Christmas in
Japan
Celebrated: December 24 (Christmas Eve) and December 25
Signature traditions
- 1.KFC for Christmas dinner — a tradition since a hugely successful 1974 marketing campaign ('Kentucky for Christmas')
- 2.Strawberry shortcake (kurisumasu keki) — a sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries — on Christmas Eve
- 3.Christmas Eve is a romantic date night, treated more like Valentine's Day than a family holiday
- 4.Elaborate light displays (illuminations) in major city districts from November onward
- 5.Christmas isn't a national holiday — most people work on December 25
What's on the table
KFC and strawberry Christmas cake
Reservations for KFC's Christmas Eve barrel are made weeks in advance. Strawberry shortcake (red strawberries on white cream — Japan's national colors) is the iconic Christmas dessert, eaten on the evening of December 24.
The iconic decoration
Illuminations
Major Japanese cities stage massive synchronized light displays (illuminations) in commercial districts. The displays in Tokyo's Marunouchi, Osaka's Hikari Renaissance, and Kobe's Luminarie draw millions of visitors.
How gifts are given
Couples exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. Children receive presents from Santa Claus on Christmas morning, but the family-centered gift exchange of Western Christmas isn't widely observed.
Did you know?
The 'Kentucky for Christmas' campaign by KFC Japan in 1974 was so successful that nearly 50 years later, an estimated 3.6 million Japanese families order KFC every Christmas Eve — making it the chain's biggest sales day of the year worldwide.