Kurismasu

Anybody who argues that Christmas has become too commercialised in the UK should really come to Japan. In a typically Japanese fashion, Christmas has been welcomed as a festival because a) it's exciting and foreign, b) it's foreign enough to be kept at arm's length and prevented from polluting traditional Japanese culture, and c) it's a great excuse for buying things.

Traditional features of Japanese Christmas include:
- traditional Christmas Cake (a kind of sponge with strawbs and cream on top)
- traditional Santas (who have to come from Finland if at all possible - no respectable Japanese person would dress up as Santa after all)
- absolutely no religious elements whatsoever (the population's only 1% Christian!)

I MISS CAROLS ALREADY.