Posted on 12/02/2009 5:54:36 PM PST by AmericanInTokyo
CHRISTMAS IN JAPAN can be a little lonely and isolated for the Westerner here. What with the distance from “home” and cultural differences. Little things, here and there. Missing some of the usual things from back home, especially for people like one particular 'American in Tokyo'. This year 2009 is again no different. However, in many respects I must say there is nevertheless one little thing that is so refreshing about being stuck in Japan during Christmas—after a few years—and for the occasions one cannot make it back "home".
It is almost like the clock has been refreshingly and unapologetically turned back years to a simpler and brighter, unfettered time in our own U.S.A. An era years before the phenomenon of "political correctness" and religious censorship raised its cruel, offensive and unwelcome head in the United States of America. In many of our shared pasts, when the simple words メリークリスマス！ "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" were everywhere easily to be seen, heard, offered and received during that special season at the end of each year. There was no fear. There was no hesitation. There was no political threat. There was no busload of salivating, slick lawyers in the background ready to pounce. There were no second thoughts, "gee, should I say it or just be silent?" There was no shame. There were no silly dictates from the Scrooges on High, from school boards to the White House and Pentagon lording it over the unwashed masses that we somehow become "sensitive" and are to turn our "Christmas Trees" into "Holiday Trees", or have our kids take "Winter Break" instead, or that one must wish "Happy Holidays!", or "Seasons Greetings!" or "Joyous Winter!" at the workplace or in other areas in public for fear of "offending" unnamed people with unnamed faces of unnamed percentages…
And so, from Japan this 2009, as in all years—yes-barely 1% Christian JAPAN, where with the overwhelming preponderance of adherents to Buddhism, Shintoism and even Atheism one would think a collaborative oppression would be the order of the day, it is almost nothing BUT "Merry Christmas". This is everywhere one turns. The photos tell a story and what a story indeed my friends.
In Japanese stores, in supermarkets, at bus stops, at airports, in coffee shops, in restaurants, in office lobbies, on trains and subways, in convenience stores, in tiny cafes, in huge department stores, even in elevators in major business centers. Everywhere, in Japan, one is simply overwhelmed at this wonderful, simple two-word phrase of loving greeting which has taken such a beating in overwhelmingly Christian America through the tyrannical dictates of a very few.
I will be the first to recognize that Christmas in Japan does have very strong commercialism tendencies, tinged with secularism, with the focus being on sales, sales, sales. (Indeed, is that any different than in America?) But as I pondered these points over a few weeks in 2007 I took my camera along and share with you what my eyes saw here in Japan. 2009 versions of photos will also be on their way to this thread and appropriate links, too. Nothing will have changed in two years--no moral decay, no cultural war setbacks. Not only the eyes were pleasantly pleased day in and day out making the rounds in Tokyo in December, the ears were pleased, too. I heard the faint melody of "Adeste Fideles" in a Japanese 7-Eleven near the boiling oden. I caught the end of "Joy to the World" in a tea salon as I entered. I enjoyed"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" between in front of the sashimi counter in a little local supermarket. Huge loudspeakers in a major Japanese department store equivalent to an American Macy’s or a Bloomindales cheerfully blasted "The Night, When Christ Was Born" from "O Holy Night", big, red and white 10’x 4’banners streaming down ever four feet from the ceiling heralding "Merry Christmas!" in English. People were actually smiling. I shook my amazed gaijin head at the parts of words featuring "Christ" filling such a huge, bustling department store of December shoppers and I thought how the constipated, impeccable Windsor-knotted attorneys would be readied if such a thing were happening in most places in America these days. Ironic, yet sad at the same time! I once explained the words and concept behind the new-found "Happy Holidays" in America to a Japanese friend. He just stared at me with an odd look. It took nearly 30 minutes, before he said, "Ah, but, you Americans and Europeans-first through missionaries and later through American GIs--brought such a tradition to us here in Japan in the first place. Do we really have to stop saying or displaying "Merry Christmas", too?" It took another one hour just to explain to him the overall concept and silliness of "political correctness." He got it, but he kind of did not get it. Regardless, my Japanese friend was noticeably embarrassed and sad for us.
And I told my friend, not to worry, that people in the USA for example were really starting to rise up against political correctness and the societal ban on "Merry Christmas" in a big way. He seemed satisfied and his concerns were allayed. We were both late for separate meetings. And so, of course, I wished him "Merry Christmas" as we grabbed separate, spotless Tokyo taxis.
From Japan this year as in 2007, enjoy the photos linked to Flickr and travel back in your minds to this wonderful time in our own country—that may just be around the corner for America again if people rise up in increasingly greater and bold numbers, and take back their country without fear--in supermarkets, at bus stops, at airports, in coffee shops, in restaurants, in office lobbies, on trains and subways, in convenience stores, in tiny cafes, in huge department stores, in elevators in major business centers, and yes, even in some places, in front of the sashimi counter. It might just even start with you, tomorrow morning somewhere at just the perfect time. And so to my compatriots in the United States of America and many other Western lands which celebrate the season, well…”MERRY CHRISTMAS!” from Japan!
(“AmericanInTokyo” is a 10 year+ member of the conservative American news site “FreeRepublic.com”, and spends of part of each year in Tokyo, Japan. Additional photos to be taken in December 2009 to prove the author’s point again, will be added to this thread throughout the 2009 Christmas Season and to the Flickr collection.)
If my memory serves me correctly, the Japanese adopted the gift giving portion at Christmas time back in the 50’s. Santa was called Father Winter or something close to that. ???
Your guess is correct.
I was a controller at Tokyo Air Traffic Control Center.
We had too many guys in the squadron so we worked 1 six hour shift for four days and then 3 days off.
