What is Japan like during the holidays? -

I m in the middle of writing a fan fic and my characters end up in Japan over Christmas vacation. Does Japan celebrate Christmas or something like it at this time of the year? What would be some things my characters would see or do while they were there? Thanks for the help!

My family celebrates Christmas not because of Jesus s birth (they are not Christian) but it s brought from the western culture, and they love Santa Claus! We usually get together and have a Christmas dinner and a whole cake, exchange presents (well you know the kids get presents from quot;Santaquot;) As far as the city, my home town (Yokohama, Japan) has gorgeous lightings everywhere, all the shopping malls will have at least one huge christmas tree all decorated by the entrance. Many stores will have a blow out christmas sales. Since Yokohama is a port city, they have special cruises for christmas too, usually a dinner for 2. The whole city is pretty much in romantic mood, since Christmas in Japan is more for couples than for families. Hope this helps!

Linda if you want to make your writing authentic, then don t concentrate on Christmas, concentrate on New Years. Christmas is not an official holiday in Japan. It is a normal work day. It is more of a romantic day where people go out on dates etc. New Year however, is a very big holiday in Japan, domestic travel is very heavy, people often visit families, friends etc (things you would do over say Christmas). Lots of people go to festivals at temples or shrines to celebrate New Year.