イギリス英会話ブログ

(Audio is available)

I only really noticed the romantic side of Christmas after I came to live in Japan. Before that, in my family Christmas was always a predominantly religious affair. I have long since ceased to experience any ecstasy at the thought of the birth of Christ and so Christmas is now an annual ritual of exchanging gifts with family and friends - a largely commercial entreprise, but no less enjoyable for that.

In England, people throw their hands up in despair every year at the increasing commercialization of this particular annual festival and religious people can’t help themselves frowning about it all. But for children and the non-religious, it’s all just a bit of fun. As such, it is no surprise that the Japanese have gone some way to adopting this Christian festival (though many aspects of it pre-date Christianity by a stretch), decorating their city centres, streets and houses with illuminations, buying christmas trees and presents for their children from Santa Claus, and buying KFC and cake! Unfortunately, mince pies, brandy butter and mulled wine are still hard to find and few are the homes equipped with an oven large enough to roast a decent-sized turkey. But these small pinches aside, it is easy enough to enjoy a fun christmas in Japan, especially if you have a girlfriend to share it with.

Of course, the after-party is the New Year celebration and one hardly has time to sobre up and clean the house than it’s New Year’s Eve in front of the TV and then down to the local shrine for some free sake. Wake up a little groggy on New Year’s Day and head over to the in-laws’ for some more sake, New Year’s greetings and o-sechi. This last is not exactly the height of Japanese cuisine, but perfectly enjoyable and it gives the cook a break for at least one day of the year so you won’t catch me complaining.

The two festivals together provide a perfect balance to the end of the year - foreign against Japanese, commercial and romantic against religious and family-oriented, shiny and pretty against un-fussy and homely, a box of fried chicken against a box of o-sechi. It can’t have been such a bad year, and if it was we have abundant opportunities to drink and eat until we can’t remember or even care much about it any more.

So - cheers, to your health and bottoms-up as the festive season rolls around once more!