Home » Christmas » Christmas in Japan Christmas in Japan   Christmas in Japan is different from that in the west. The major religion in Japan is Buddhism and Shinto, so Christmas is more of a commercial event. Christmas Eve is popular than Christmas day itself. 123Christians offers information on Christmas in Japan. In Japan, giving Christmas presents is widespread. Parents give presents to their children, but not vice versa. The reason behind this is that only Santa bring presents, so once the children no longer believe in Santa the presents are no longer given. Most Japanese families have a Christmas tree, with the trend of and now it is common to have lights outside houses as in Australia. For single women it is crucial to have someone to spend Christmas Eve with. Equally important is also where they spend the evening and what present they receive. The whole evening must be extraordinary, elegant and quixotic. Japanese women who have a boy friend tend to be glad, and those who don’t, keep mum about the topic. Cake shops throughout Japan always attempt to sell all their Christmas cakes before Christmas Eve. Any cakes left over are seen to be outdated. Women over 25 were compared to unsold Xmas cakes. Nowadays, with the average age for marriage being no the rise, it is history. For a special Japanese Christmas custom, the Daiku, or Great Nine – Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony - is traditionally performed in many places at Christmas time. The second custom is the Christmas cake, which is a boon to the Japanese bakery industry. To know more on Christmas in Japan, log on to 123Christians.