Christmas is not a public holiday in Japan, but many children hang out their stockings on Christmas Eve and are rewarded with presents just like children in West. And although it is a working/school day, many families allow their children to take the day off. New Year is a big family celebration whilst Christmas has evolved into a celebration for young couples, with romantic meals out.

But probably the most unique part of Christmas in Japan, is the tradition of eating Kentucky Fried chicken! KFC, being aware of the lack of turkeys in Japan, launched an audacious marketing campaign in the 1970s and now something like 10% of their turnover comes from Christmas sales. (Of course, many people eat Japanese food rather than KFC)

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But no … we didn’t partake! KFC is traditionally followed by Christmas cake. This is usually a sponge cake decorated with huge quantities of whipped cream and strawberries.

Gift wrapping ( Furoshiki)

Although wrapping gifs in fabric squares is a tradition dating back hundreds of years, it is one that we ought to adopt. So if I send you a gift wrapped in fabric, don’t seek ways of using these fabric squares … just reuse them. It is great for irregular shapes & no sellotape is required.

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Christmas Photos

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