Hey! Shanelle here! Christmas is such a magical time of year, isn’t it? It’s a time to come together with friends and family and celebrate being with one another! I truly enjoy this type of Christmas; however, I realized after coming to Japan, this is not the only type of Christmas. What I mean by this is that Japanese society has a different view on Christmas and the winter holidays than we do here. I have learned that in Japan Christmastime is seen as a couple’s holiday rather than a holiday spent with family. Around this time, everyone is paired off in couples, and those who aren’t are trying to find themselves a partner. Many of the Japanese people I talked to also emphasized this idea of Christmas as a couples’ holiday – some even displaying their sadness of having to spend the holidays with their friends instead of a partner. It seems that they believe that if they don’t have a partner during this holiday season, they feel they can’t fully enjoy it.
Coming from a culture that values this holiday as a time to spend with family, this kind of Christmas was a little difficult to understand. Why exactly is Japanese society is obsessed with the notion of a “couple’s Christmas”? It seems that for some reason, Japan has created this ideal that being a couple during the winter season leads to happiness, and the media and businesses have taken full advantage of that. During this time, there are many events that are designed with couples in mind. For instance, many cities hold their own illumination festival, which is when they light up certain areas with Christmas lights. I have gone to see quite a few, and they are truly amazing spectacles to witness! Very beautiful! However, it is evident that these kinds of events are chartered for couples. Couple key straps, couple accessories, and just couples everywhere – anywhere you turn, there’s a couple taking a cute selfie of themselves with the lights.
This emphasis on couples during this time, while different, is not a bad thing. I personally enjoy being with my family during the winter holidays; however, I’m glad I was able to experience another culture’s kind of Christmas. As long as you spend it with people you love, Christmas will always be a joyous time! I hope everyone has a wonderful winter holiday!