皆さん, こんにちは! Minasan, konnichiwa! Hello everyone! 🌸
Christmas is just around the corner. Just like in Germany, the preparations are made early and after Halloween, the Christmas decorations are unpacked and the streets are equipped with fairy lights, garlands, and Christmas trees and you can hear Christmas songs from everywhere. 🎶
However, the festive day looks a little different here than we celebrate it in Germany. Christmas is not an official holiday in Japan and is not really a day that you spend with your family. It's more of a festival for young couples and you could also call it a second Valentine's Day. A walk in the light of the Christmas lights on the streets, a romantic dinner and possibly an overnight stay in a chic hotel are usually standard procedures for the evening. ✨
While in many other countries the Christmas dinner is often the most important dinner of the year and therefore a nice goose often ends up on the table, the typical Christmas dinner in Japan is less spectacular. If you don't go to a restaurant that day, you usually order something from the American fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). On Christmas Eve, long lines form in front of the branches and many order their Christmas menu in advance. 🍗
When researching why that's the case, I came across the following explanation:
“According to KFC, this is due to an American customer who entered a Japanese branch at Christmas. Since he couldn't find a turkey anywhere, he opted for fried chicken. Inspired by this, the fast-food giant launched an advertising campaign in 1974 called “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakki!”, which means “Kentucky at Christmas”. At that time, all branches were decorated for Christmas and Christmas menus were offered. The Japanese consider this a typical American Christmas dinner. ”
The handing over of gifts is also part of Christmas. On December 24th or 25th the children receive gifts of Santa Claus. 🎅
But after that Christmas is already over. This is particularly noticeable in the shops and on the streets. Most of the Christmas decorations disappear and preparations are made for the actual family celebration: the New Year. 🎆
You can see how I spent Christmas and New Year in Japan in a video soon. Be excited. 😉
次回まで! Jikai made! See you next time. 💕
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