Having Christmas in Japan

In this article, I'll take about how I've usually don't my Christmases in Japan.

My Very First Christmas in Japan

My first year in Japan, I didn't have much of a Christmas. I did buy a Christmas tree from a dollar store called Daiso. It was a very small one for about 5 dollars. I did go to my friend's hometown to meet her parents. But this was to celebrate New Year's, not Christmas. I actually think I had to work on Christmas because I was still working at the eikaiwa (ekaiwas are all about making money). I went with the same friend I have known since university. She is from a small town in Fukuoka, and I got to see her home. I ate traditional Japanese New Year food, called Osechi. I don't remember all that was included, but her mom made some yummy sweet potatoes, some fish, and other dishes. I have to say that I wasn't really a fan and haven't eaten any since. I was told Osechi was for the housewives of Japan. Every day they work hard for the family, but during New Year's, they can rest. It is a food that should be eaten for about three days, so their mom doesn't have to cook.

My Christmas in The Philippines

My next Christmas, I spent it on the Philippines. I have to admit that it was a little bit better than my Christmas in Japan. Only a little. It was my first time to the Philippines, and everything did look quite festive. They had fireworks on Christmas Eve! That was great, and it was pretty cool. HOWEVER, and this is huge...I got food poisoning!! It was my first time visiting, and I had honestly never been to a third world country. I didn't know what I ate to get sick, but of course I was sad. I went to a Christmas buffet with my husband (then boyfriend), but I could barely eat anything.... And I LOVE to eat! I still managed to get some Lechon down, which is roasted pig in Cebu. It is quite DELICIOUS if I must say.. But still.

Last Christmas 

Last year, I was back in Japan. I spent Christmas with my husband and my in-laws. It was pretty uneventful. My in-laws were working, and I only watched Netflix. The next day, I did speak to my family though, so that was fun. I did eat Osechi again, but it was only for one day. My husband and his family don’t like it as much. It is traditional for Japanese people to eat it, but not everyone likes it.

And this year??

This year, I plan to cook a turkey... Yes, a REAL turkey. It's from France, but it's still a turkey LOL. I didn't even realize I could buy turkey in Japan. The turkey is only 1.8 KG (about 3.9 pounds), and I paid about 40 dollars!! It's A LOT, but I want a Christmas dinner. I'll also be making my family's stuffing, and I'll attempt to make macaroni and cheese from scratch. I wanted to buy the Velveeta, but it's too expensive LOL. I had attempted to make macaroni and cheese from scratch when I lived in Kanto, but it was sooo heavy, I didn’t remember it having so much fat. I bought my turkey from Rakuten, but I heard that a SOGO near me sells them. I unfortunately also heard that they sell out pretty quickly, so I didn’t  want to risk it. To make my stuffing I needed corn bread, which I ordered from eBay. Unfortunately, eBay. If you live near a Costco in Japan, your life would definitely be much easier! I have an oven range, Japan’s version of an oven. It’s a microwave that also functions as an oven. It’s very small, so I need a special roasting pan to cook the turkey. That is also another reason why I decided to get a smaller turkey. It was due to the fact that only my husband and I will be the only ones eating it. I decided to order my roasting pan from the American Amazon, instead of Amazon Japan. The reason is because I ordered the pan on Amazon Japan, but my order was cancelled. When I looked to see why, I saw the reason. It was because they wanted to charge about 50 dollars for the pan, when I had only paid about 25 originally. So, I hoped on over to the American Amazon, where the EXACT SAME pan, and seller, was about 35 dollars with import fees. That’s a trick that I learned. In general, Amazon Japan is usually more expensive.