Tokyo here we come!
JD
Yes, I enjoyed a trip to the old Johnson Air Base a number of years ago. It is now "Iruma Kichi" or "Iruma Base" of the Air Self Defense Forces, although a lot of the old buildings are still there--at least to my knowledge.
Happy Advent and (eventually) Merry Christmas!!
It's amazing how the first amendment is cited to prohibit religious expression when it actually is meant to prevent govt. restriction of religious expression.
The islands were first blessed with this celebration of Christ's virgin birth, when the Jesuits brought it to Japan. This would have been around, say, 1552, but in fact Francis Xavier may well have brought it in around 1549. Then the mean guys took over and outlawed Christianity...everyone was either crucified or burned as martyrs, forced to renounce the Cross (literally step on it), or went underground and kept the faith. With it, Christmas. They could celebrate with the candles out and the voices low, any word of it getting out and your head would be severed by at swordsman without question nor trial.
So Christmas was underground for nearly 250 years.
When Japan opened back up in the Meiji period in the late 1800's, then the Merry Christmas custom was revived with Protestant and Catholic believers in the open port cities like Yokohama or Kobe or elsewhere. Here is where the gift giving probably really started; the Japanese watched the gaijins do it amongst themselves, and then copied it. But, outside of the major cities, nobody in Japan really knew what it was. Then, the bad guys took over again. This time, World War II. By the time Japan was fully in it with Americans, THERE WAS TO BE NO CHRISTMAS. Again, if you wanted to celebrate, you better do it in a basement somewhere far from the kempeitai and dont tell ANYONE outside of your close friends or neighbors for fear of it getting out to the neighborhood spies for the Emperor.
The bad guys were hanged, the good guys arrived all following a big, robust fellow smoking a corncob pipe with dark sunglasses, and Christmas once again made it into Japan through the US military. They brought in all the wonderful songs, masses and services, charitable acts, family times, feasts, gift giving, Santa Claus, of course, and no doubt crass commercialization crept in as well no doubt about it--just like the USA. However Christmas has gone strong and is still resistant to that strange strain of cruel, bigoted political correctness sweeping the globe. If Japan ever lets in enough Islamists to such a degree that they are a whiny, easily-offended force, well then, I would imagine eventually it would be "shitsurei" (bad manners)for the Japanese to offer that warm and loving greeting of Merry Christmas and they might just fold their cards like so many areas in public life in the United States (on public or government property, in private companies, in daily life). Let us hope that day never comes, though.
There you have it. You asked me a simple question about Christmas and gift giving here. I wrote a book in reply. Sorry for rambling. Hope that puts it in perspective.
The very purpose of this thread, the reason I wrote it two years ago, and dusted it off two years later, and updated it a bit. It is actually full of irony and sadness when you think about it. That over the erosive years such a small minority in the USA have intimidated such a vast majority and exerted control over them...and yet in Japan, such a huge majority of non-Christians and even atheists, are tolerant of and even unashamedly support and promote Christmas and respect the rights of the 0.7% super minority of Christians here.
This is also true in Singapore, which is predominantly Christian but has huge Muslim and Hindu minorities. They don’t let multiculturalism ruin their country!
I'm glad you will be spending Christmas day anywhere other than an airport. ;^)
Plus, we wish you a Happy and prosperous New Year!
5.56mm
OH MAN ROFL
Thank you. Working on the new 2009 version Tokyo scene photos, too. Hope to add before too long.
By the way, does anyone over there in the States know if Kentucky Fried Chicken (USA) gives away these "Christmas plates" with certain orders during the season? They do here in Japan...
If not, why not (we might want to ask them)...
Cool and again, thanks for these FReports. I’m hearing more people and businesses saying it this year too. Actually heard a TGIFriday’s ad saying; “Thank GOD it’s Friday”, several times and emphasizing “God”.
They don’t AIT
I know for a fact they don’t
Just got back from downtown (Oceanside, CA). Div 1 Marine Corps Band played carols and some military music for about 45 minutes then the commander of Camp Pendleton plugged in a large tree in fromnt of the Regal Theatres. Great stuff. We got to thank a lot of marines personally.
Very cool and Merry Christmas from Texas!
They are predicting snow tomorrow in Houston no less.
Hmmmmm.... i sense a little Trans-Pacific "Bring Christmas Back to America" fight that we can start, brewing.... ;-)
I wish I could share your enthusiasm. If I were Buddhist and they were pushing a Christian Merry Christmas on me, I’d be mad. Japan is a Bhuddist nation. To me, it’s like pushing Kwanzaa on our nation.
I have always had the greatest respect for Japan minus the WWII period where they were the most brutal to our soldiers. But the reason I respected them is because they stood for their culture.
I wish I could celebrate with you that they’ve taken Christmas to heart but it seems only a way to make money.
I wish I could share your enthusiasm. If I were Buddhist and they were pushing a Christian Merry Christmas on me, I’d be mad. Japan is a Bhuddist nation. To me, it’s like pushing Kwanzaa on our nation.
I have always had the greatest respect for Japan minus the WWII period where they were the most brutal to our soldiers. But the reason I respected them is because they stood for their culture.
I wish I could celebrate with you that they’ve taken Christmas to heart but it seems only a way to make money.
Merry Christmas!
hey, don’t you bring tears to my eyes by posting Christian Japanese singing about Christmas.
They are still in the minority and I still say, as an American Christian, I would be offended if our Christmas was overturned into a variety of other religious activities. Oh, wait, it already is. It’s a Bhuddist nation and they have a right to their religion and culture.
I can do Jewish holidays, I’m perfectly ok with Hannukah but nothing else in the US.
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