Three Common Complaints Foreigners Have About Christmas In Japan

Above, Ginza's Mitsukoshi department store with their big Christmas sign. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2010, I took a trip to Japan in early December. At that time, there were Christmas decorations just about everywhere.

They were at each hotel I stayed at (Tokyo and Niigata), in Ginza, in Tsukiji and elsewhere.

It was amazing to see so many Christmas decorations in Japan, considering that the Christian population in the country is about 1 or 2%.

RocketNews 24 has an article on three things about Christmas in Japan that irks foreigners.

They begin it with:

‘Tis the season for grumbling about cultural differences, but does it have to be?

Japan absolutely loves Christmas. As a matter of fact, with holiday decorations up all over Japan, Christmas almost seems to have become as much a part of Japanese life as cherry blossom viewing parties in the spring. 

Of course, expats and overseas visitors are acutely aware of the fact that Christmas is an imported holiday. What’s more, Japan’s yuletide festivities don’t quite sit right with all of them, which leads to some common complaints from foreigners in Japan about how the country celebrates Christmas.

To see what three things about Christmas in Japan foreigners complain about, go here.