Christmas in Japan
Christmas in Japan is quite a different celebration from the West, and the food traditions reflect that rather beautifully. Japan adopted Christmas as a secular, commercial holiday, so the cuisine is quite distinctive and frankly less significant than Western Christmas traditions.
The most iconic Christmas food is fried chicken - particularly from KFC, which became a cultural phenomenon following a brilliant marketing campaign in the 1970s. Many families enjoy this on Christmas Eve, which always amuses Westerners. You will see buckets of Colonel Sanders' chicken everywhere in December. If you are in Japan during the season, there is still time to get more presents whilst enjoying this festive tradition.
Beyond that, Christmas cake is popular - a light sponge cake layered with cream and fresh strawberries, often topped with a Father Christmas decoration made of icing. It is quite elegant and quite different from what you might expect in Britain.
Japanese families also enjoy seafood during the season, a lot of fresh sashimi which features in special meals and restaurant offerings. There is an emphasis on celebratory, somewhat luxurious foods.
Christmas in Japan remains primarily a commercial and romantic occasion rather than a family-centred celebration. The food tends to be restaurant-based or purchased rather than home-cooked, and it is celebrated more as an entertaining event than a deeply traditional holiday.
