Japanese Dopers: Happy Annual Gift Day?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I saw this on the Simpsons and was wondering about the validity of it. Is Santa Claus really called Annual Gift Man over in Japan?

Also, I was wondering what Christmas is like over there considering Christianity is a minority religion. How does the holiday compare to here in America (in case you’ve ever been over here). For example, do you start selling Christmas decorations in late October too? What about the massive media campaigns to get shoppers to spend more then they can afford? Any mention of the birth of Christ or is the main focus gift giving? I’ve never been over there and I can’t help but be curious.

2

Umm, I’ve never ever heard of Santa Claus referred to as the “Annual Gift Man”… Must have been some Simpsons humor, that’s all.

Christmas in Japan is STRICTLY commercial. Japanese love to decorate streets and department stores with shiny lights etc. and anything that boosts consumerism is a good thing in this country. Bollocks to traditions - it’s hardcore shopping mania here. :wink:

As far as Christmas Eve / Day itself, it’s pretty much a non-event though. You spend it with friends or your SO, exchanging a gift or so.

It’s a lot less hypocriticial than in some Western countries, I can tell you that!

3

No, they call him Santa-san, which grates on me for some reason.

Christmas has been around in my area since Halloween (which is barely celebrated here.) and now has landed completely. We live in an area of guaranteed snow for Christmas and in this tiny town the idea of decorating houses with lights has taken off.

Within walking distance there are four houses draped with icicle lights, Santas (one house has six or seven santas alone!) moving reindeer, you name it! Being a Brit where this sort of thing is not really done, I am torn between thinking it is great and thinking it is tacky. The kids think it is brilliant and we have to drive by most nights to admire them. My inlaws put white plain lights in the trees in the garden and leave them there as long as there is snow. I think they look lovely and certainly all the decorations brighten up a dreary season.

BUT Christmas will be absolutely gone by lunchtime on Christmas Day itself, in order to start the year end super house cleaning and preparations for New Years which is big here.

Christmas Day is only a holiday if it falls on a Sunday. It is hard for me to see my husband going to work and kids to school. Actually I give my kids a day off but hub has to be threatened with divorce to take any time off. This year, he has reluctantly agreed to take Christmas morning off so we can see the kids open their presents together.

Presents - Most Japanese kids get one present only, just from Santa san, and for some reason they appear on their pillows on the morning of Christmas Eve. (Santa san too is an early rising workaholic here!!) My inlaws are appalled at the amount of stash my kids get from family and friends in the UK. Japanese kids will get little cash envelopes on New Year’s Day from various family members. The money is called Otoshidama and each envelope will hold quite an amount of money. This is supposed to be rationed throughout the year as pocket money. If you get an envelope each from parents, aunts, grandparents and close family friends you can amass quite an amount. Oddly enough, our kids don’t get Otoshidama from the Japanese family, nor do they get Christmas presents. I think they think we don’t do the New Years holidays. No matter, they get all they could possibly want throughout the year from the Japanese relatives, they are not hard done by in any way!

4

A very important thing to mention is that Christmas here is not a family holiday. Christmas, for some reason, is considered very romantic and so the actual celebration end up a lot like valentine’s day. In the weeks leading up to the big day, single people frantically look for dates.

5

To expand on what jovan said, take Christmas and New Year’s and reverse them, and that’s kind of the situation. Christmas is a time to get together with your squeeze for a night of romance, or go out partying with friends. New Year’s, on the other hand, is a time when most people get about a week’s vacation, and spend most of that time with their families.

And Santa is still Santa, although it seems he’s usually called on to pitch alcohol more than toys on TV.

6

Don’t forget, that some female movie star years and years ago said that Christmas Eve was for romance. Since then, that’s the night to get laid in Japan. Japan dopers please excuse the crass generalization, but certainly when I lived in Japan in the early 90’s, it was all over the media and that was the night to go for it. Hotels were booked 1-2 years in advance.

7

It kind of depends on your age bracket, but if you’re in your early (or even late) twenties, IME, that’s very much the case.

8

Christmas sounds a lot more fun over there. Here we have to spend time with our families. There you’re expected to get laid that day. I know which one I’ll rather have. :slight_smile:

9

Christmas was introduced here ( in a major way ) by the department stores about three centuries later than it was introduced ( in a minor way ) by the earliest Christian missionaries.

Of course, the latter didn’t mention Santa Claus… I mean Santa-san.

“Traditionally”, Japanese people buy Christmas cake ( a fresh-cream layer-cake with strawberries… they think it’s an American tradition ) on Christmas Eve as a dessert to follow another American Christmas tradition: a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken ( I am not making this up! ). Little kids get a present from Santa-san. Young couples go out to dinner and then to “Love Hotels”.

I don’t have a cite yet, but statistically, for the past 30 years or so, the dates on either side of September 26th are the most common birthdates in Japan…

They’re Christmas babies!

Everyone tilt your heads to the side and say,
“Awwwww!”

As for the OP’s “Happy Annual Gift Day”…

Japan has a traditional winter gift-giving season called o-seibo, during which one gives gifts to one’s boss, teacher, family doctor, landlord, etc…

Gifts are often daily necessities, like canned food, fresh fruit, fresh seafood or meat, cooking oil, bottled and canned beverages ( tea, coffee, beer, sake… ), soap or detergent, … you name it.

10

OK, if you’re still interested, here are a few links that will give you a look at Christmas in Japan:

Japan Guide

Italianate Christmas

They keep saying "This year’s the last year ( Santa-san doesn’t pay the electric bills ), but every year, here it is again…

Christmas, Kobe-style

Kyoto has Christmas spirit, too!

I still remember my first Christmas in Japan, because the window displays at Hankyu Department Store in Osaka were incredible! I can only share the memory prosaically…

Imagine an animated display window… there is a doll;… a Catholic nun in a pre-Vatican II wimple ( just like the old gals who stole the Kommandant’s distributor in The Sound of Music ), approximately 30 cm tall, turning a large crank… which in turn, ( Ha! ) causes a large bell to ring in time with a recording of Deck the Halls!

Despite this being a relatively non-Christian country…