Merry Christmas everyone! I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to get this to you earlier in the day. I’ve been without an internet connection!



I hope that, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, that you can get as much joy as possible from today. If this time of year is a difficult one for you, I hope that you will be able to cherish the good memories.



Today, we’re going to go over how to say, “Merry Christmas” and some of the culture of Christmas in Japan.



The way to say, “Merry Christmas,” in Japanese is to say the phrase with a Japanese accent. メリー is the katakana writing for “Merry” and クリスマス is for Christmas. Put the text into a translator and listen to the pronunciation.





Celebrating Christmas



On Christmas Eve, couples will exchange gifts and go on romantic walks to see the lights. You’d better book your restaurant early, because getting a table will be difficult!



Christmas day is seen more as a holiday for kids, so there’s plenty of children’s parties. However, because it isn’t a national holiday, everyone still has to go to school and work.

What about food?



The most commonly eaten food on this day is probably fried chicken, so KFC is a busy place! Yes, KFC is pretty popular in Japan and tastes really good (and is a bit expensive!). For dessert, American style cakes are considered to be a bit too sweet, so the common cake is a sponge cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream, though it’s still quite sweet in my opinion.

Share your stories



Have any of you had the chance to celebrate Christmas in Japan? Share your stories in the comments!



If you haven’t had a chance to check out the app, you can get the free version from the Windows Phone store here or by using this QR code