A toy shop Christmas ornament hangs waiting for purchase in Kyoto.
Photo by Matt Goerzen

he middle of November, walking along the street in an urban area, the shrines on my left, the rising sun over my shoulder, Christmas trees all around me? Santa Claus in 7-11? Where am I? Can this be Japan?

As a reputable member of a Japanese eikaiwa, I found it somewhat surprising that I was asked to don a Halloween costume in late October for my students' benefit. Is All Hallows' Eve really considered an international holiday? Despite this fact, I saw no harm in playing along for the benefit of the kodomo, as Halloween really doesn't evoke much religious connotation these days. What do you have? Candy, Jack-O-Lanterns, costumes, ghosts, and black cats. What do they mean? Well, honestly... nothing, from any cultural standpoint.

I don't claim to represent the true pagans or gothic worshippers in our time, but I would say with a few exceptions, all the significance has been siphoned from Halloween; this is hardly the first time the meaning of a holiday is lost to the masses. All we are left with is tried-and-true capitalism. How should you make money in late October, when it's not quite Christmas? Sell candy and expensive costumes. Oh, but how best to do these things? I know: we've got this little holiday that exists for no other reason anymore than to create profit.

Japan is completely cut off from the history of this holiday. The United States and Europe naturally have ties to its origins, but nowadays... it's all about the Benjamins.

Such is the case with Christmas. Less than one percent of the population in Japan follows Christianity (primarily Shinto and Buddhist), yet the entire country sees a sudden and immediate change in decoration around early November. Stores support "Merry Christmas" signs. Wreaths and lights are hung. Japanese convenience store workers are easily recognizable by their red suits with white fringes. Red and green are spread as far the Shinkansen can take them.

Why do this? Why bring Christmas to a country that is both geographically and emotionally cut off from the religious aspects? And the simple answer is... money, of course. Now, I don't want to come off as the hypocritical gaijin. I know America does the same thing this time of year; the entire western world is focused on generating income.

But in addition to being more religiously diverse, a majority of America celebrates Christmas, instead of merely buying into the holiday. About 75 per cent of the population is Christian. We should feel guiltier. Christianity and Christmas are part of our culture, and we're the ones that have allowed it to be perverted into nothing but a massive holiday shopping spree. We actually bring statements like "The War on Christmas" into the media.

In Japan's case, I suppose there's really no harm done. Without any religious ties, there certainly is less controversy. Children get to have their presents. People can go to the stores for holiday sales. Resident gaijin enjoy the homely feel of mistletoe and Santa Claus around every corner. Still, this says something about the national pride of Japan; instead of creating more displays and traditions around a holiday like Shogatsu, they would rather adopt and embrace a foreign concept.

Halloween, Christmas... let the westernization of Japan permeate every prefecture. Soon we'll see Japanese people eating McDonald's on the street in December after doing some Xmas shopping in Parco while singing along to their favorite English song and later enjoying a pint down at the new American-style strip club. This may have already happened.

Gambatte Christmas.