Christmas Tree Day

What Is Christmas Tree Day?

Every December 7th is "Christmas Tree Day" (クリスマスツリーの日, Kurisumasu Tsurī no Hi) in Japan. On December 7, 1886, the Meiji-ya (明治屋) — a Western import food and goods store in Yokohama — decorated what is considered Japan's first Christmas tree, displayed in its shop window to attract customers during the holiday season. The display, featuring a decorated evergreen tree in the Western tradition, introduced the Christmas tree to Japanese popular awareness and initiated a tradition of Christmas decoration that has since become one of Japan's most elaborate and commercially significant seasonal phenomena.

Christmas in Japan: A Unique Cultural Adaptation

Japan's relationship with Christmas is a fascinating example of cultural borrowing and creative adaptation. Christmas in Japan is celebrated primarily as a secular romantic and commercial holiday rather than a religious observance — with the emphasis on illuminated street displays, Christmas cake (typically a white cream sponge cake with strawberries), fried chicken from KFC (a tradition that began in 1974 and has become deeply embedded), and romantic dinners for couples rather than religious services or family gift exchanges. The Christmas tree — central to the Western tradition — became central to Japan's secular adaptation as well.

Japan's Christmas Illuminations

One of Japan's most distinctive seasonal traditions is the elaborate Christmas illumination (イルミネーション, iruminēshon) displays that adorn shopping districts, parks, and tourist attractions from late November through early January. Cities compete to stage the most spectacular light shows, and "illumination spots" attract enormous crowds of couples and families. Destinations like Nabana no Sato in Mie Prefecture, Kobe's Kobe Luminarie, and countless shopping center displays have made Christmas illumination a major tourism driver.

The Commercial Dimension

Japan's Christmas season is one of the most commercially important periods of the retail year. Gift-giving, restaurant reservations, hotel stays, entertainment, and seasonal food and beverage products all peak around December 24th-25th. Christmas Eve has become the most popular date for romantic dining in Japan — a tradition so established that restaurant reservations on December 24th are booked months in advance in major cities.

Fun Facts

• KFC Christmas: KFC's "Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii" (クリスマスにはケンタッキー, "Kentucky for Christmas") campaign, launched in 1974, transformed fried chicken into Japan's default Christmas dinner — a marketing success story studied in business schools worldwide.
• Christmas cake: Japan's Christmas cake — a white sponge decorated with whipped cream and strawberries — has no precedent in Western Christmas tradition; it was created by Japanese confectioners as a seasonal product and is now inseparable from the Japanese Christmas experience.