The merriment of laughter,
the intimacy of friendship, and the warmth of sharing gifts under the enchanting
Christmas light decorations are all part of the dreamlike fantasy that sparks
the young Japanese hearts for romance.
Christmas Eve in Japan has
become the most romantic time of the year for singles. Although Valentine's Day
is celebrated in Japan, as women give chocolates to male friends, co-workers and
superiors, the amorous event is more a ritual for “giri” (a social duty
or obligation) than an expression of love. As a custom, their counterparts are
expected to reciprocate with candy or flowers a month later on White
Day.
It is conceivable to
romanticize Christmas in a country where less than one per cent of the
population is Christian. Evidently, the spread of Christmas throughout Asia is
attributed to the influence of Western culture and to the aggressive push of
retail stores in shaping social customs. As a consumer-oriented society, Japan
has naturally embraced Christmas as a mere commercial
event.
Although a Jesuit missionary
introduced the first Christmas in 1568, the religious holiday didn’t
become an integral part of Japanese culture until after WWII when Japan was
under the control of the U.S. occupation forces. It is said that hotels decided
to lure in homesick foreigners and affluent businessmen by celebrating Christmas
with fancy dinners and ballroom parties, which drew in Japanese locals as well.
Eventually, the Christmas event for dining in extravagant restaurants and
staying in elegant hotels turned into a romantic extravaganza for lovers.
Christmas is not noted as a
national or religious holiday; nevertheless, the Japanese consumers have fallen
for all the trappings of Christmas — shopping, decorations, caroling, etc. Even
Japanese cities try to outdo one another in their enthusiasm for the festivities
with spectacular illuminations.
The timing of Christmas is
perfect for the Japanese industries — most company employees receive their
winter bonuses, usually worth two to three months’ salary in mid December.
Furthermore, at the end of the year, the most important holiday — The New Year’s
day — is observed in Japan. Hence, it’s difficult to escape the
commercialization of Christmas as Japanese tend to splurge during the winter
holidays.
Over the years, Japan has
developed its own unique Christmas traditions: one is expected to eat a meal of
fried chicken or roast teriyaki chicken and indulge on a Christmas cake
(strawberry shortcake) while listening to “Daiku” — the Ninth Symphony of
Beethoven.
The practice of exchanging
Christmas cards with close friends is gaining popularity as more and more fancy
pop ups and high-tech music cards appear on store shelves every year. Most of
these cards are sold individually ranging from 500 yen to 1,200
yen.
From a Japanese perspective,
the most miserable ones are those who have to spend Christmas Eve alone. Some
Japanese men turn to magazines and self-help guides about special dating on
Christmas night. As for many single Japanese women, they eagerly look forward to
be wined and dined on the most romantic day of the year.
In keeping with the
Christian tradition, the couple exchange gifts. The more intimate the two people
are, the more expensive the gift. One survey conducted at a department store
showed that women expect their boyfriends to spend an average of $350 on a
Christmas present for them. And the women, in turn, would spend an average of
$200 on presents for their boyfriends. The usual gifts for dates are articles of
clothing, nice jewelry and attractive flowers. More recently, make-it-yourself
gifts are fast becoming a trend among the young.
It is also the time of the
year for luxury hotels to make a killing with Christmas one-night packages
offering excellent dinner courses with an exquisite room starting from 50,000
yen. These exclusive hotel packages are booked up months in advance.
For the couples who couldn’t
afford the extravagant cost of a hotel package or made a date at the last
minute, the alternative is a Love Hotel. The odd-looking hotel with exciting
theme rooms offers guests rates known as "rest" (two to four hours) or "stay"
(overnight). The love hotels live up to their reputation with erotic room décor
— gaudy designs, illuminated displays on the walls, ceiling mirrors, cupid
paintings or Hello Kitty dolls in leather underwear and handcuffs. The bed might
be a full-size 1950s Cadillac car or a revolving boat at sea. Lately, the love
hotels have cleaned up their acts due to the implementation of the 'New Public
Morals Act” in regulating love hotels and the sex trade. With no bookings in
advance policy, love hotels usually pull in long queues of love-struck
couples standing in the cold streets on Christmas Eve.
In the last few years,
romancing Christmas has found its way to China. In an atheist nation, the true
spirit of Christmas is romance for the young urban couples. The Christian
holiday is entertained as a carefree day to spend time with friends, to shop,
and to find romance. In some stores, customers leave handwritten love notes as ornaments on
a plastic pre-lit Christmas
tree.
Without a doubt, the
commercialization of Christmas is rapidly spreading in Asia as seen in Singapore
all the way to Vietnam. However, the trend for Christmas to be celebrated as a
romantic event in Asia remains to be seen.
(First published on UniOrb.com, December 13, 2007)