Many of my junior high students are surprised to hear that Christmas is such a major holiday in most of the western world. In Japan, New Year’s Day is considered the most important holiday of the year. The Japanese recognize Christmas, but it’s mostly just a nice day for couples to be together and exchange a present or two.
The more I talked about Christmas with my students, the more I was learned about the many differences between American and Japan when it comes to theses two major holidays.
Below you’ll find a few of these differences and I hope it shows you how differently Americans see the world from other countries.
| Christmas |
| U.S.A. | Japan |
| National holiday spent with family and friends. | Normal day where adults work and some students go to school. |
| Presents exchanged with family and friends. Children sometimes get up to 10-15 presents. | Presents received from parents, but usually 1 present per child. Couples will often get presents for each other as well. |
| Families have a large Christmas dinner with turkey, ham, or other traditional foods. | Families often eat chicken from KFC along with rolls and salad. Other families eat a nice meal, but more of an average Japanese meal. |
| Families often make Christmas cookies or they eat other special treats. | Families eat a Christmas cake. |
| A majority of households decorate houses with lights as well as a 6 foot Christmas tree. | Almost no Christmas lights are seen, while some families have a small Christmas tree that is about a foot tall. |
| Many families listen to Christmas music throughout the month of December to get in the holiday spirit. | To promote the holiday, many Japanese stores also play English Christmas songs. |
| Many families go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. | No religious or spiritual activities occur. |
| Many adults write and send Christmas cards for friends and family with a small note and a picture of the family or children included. | No special cards are sent on this day. |
| Conclusion: The biggest holiday of the year where family and friends exchange presents and spend time together. | Conclusion: A normal day where children receive one present and families enjoy a nice dinner and Christmas cake. |
| New Year’s Day |
| U.S.A. | Japan |
| A national holiday often spent relaxing or watching college football with friends or family. | The biggest day of the year in Japan spent with family. Many businesses shut down for a couple days. |
| No religious or spiritual activities occur on New Years. | Families visit shrines or temples to welcome in the new year. |
| No cards are written. | New Years cards are written and delivered to many friends and family wishing a happy new year. |
| No special cleaning is done. | Families spend a day or two cleaning their house in preparation for a new year and a fresh start. |
| Sometimes a large meal will be shared by family, but nothing too special. | Many special Japanese dishes are served to celebrate the holiday. |
| No presents are exchanged. | Children receive money or presents from parents. |
| Conclusion: An enjoyable and relaxing day off spent with family. | Conclusion: The holiday of holidays. The most important day of the year. |
Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
Be sure to check back on Tuesday because Foreigner’s Finances will be hosting the Festival of Frugality!
See ya then!
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Photo by w00kie
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“Almost no Christmas lights are seen”, really? You should come to Tochigi then where even private houses are wrapped in lights (wouldn’t want to see those electric bills, let me tell you!).
And “1 present per child”, really? I guess kids in my husband’s family (and all the other J kids I know here) are really spoiled then. ;) Yes, it might be 1 present per child, meaning you buy one present per each child (and not like in the US where a kid might get more than 1 gift from the same person).
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Austin Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Yeah, I’ve seen maybe 3 houses decorate with Christmas lights. That’s a pretty poor percentage.
One of my teachers said that every students gets 1 present so I don’t have any hard data but that’s what it appears to be over here in Fukui.
Hope you had a good holiday!
[Reply]
When I move to Japan for work next year I am going to put loads of Christmas decorations up on the house and a huge tree and send cards to everyone I know, yeah!
James in UK
[Reply]
Austin Reply:
December 30th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Awesome! What will you be doing in Japan and where are you moving?
Thanks for the comment!
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