Essay

Christmas in, um, Tokyo?

By Michael Pronko

If the Emperor was not born near Christmas, I'm not sure most foreigners in Japan would have a holiday. So, I'll thank him for that. That nicely timed birthday allows teachers like me, and many other foreigners who live in Japan, to take some time off at what is, in the Christianized Western world anyway, one of the most sacrosanct of holidays. Christmas in Tokyo, though, takes on a flavor all its own. As an American, Tokyo's Christmas always has an odd feeling for me -- half right, half confusing and maybe another half (if that's possible) intriguing! The secular side of Christmas involves plenty of shopping, and few countries do consumerism better than Japan. Stores, walkways and advertisements are festooned with whatever Christmas imagery can be packed in. It's not just to make money, though. Tokyo loves dressing up in anything, so draping itself in silver tinsel, fir trees, fake frost and cotton is just one more costume. In America, Christmas is about being with family and friends, but I love that Christmas in Tokyo has become an important date night. My students gossip, moan or blush about their Christmas plans. Hotels offer lavish overnight packages, with dinner, champagne and a room with a night view of the city. That sounds a lot better than watching football on TV to me. At restaurants, special Christmas set courses are the norm. This always confuses me a bit as ordering a variety of things and piecing them together is part of the fun of a holiday meal out. However, Christmas is the one night throughout Tokyo where you can never order a la carte. Instead, restaurants compete to put together the snazziest and most innovative meals they can. Reservations are hard to get. However, the sights and sounds of Christmas in Tokyo jar me a bit. When Tokyo shopkeepers put on Santa hats and reindeer ears, it feels a bit forced, even when the shopkeepers are cute and enthusiastic. The same Christmas songs flow into my ears, but feel a bit out of place. Hearing Jingle Bells without seeing snow just doesn't work. The end-of-year lights, or illumination, often show Santa Claus, North Pole elves and reindeer crammed in right next to gothic arches and other non-Christmas shapes -- no one ever accused Tokyo of visual consistency! Still, coherent or not, lights are always a pleasure in the darkest season. Whatever oddness the season in Tokyo presents to those who grew up in Christmas-celebrating countries, one thing is for sure, Christmas helps infuse the mundane workaday life with a sense of fun. Maybe that's what Christmas was always really about: transforming the bleakness of winter into something magical and festive.

Shukan ST: DECEMBER 23 2011

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