What is Christmas for Japanese people?

Though I’m Japanese, what’s obvious to Japanese people isn’t sometimes obvious to me.

Christmas in Japan is exactly that.

Today, Christmas has become established in Japan as well as New Year’s day.

From late November, Christmas illuminations sparkle all across Japan.

December 24 and 25 are recognized as Christmas days in Japan.

Christmas days are spent with family, friends or lovers.

To tell the truth, it has been hard for me to fit into this custom since my childhood.

Why do Japanese people place importance on Christmas, even though most of them aren’t Christian?

“Why do you enjoy having a Christmas party every year?”, is a question I have asked many Japanese people so far, but their answers never had a point.

Broadly speaking, their answers were as follows, “I don’t know”, “Everyone is enjoying it”, or “It doesn’t matter”. 

So what is Christmas for Japanese people?

I think that Christmas for them is a sort of custom whereby people long for Western culture, regardless of Christianity. 

Their interest is confined to a resemblance in terms of appearance, so they never give their mind to the Christian religion.

I think that this Japanese-style Christmas is frivolous.

Christmas in Japan has an important meaning as a commercial event. 

Various commercial capitals are involved with Christmas in Japan.

They incite people to spend money by appealing to people’s feelings.

Many sales-events called “Christmas Sales” show that.

For your information, the habit of eating a cake at Christmastime stems from a sales promotion by a company.

I think that Christmas took root in Japan because of the bond between people longing for Western culture and money-hungry companies.

Christianity is entirely ignored by them.

Christmas in Japan is really strange for me.

My opinion is in the minority in Japan.