Christmas & New Year 2007

Do the Japanese celebrate Christmas? Yes and no. Christianity (kirisutokyou, "The teachings of Christ") is a minority religion here, observed by only 1% of the population, so there is little emphasis placed upon the religious aspects of Christmas. (We didn't see any nativity scenes, for instance). Here the emphasis is more on the non-religious iconography and traditions of Christmas--Christmas trees and gift-giving, for instance--as well as its commercialism. Christmas paraphernalia appears in Japanese shops almost as early it does in the West. And while Christmas cards are widely available, card-giving is more generally associated with New Year, which in Japan is far more important than Christmas--as any Westerner working here soon discovers. December 25th is not a public holiday in Japan (though December 24th is: it's the birthday of the current Emperor).

Emma and I both had to work on Christmas Day, and did our celebrating on Christmas Eve. It was the first time Emma got to open presents on Christmas Eve without protest from me! Here are the presents Emma gave me, including a drip coffee-maker:
And here's what I gave Emma (pillows not included):

Since many of our JET friends were either out of town or otherwise occupied over Christmas, we opted to celebrate on our own with a traditional Christmas dinner:KFC . . .

. . . followed by chocolate cake (cake is actually traditional Christmas fare in Japan).

The following Sunday, we went to a nabe feast at the apartment of a fellow JET, Goran, in Myodani. Nabe may be described as a broth, kept bubbling in a special ceramic or cast-iron pot over a small burner, to which may be continously added all sorts of meat and vegetables. Everyone sits around the pot, refilling their bowls and adding more ingredients to the broth as necessary, inculcating a feeling of "community" and sharing--which, since all present were travelling together to Hiroshima later in the week, was most likely the point. As you imagine, the more ingredients that are added, the tastier the broth becomes. This is one Japanese tradition I can see us bringing back to Australia (depending on the availability of portable burners back home).

Amanda, a fellow JET from Perth, with Emma at the nabe feast

We had a great time on New Year's Eve, which kicked off at an izakaya in Sannomiya--a kind of restaurant best described as "only in Japan." After paying a set price of around $30 a head, we sat around a long, low table, at either end of which was located a digital menu with a touchscreen. From this menu we were free to order--within a time limit of 90 minutes--as much finger-food and alcohol as we could stomach. It was, needless to say, a rowdy affair, and put most of us in the mood for karaoke afterwards. (Click on the image below for a slideshow)Most Japanese spend New Year's Eve quietly with their families, only to congregate around local shrines close to midnight to see in the new year. Emma and I were unfortunate to miss this spectacle, because we had to be up early the following day to rendezvous with others journeying to Hiroshima, and there were no trains running back to Tarumi after midnight.