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I was wondering. Whats Japan like during the holidays? Ex: Halloween, Christmas, Valentines day, etc. Is it basically just like it is in America?

Discuss:
What Japan is like during the holidays
Japanese Holidays
Your experiences
Etc.

Halloween isnt celebrated in Japan. My students seemed to be facinated by it but it isnt done. Every year I taught about it I'd always get some lady telling me how a Japanese teen was shot to death in the USA sometime near halloween because he didnt understand the English being spoken to him and the man with the gun thot the teen was trying to break in his house or something. evil

Christmas is the ultimate marketing holiday in Japan. Think of it as walking through an empty hall. There isnt any Season Warmth to it. Full decoration of course are everywhere but it just seemed empty to me.

Children do receive presents but its only like one or two that are placed by their bed Christmas morning before they wake up. Christmas Eve is a big date night. People try to have a date on that day before 12 midnite. I dont know how that one came around but there it is. eek

On interesting thing about Christmas is that the Japanese buy Christmas Cake to eat with their family on Christmas Eve night. My Japanese friends were shocked when I told them that in the US we dont have a Christmas Cake tradition. The cakes are designed in the lates Anime designs, country style, winter scenes and so on. They tend to be small, round and expensive! xp

OH, I asked my students where Santa lived one time...the whole class screamed back NORWAY!! My jaw dropped open. hahah. I had never heard that before. I've only heard the stories about the North Pole...

Valentines Day is quite interesting. It is for men. It is VERY men orientated. When you go to the stores all you see are gifts that are orientated for men. Think father's day materials and tons of magazines that have women on the front posing with delicious baked goods. In Japan, Women give chocolates (and other chocolate desserts like cakes and cookies) to the guys they have a crush on or like. So guys get tons of chocolates (especially if they are perceived as cool). My friend got 22 chocolate boxs (and I am talking like GODIVA stuff) from his students and from women teachers he worked with. eek heart

The answer to Valentines Day for women is White Day which is March 14th. This is the day where the men who received chocolate from girls give WHITE chocolate back to those girls. I wont go into the major boyfriend-girlfriend or what not details but thats what goes on (In Korea they have a similar thing too and even have a Black noodle day i believe for those who just are single or dont have a bf-gf).

* Valentines Day didnt start in Japan until recently. I think the Morigana chocolate company started it all in Japan and from there it has taken off. Its a HUGE marketing ploy. (I feel for women missing out in Japan on their Valentines Day but that is the way it is over there).

All my experiences of Western Style holidays in Japan were learning experiences. It was cool to see them in a different light but I didnt enjoy them as much as I do in the US.

Golden Week was great because I got so many days off from work and could travel all over like many other Japanese do. I went to China last year for Golden week and while there China was having their golden week.
*Golden Week is a one week where the consecutive days are holidays. I think its three days together then a regular day then two more holiday days...the trick is for them to fall on good days where you dont have to take that one or two days off from work to make it a complete week.... rofl

I don't know what seems so shocking about christmas not having warmth...

In Spain it's merely a holiday when people just go and spend as much money as possible and don't give a f*ck about family.... believe me 24 years in Spain are more than enough to realize that christmas is just a money making holiday in the country I live in ...

Really sad but true.