It might come to a shock to many but Japanese do celebrate Christmas like much of the world. Unlike much of the world Japan’s Christian population stands at an estimated 1% much smaller when compared to countries such as America and Australia. So why would Christmas be celebrated and so well known in a country such as Japan? Simple Japanese Christmas is unique, while the traditional gift giving is still intact, parents giving children or relatives gifts Christmas is seen more as a romance holiday.
Just like in the west Christmas takes place on December 25th , tree’s and lights are being set up by an increasing number of Japanese. A “Christmas Cake” is bought on Christmas Eve and eaten by the family in celebration. Christmas is very popular among couples due to much of the hype of romanticism by the Japanese media so dating or going out on Christmas Eve is very common for couples.
Hours of Operation for shops
Christmas may be gaining traction in Japan as a holiday but currently it is not. So shops will remain open their normal hours.
Japanese language tips; if you want to say merry Christmas in Japanese, just say merry Christmas the pronunciation is the same.