Motorcycle Santas in Shinjuku, Tokyo

Papa saw 100 Santas on motorcycles in Shinjuku Tokyo tonight!

Click on the labels below for more posts about Christmas in Japan.

Christmas at Isetan Fuchu 2011

The view from Starbucks.

Christmas 2011 ad campaign.

Amazing mural on the floor. It's like a big sticker, I'm sure, but it doesn't look like it at all. It looks like part of the floor.

Merry Christmas!

I can't say that Christmas decorations are everywhere. But some products change their packaging seasonally. Like these chocolate chip cookies.

Click on the label Christmas in Japan below to see other posts about our Christmas in Japan.

The Nutcracker

Big Sister and I went to see "The Nutcracker" again this year. Little Brother went only once with us. A long time ago. He wasn't interested. Check this old post.

Ordering Christmas Cake

Starting in late November, you can order the traditional Japanese Christmas cake, strawberry shortcake, at some cake shops, grocery stores and department store food sections. You can also just drop by and buy one, but it's best to order, especially when buying from a small neighborhood cake shop.

Here's a post about other Christmas cakes.

Merry Christmas!

Click on the label below to read past posts about Christmas in Japan.

You may have seen this mark. Focus a cell phone on this square mark and you can connect to a company's website. Do you have this in your country?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

We bought this statue a few years ago. We found it in a shop down the street from the peace monument at ground zero in Nagasaki.

The holidays are just beginning here. School break begins today.

Cakes Given and Received

Our friend, the baker, chased me down the street to give me this cake on Christmas Eve. I walked by his shop on my way home from the grocery store. Everyone on the street smiled. This is the traditional Christmas cake. A nice gift! We used it for Aunt's birthday cake. Her birthday is Christmas Day.

Big Sister made this Buche Noel to give to a friend. Christmas Cake decorations and supplies have a special place at the front of stores during this season. Over the years, people have started making cakes at home.

Report Cards on Christmas Day

This was the last day of school before the winter break. Students took their report cards home. They just finished the second term of the school year. They will go back to school on the 3rd of January. The school year ends in March.

This is part of the report card. I didn't want to include Little Brother's marks even though they were good. On the left is a column of different subjects and objectives. On the right are columns for the marks or grades for the three terms of the school year.

Here is a close-up of the headings for the terms. On the left, there is a section of three columns for the marks for the first term. In the middle, there is a section for the second term. And then a section for the third term is on the right.

Students do not get a number or a letter grade. See the three columns beneath the 1 and the 2 and the 3? The marks are written in columns below those words. If students are working hard and doing well, they get a circle in the first column under the word yoku dekiru "can do well". If their work is adequate, they get a circle in the middle column under the word dekiru "can do". If they need to work harder, they get a circle in the third column under the word mou sukoshi
"a little more ".

Parents sign the cards by stamping them with the family seal (a stone with their name carved in it.) Students take them back to school and the teacher stamps them with her seal. I can't show that section of the report card to you because they contain legal signatures. They should not be posted because they could be duplicated.

Kids Web Japan--winter break

Silent Night In Japan

Little brother received this creche when he graduated from Japanese kindergarten at age 5. He went to a Catholic kindergarten. All of the students were Japanese. I'm not sure if any of them were Catholic.

Big Sister received this plaque when she graduated from the same school. We have used both every Christmas since they received them.

Big Sister and I have gone to "The Nutcracker" every year since she was four. It is performed by the Matsuyama Ballet Company. Little Brother went once, but he was not interested. He stays with Baba when we go. This is the ticket from last year. (I couldn't find this year's ticket.) There is only one performance in our area. It is early in the month.

At the end of the performance, the dancers came out to take a bow. They started tapping their feet. They scattered as the music began to swell into Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. They do this every year. (Click here to read a story written by some children from Bando, Japan. It is about the history of the Ninth symphony in Japan.)

The dancers came out in groups to take their bows as the Ninth Symphony was played. The music moved into other Christmas carols. Some dancers came out and did a little jig. Some came in sleighs or on the backs of reindeer. A big banner that read "Happiness to All Peoples Everywhere" was lowered with confetti.

At the very end the dancers all lined up on stage. The orchestra played "Silent Night". In the past, the dancers and the audience sang it in Japanese. This year the dancers stood with their heads bowed. They slowly moved forward closer to the audience. They gradually raised their hands into prayer. It was very touching.

