Exploring Japanese Christmas Traditions

Although Christmas has only been celebrated in Japan for the last few decades, many of the classic traditions of sending Christmas cards and gifts are now commonly seen all around the country. The Japanese see Christmas as a time for friends and families to come together and spread happiness.

It is common for co-workers, friends and relatives to give gifts during this period, as well as during the month of June; these gifts are called Ochugen and Oseibo and tend to be items such as alcohol, food or other Japanese gifts and hampers.

Discover more of Japan's interesting Christmas traditions below!

Santa or Hoteiosho?

The Japanese alternative to Santa Claus is Hoteiosho; he’s a Buddhist monk with a very jolly and happy personality. Often images of Hoteiosho will be placed around the house for decoration, and to remind the children that he is always watching to see if they’re being good!

Stories relating to this jolly gift giver often say that he is all-seeing, as he has eyes in the back of his head. He delivers the gifts to each child between the 24 December and 4 January, rather than all in one night like Santa Claus.

Christmas Eve: A Japanese Romantic Holiday

Christmas Eve is a romantic day for couples in Japan, and this is often when they exchange presents and spend quality time together in a similar way to how we celebrate Valentine’s Day in the UK.

Christmas Eve allows young couples to enjoy each other’s company and some peace and quiet before the busy schedule of Christmas and New Year events fully commences.

Commonly, couples will embark on a long walk to see the Christmas lights, followed by a romantic restaurant meal. It is notoriously difficult to get a table booking on Christmas Eve in Japan for this very reason!

Christmas Day

In Japan, Christmas Day is not a national holiday; often businesses will remain open as usual, and sometimes even schools. The school term tends to finish between the 23 and 26 December, just in time for the New Year’s celebrations to begin. However, on the evening of 25 December, there are often parties held for the children which will involve dancing, playing games and eating the Japanese alternative to a Christmas cake!

"Merii Kurisumasu!"

In Japan, many people will say "Merii Kurisumasu" (spelt めりーくりすます) to celebrate Christmas Day. This is an example of an English loanword, something common across Japanese culture. As Christmas is a foreign celebration, Japanese people use the same "Merry Christmas" greeting that we do in the West.

KFC on Christmas Day

Now, this is possibly one of the most unusual Christmas traditions to be found all over the world, but often, people in Japan will enjoy a meal of KFC in place of a traditional Christmas dinner!

The trend for this started back in 1974, when a marketing campaign called ‘Kentucky for Christmas’ took the country by storm, making fried chicken a staple dish for the big day. As this has long been a tradition, you can now often pre-book your Christmas KFC order days or even weeks in advance!

Japanese Christmas Cake

In Japan, a traditional Christmas cake is quite unlike the heavy fruitcake enjoyed elsewhere. Instead, it is a light and fluffy sponge, decorated with fruits such as strawberries and plenty of whipped cream.

These Japanese Christmas cakes can come in many shapes, and will often also be topped with decorative pieces such as figures of Hoteiosho, gifts, Christmas trees and other festive elements!

Japanese New Year

New Year celebrations typically last five days, usually spanning from December 31 until January 4. This is the time when families come together for quality time with one another, with many relatives travelling from afar to see in the New Year as a group.

The host family will prepare a special meal, gifts will be given, and songs will be sung. This is seen as a replacement for the lack of celebrations on Christmas Day itself.

If you are interested in finding out more about how Christmas is celebrated in Asia, then check out our guides to Chinese Christmas traditions and Thai Christmas traditions!