Japanese Christmas is “interesting” to say the least. First of all, there’s nothing religious about Japanese Christmas. So the main point has been completely lost. What do they celebrate? Nothing, really. It’s just a big party day, celebrating nothing.
There are certain uniquely Japanese Christmas traditions. The food tradition is to have roast Chicken for dinner and pretty strawberry shortcakes for dessert. Bakeries and pastry shops start taking orders for specially decorated strawberry shortcakes in early December (for pick up on Christmas Eve). If you do not place your cake order in advance, you are unlikely to have one on December 24th. People wait in lines to get prepared roast chicken too. Most people do not prepare their own. As you might guess, there are expensive options, purchasing from nice restaurants or specialty shops. There are also cheap, fast-food options. One particular American fried chicken chain in Japan likewise takes orders in advance for a guaranteed holiday bucket on Christmas Eve.
Wait, there is more. While “pre-order & pick-up” are for families, “dinners and dating” are for singles. For them, Christmas is exactly like Valentine’s Day in America. It is a time of the year when getting a date, or having a date, or being asked out on a date becomes a top-priority. You don’t want to be a loser! Likewise, as anyone living in a major American conurbation knows, dinner reservations for Valentine’s Day are best made more than a month in advance. The same is true of Christmas Eve in Japan. As Christmas approaches, you often hear this statement: “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have to find one soon in time for Christmas.”
When it comes to gift-giving, couples exchange gifts, and parents give gifts for their own kids (posing as Santa Claus), but there’s no other kind of gift-giving.
All of this madness takes place on Christmas Eve. There is no ritualistic activities reserved for Christmas day. In fact, neither Christmas Eve nor Christmas is a holiday in Japan. Ultimately, Christmas in Japan is a made up commercial festivity.