A Guide To Japanese Christmas Foods

While Christmas may not be a national holiday per se, there’s no lack of festive cheer in Japan come Christmastime. Many traditional Christmas decorations, such as bells, holly and reindeer, are featured on sweets and cakes at this time of year, while other ‘Christmas foods’ are simply suited for the winter season. We explore some of Japan‘s favorite foods during the Christmas season.

Christmas Cake

Possibly because of its festive white-and-red coloring, strawberry shortcakes have become the unofficial Christmas Eve dessert in Japan, and many families will share one together in the evening after everyone has come home from work. Generic Christmas cakes can be found at the grocery store, while specialty bakeries and confectionery shops will have their own take on this Christmas specialty.

Hot Saké

Christmas Wagashi

Wagashi, a traditional Japanese sweet already known for changing with the seasons, is well-suited to a Christmas make-over. Japanese confectioners create wagashi and manjū in festive shapes, like reindeer, Santa, holly leaves, puddings and snowmen. The flavors inside, however, will usually remain traditional, like red bean, burdock root and green tea to name a few.

http://instagram.com/p/BNJ-Y6DFVOn/

Yuzu

Mid-November to mid-January is yuzu season, which means that winter is prime time for this Japanese citrus. Luckily, those eager for a dose of its Vitamin C won’t have to go far to find it – from yuzu-flavored KitKat and yōkan (agar jelly cake) to cold-curing yuzu tea and yuzu-shaped cakes, you’ll come across it in abundance during Christmastime.

KFC

Chicken, and KFC in particular, is so popular around Christmastime that many families pre-order their dinners weeks in advance. The tradition of eating KFC at Christmas began in the 1970s with the company’s advertising campaign ‘Kentucky For Christmas.’ Special Christmas dinner deals from KFC include cake and sparkling wine.

Dinner for Two

Christmas Eve in Japan is the time to make one’s romantic feelings known. On this Valentine’s Day-esque evening, young couples dress up and head out to a fancy restaurant for a date. Christmas Eve’s reputation for being an auspicious day for love and couples is widespread, and it has become so ingrained in the culture that it can often be hard to find a seat when trying to eat out on this jovial night.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.