Here are the lyrics to "Silent Night" in romaji , the roman alphabet. I put the English words under the first verse so you can see how to phrase it while singing. I hope it helps. It is not a word for word translation so please don't think that "shi" means night in Japanese, etc. Check the links section for Dr. Bestor's pronunciation guide or the one on Kids Web Japan. I then wrote the first verse with the 2nd and 3rd verses so you can see the Japanese words written as they should be in romaji.


Kiyoshi Kono Yoru

ki--yo shi
Si--lent night

ko no yo ru
Ho-- ly night

ho shi wa
All is calm
hi ka ri
all is bright

su
Round
ku
young
i-- no
Vir--gin
mi--ko
Moth- er and
wa,
Child,
ma bu ne---
Ho-- ly In--fant
no
so
na--
ten-der
ka ni
and mild

ne --
Sleep
mu ri-
in heav-
- - ta
en-ly
mou-- (this "u" means the "o" is long)
peace,


i--
sleep
to ya--
in heav-en
su ku--
-ly peace--

1. kiyoshi kono yoru hoshi wa hikari
sukui no miko wa mabune no naka ni
nemuri tamou ito yasuku (this "u" means the "o" is long)

2. kiyoshi kono yoru mitsuge ukeshi
makibitotachi wa miko no mimae ni
nukazukinu kashikomite

3. kiyoshi konoyoru miko no emi ni
megumi no miyo no ashita no hikari
kagayakeri hogaraka ni

Christmas Boot

Some Christmas stockings are sold in Japan. These Christmas boots are more common. They are filled with candy and cookies. They are usually packaged with an animation character on them. I saw one with rhinoceros beetles on it. I'll try to get a picture of it. These boots are given as gifts to children.

We bought this one for our friend who is in the hospital over the holidays. It is really small. It has a character on it called Shinkansen, the name of the Japanese trains that go really fast. Our friend came to Tokyo on a shinkansen.

P.S. The beetle boots were sold out when I went back.

Hachiko at Christmas

This is the famous statue of Hachiko outside Shibuya station in Tokyo. You may have read an article or book about him. There is a picture book in English named Hachiko. Pamela S. Turner wrote it. There is also a book for older readers by Leslea Newman called Hachiko Waits. I have not read them yet. It is difficult to find English books here. I read about the authors. They both did a lot of research about Hachiko, so I am sure they are good books.

This is the name plate on the statue. It says "Loyal Dog, Hachiko". "Chuu ken Hachiko". Hachiko waited at this station for his master every day even after his master had died.

Today there were red carnations on Hachiko's statue.

This is a utility cover on the ground. It is to the right of the statue. There is probably a water or gas pipe here. It is too small to be a manhole cover.

There are many cherry (sakura) blossom designs on the ground around the plaza where the statue stands.

These Christmas trees were to the left of the statue. They are near the intersection.

The entrance and exit was named after Hachiko. Many people come here to see the statue. Many people who meet their friends wait for them near the statue. It is a waiting and meeting place.

The sign is in English, Japanese, and Korean. Note the long mark over the "o" in English. Korean is the script under the English word "Entrance".

Live Christmas Trees

Many flower shops have a real live Christmas tree as a decoration. There are many live Christmas trees outside other shops and buildings, too. This one is outside the Tokyo Women's Center in Shibuya.

This one is outside a cake shop.

This one is outside a church. It just has lights on it.

The Disney Store, a Mac Ad, and a Bear in Shibuya

This is the Disney Store in Shibuya, Tokyo. I didn't go in.

Have you seen this ad in your country? I didn't go in here, either.

Santa Bear was eating honey. His arm went up and down. He was sitting outside a dress shop.

Department Store Christmas Tree Wishes

This is the Christmas tree at our neighborhood Seiyu Department Store. Seiyu is a big chain of stores. Our store is small.

Tokyu Department Store had a Christmas tree. Customers wrote wishes on paper decorations and put them on these trees. It is sort of like the tanabata decoration on July 7th. Click on the "decorations" label below to see pictures of that.

More KFC

Here is another picture of KFC. I'm not promoting it. It's just that the Colonel is a familiar face. He stands here in his white suit in all seasons. During the Christmas season, however, he's dressed like Santa.

I mentioned before that KFC is a popular Christmas dinner. Here's an ad for the barrel of chicken he's famous for. Above the barrel, it says "Party Barrel" in katakana. The barrel sells for 3950 yen. Do you know how to find the current exchange rate to calculate the price in your currency?

Here are some advertisement banners outside the restaurant. The red one says "Kentucky For Christmas". The foreign words are written in katakana. This is what it would look like in romaji or the roman alphabet : kurisumasu niwa kentakii.

Seen from the Train