Love and bling bling for Christmas in Japan

Although only one percent of the population is Christian, Christmas has become increasingly popular in Japan. With no religious connotations, Japanese people have found their own way to celebrate it. While in most Western countries Christmas is the time of the year when families come together to spend a few reflective and restful days together, Japanese like to celebrate the season of love in the truest sense of the word, preferably as a romantic date with their (prospective) partner. Ideally, the date includes a visit to Disneyland, a stroll in the park or enjoying Christmas illuminations, followed by a candlelight dinner in a nice restaurant.

Gifts are usually only exchanged between couples. However, as revealed by a recently conducted survey of Rakuten Insight, Christmas presents don’t seem to play too big of a role: more than 25 percent of respondents, replied they did not need to receive anything. On the other hand, of those who had wish lists for Christmas, accessories were the most desired gifts. When asked about the amount of money people are planning to spend on Christmas presents, men in their 40s turned out to be most generous. Their partners are likely to receive presents worth between 7,500 to 10,000 Japanese yen.