Christmas and New Year

It may be a little late but here is our description of what Christmas and New Year are like in Japan...

Christmas in Japan

In Japan Christmas is not a very big celebration. Shops and some other places have Christmas lights, but shops are open and people still work on Christmas Day because it is a normal day.
At lake near by they have a big Christmas tree and lots of Christmas lights and a Christmas market which we visited.

Children in Japan instead of having a stocking may get a big present from Santa. There isn't special food like Mince Pies and Christmas pudding, but they do have Christmas cake, but Christmas cake in Japan is a soft sponge cake and has lots of cream.

Japanese New Year

On New Years Eve we went to a Buddhist temple. We went to the temple just before midnight. At the shrine we rang a huge bell and had a drink made from fermented rice, and is a bit like thin porridge.
The day after new year we got money as a present from family and relatives. Children in Japan get money at New Year as they don't get much for presents at Christmas.

We also had a big family meal with lots of different food.

Just after New Year we went to a Shinto shrine. We put some money in a box and got a good luck charm to keep us safe. Lots of people in Japan do this and the temple was very busy.