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One of Sumire Sekino’s most memorable Christmases involved spending the day hopping around some of Tokyo’s best date spots with her boyfriend.
That day, she recalled, started with the couple going to TeamLab, an immersive and highly Instagrammable digital art installation. Then they headed to Shibuya Sky, an observation deck 230 meters above the ground, to get a panoramic view of the Japanese capital.
“It was only our first month together, so we were still nervous. But I had so much fun going to these places with him for the first time,” says the university student.
Another student, Akao Takao, 19, watched some dazzling light shows and went to a Christmas market with his girlfriend last year before sitting down for a belly-warming hot chocolate.
“I had a great experience,” he says.
In Western culture, Christmas is the time of year when families gather around a long table to catch up, open lavishly wrapped gifts and sip eggnog. Some go to church.
But in Japan, the holidays have long taken on an extra dimension, a rather romantic one: it is widely seen as just another Valentine’s Day..
Couples go on a special date on Christmas Eve, checking out festive decorations, dining at fancy restaurants and staying in luxury hotels.
Love is in the air everywhere, from Tokyo – where bustling neighborhoods like Roppongi and Ginza are filled with couples holding hands on streets lined with twinkling trees – to Hokkaido, where the promise of a white Christmas awaits.
A couple sits in a central park in Tokyo under Christmas lights. – Thomas Peter/Reuters/File
For guys willing to spend a bit, luxury hotel rooms with spectacular views – easily costing up to $2,000 a night – are on offer, if they’re not already booked solid.
Young people in Japan often stay with their parents until they get married, so spending a night outdoors together is seen as a special treat.
This year, the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo is offering a “romantic escape,” including credits toward a delicious dinner and an outdoor rink skating experience. Grand Hyatt Tokyo, meanwhile, promises a ‘romantic evening’, with rooms overlooking the festively lit trees.
Restaurants and shops are also taking the opportunity to unveil special dinner sets and discounts on a range of gifts, from chocolates to jewellery.
“It’s all about mood and atmosphere,” Associate Professor Roy Starrs, who specializes in Japanese studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand, tells CNN Travel.
“Young couples go out together after dark to watch the spectacular displays of colorful lights and this is thought to be a very romantic atmosphere conducive to young love.”
Workers dressed as Santa Claus parade through Tokyo’s Marunouchi business district. – Issei Kato/Reuters/File
Japan’s most followed religion, a country of 124 million, is Shinto, with less than one percent of the population being Christian. And yet the country celebrates Christmas in full spirit.
According to Starrs, Christianity entered Japan in the mid-16th century but was largely suppressed for another two and a half centuries during the Tokugawa era, a period characterized by strict social order and isolationist policies.
It wasn’t until after World War II that American culture began to conquer Japan, and with it Christmas. But the holiday is celebrated with a unique Japanese twist.
“Most Japanese do not regard Christmas as a religious event, but as a pop-cultural spectacle imported from the West – an aesthetically pleasing mix of bright lights, Santa Claus dolls, Christmas markets, colorfully wrapped gifts. [and] Christmas cakes,” says Starrs.
Japan is a society that values aesthetics, he adds, so it makes sense that these festive displays, often accompanied by ample snow, are the perfect recipe for a romantic white Christmas.
A visitor views a Christmas installation with goldfish and colorful lights at the Art Aquarium Museum in Tokyo. – Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters/File
“The couple can also exchange gifts, visit an exotic German-style Christmas market and end the evening at a chic French or Italian restaurant. And finally, the mood can be just right for a marriage proposal!” says Starrs.
The romantic twist on Christmas may be one of the best gifts the Japanese government can hope for as it works to boost marriages and births.
The fertility rate fell to 1.20 last year, another record low, well below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population in a country.
For the older generation in what was once the world’s second-largest economy, opulence was the way to go, the more glamorous the better. In addition to expensive hotels, men often opened bottles of champagne and rented limousines for a night to impress.
But after years of stagnation, Japan’s once enviable economic strength has lost its luster, falling to fourth place in the world earlier this year. With the rising cost of living – exacerbated by the recent depreciation of the Japanese yen – young couples are looking for creative ways to celebrate.
A couple walks through Christmas lights in a shopping district in Tokyo. – Koji Sasahara/AP/File
University student Inoue Shogo, 23, says he would avoid hotels because of the price increases.
“As Western food becomes more expensive because everyone is looking for Christmas dinner, we opt for a cheaper version, mostly Japanese food,” he says.
Simply eating a Christmas cake, staying home for a private party and viewing Christmas lights are increasingly popular options among the younger generation today, according to a recent survey by marketing company MERY.
Yuhi Hasegawa, 19, visited Enoshima with his girlfriend last year, enjoying the festive lights and beautiful views.
The small island is located an hour by train south of Toyko and is known for its sandy beaches and relaxed lifestyle.
“We should value time with our partner. Instead of spending money on fancy restaurants or luxury cosmetics, staying home, watching ‘First Love’ (a love series on Netflix) and finding true love might be the perfect solution,” he says.
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