Short Summary (placed at the very beginning)
Christmas in Japan is celebrated quite differently from many Western countries.
It is less religious and more seasonal, closely connected to romance, city lights, and special moments.
Because New Year’s Day holds great importance in Japan, Christmas ends very quickly.
Here, I share both these cultural differences and my personal feelings toward Christmas as a quiet, lasting light.
Main Text (unchanged)
Hello everyone,
I’m StillLightFromJapan, writing from Japan.
Thank you so much for the warm and thoughtful comments on my introduction the other day.
I read each of them with gratitude.
Today, I’d like to share a little about how Christmas is experienced in Japan.
Christmas in Japan is quite different from how it is celebrated in many Western countries.
I want to be clear that I’m not suggesting one way of celebrating Christmas is better or worse than another.
I simply hope to share these differences as part of cultural variety.
If there’s anything you’re curious about, please feel free to ask.
While Christmas Mass is held in some churches, for most people in Japan, Christmas is not strongly tied to religion.
Instead, it is widely seen as a seasonal event — a time for enjoying illuminated streets, special meals, shopping, exchanging gifts, and for couples to spend romantic time together.
In that sense, Christmas in Japan is often closer to Valentine’s Day than to a religious holiday.
One thing that often surprises people is how quickly Christmas seems to end.
On December 26th, most Christmas decorations disappear almost overnight.
This is because Japan places great importance on New Year’s Day.
For many Japanese people, New Year holds a significance similar to what Christmas represents in many Western cultures, so the atmosphere shifts very quickly once Christmas has passed.
Because of this, traditions like the “Twelve Days of Christmas” are not commonly observed, and many people in Japan are unfamiliar with the term itself.
From here, I’d like to share something a bit more personal.
I have always loved Christmas deeply — perhaps more than the average person in Japan.
For many years, I felt a quiet loneliness toward the way Christmas passes so quickly here.
For me, the comfort of Christmas is not like a bright firework that shines brilliantly for a moment and then disappears.
It is more like a candle — a gentle light that continues to glow softly inside the heart throughout the year.
I believe that everyone carries their own kind of Christmas light in a different way.
I hope that, over time, I can have calm and meaningful conversations with you about this quieter kind of Christmas comfort and healing.
Christmas in Japan is celebrated quite differently from many Western countries.
It is less religious and more seasonal, closely connected to romance, city lights, and special moments.
Because New Year’s Day holds great importance in Japan, Christmas ends very quickly.
Here, I share both these cultural differences and my personal feelings toward Christmas as a quiet, lasting light.
Main Text (unchanged)
Hello everyone,
I’m StillLightFromJapan, writing from Japan.
Thank you so much for the warm and thoughtful comments on my introduction the other day.
I read each of them with gratitude.
Today, I’d like to share a little about how Christmas is experienced in Japan.
Christmas in Japan is quite different from how it is celebrated in many Western countries.
I want to be clear that I’m not suggesting one way of celebrating Christmas is better or worse than another.
I simply hope to share these differences as part of cultural variety.
If there’s anything you’re curious about, please feel free to ask.
While Christmas Mass is held in some churches, for most people in Japan, Christmas is not strongly tied to religion.
Instead, it is widely seen as a seasonal event — a time for enjoying illuminated streets, special meals, shopping, exchanging gifts, and for couples to spend romantic time together.
In that sense, Christmas in Japan is often closer to Valentine’s Day than to a religious holiday.
One thing that often surprises people is how quickly Christmas seems to end.
On December 26th, most Christmas decorations disappear almost overnight.
This is because Japan places great importance on New Year’s Day.
For many Japanese people, New Year holds a significance similar to what Christmas represents in many Western cultures, so the atmosphere shifts very quickly once Christmas has passed.
Because of this, traditions like the “Twelve Days of Christmas” are not commonly observed, and many people in Japan are unfamiliar with the term itself.
From here, I’d like to share something a bit more personal.
I have always loved Christmas deeply — perhaps more than the average person in Japan.
For many years, I felt a quiet loneliness toward the way Christmas passes so quickly here.
For me, the comfort of Christmas is not like a bright firework that shines brilliantly for a moment and then disappears.
It is more like a candle — a gentle light that continues to glow softly inside the heart throughout the year.
I believe that everyone carries their own kind of Christmas light in a different way.
I hope that, over time, I can have calm and meaningful conversations with you about this quieter kind of Christmas comfort and healing.
