The holidays can be a pretty depressing time if you are an ex-pat. All of the Christmas traditions that are missed. All of the family and friends that are missed. It can make for a pretty lonely time. For me, my first Christmas in Japan was very different from what I was used to. The dormitory style apartment that I was living in didn't have facilities to cook a Christmas dinner. It barely had the facilities to make instant ramen. What it did have was around twenty other people that were in the same situation.
While December 25th is technically not a holiday in Japan the spirit of Christmas has become more and more visible. Even many years ago when I arrived stores decorated with lights and trees to attract seasonal shoppers. Many companies have end of the year parties near Christmas time and couples see December 25th as the second most romantic day of the year.
A friend back home once asked me about how Japanese people celebrate Christmas. I thought for a minute and then I answered that Christmas in Japan is celebrated in its purest form. She looked confused so I had to explain that Japan celebrated all of the commercialism and none of the religion and they didn't try to. Some people might find this kind of offensive but I don't. Many Christmas celebrating people don't go to church. And if they do they only go on Christmas. Then they spend the day with family, opening presents and eating too much.
In Japan the holiday season is almost the reverse of most western countries. Christmas is for shopping, parties, and dating. New Years is for family and for going to a temple or a shrine.
So for my first Christmas in Japan sitting with family and exchanging presents was not possible. I didn't know where to find a church service to go to. Another once a year tradition ruled out. The other people I lived with were in the same boat. At the time, the only place we could find that had anything that resembled a traditional Christmas meal was the Hard Rock Cafe. The chicken was rubbery, there was no gravy or stuffing but there was alcohol and there was the camaraderie with people who understood what I was feeling. By the end of the night we had sung songs, danced in the street, made the neighbors yell at us and we certainly drank too much. I guess you could say it was a Christmas in its purest form.
