in Japan and wonder why more people don't travel for the sake of traveling during the Christmas holidays.

In the end, if you are a Christian living in Japan, remember that you live there to follow their way not the other way around. That's what living overseas is all about. Adapting and adjusting to the the local culture and its interpretation of global holidays such as Christmas.

The Divine Wind Vault

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