Christmas

About Christmas - Japanese do not celebrate it. Or at least, not in the way Europeans do it. Now, for us Christmas is merely a tradition, but we should remember that this celebration comes from Christian church. In Japan, almost nobody is Christian - about 7% are Catholic, baptized by the first missioners in late 19th - 20th century. The rest belong to Shintoism or Buddism, or even both. Still, as Japanese people say themselves - there is no national religion in Japan. They are keeping some of the "religious" traditions, but they are not perceived as being religious. Therefore, for Japan Christmas doesn't mean the same, as for other Christian cultures. It is a commercialized event, mostly for friends and couples to enjoy, and for businesses to earn some money. The idea of decorating the Christmas tree was also overtaken by Japan, but in a more global way. By almost every bigger train station there are illuminations - areas, which are practically covered by small Christmas lights. So, many people travel to biggest stations to see the illuminations:

This could be seen by Shinjuku stattion - Shinjuku Northern Lights.

Yebisu atation

Shimbashi