Looks like Christmas

クリスマスのような

    This is the Tokyo Tower, decorated for Christmas, in early November.

説明をしにくいだけど、日本のクリスマスの雰囲気は、アメリカにくらべると違います。　　日本でクリスマスの飾り物はもっと大きくて、高いそうです。そして少なくて、手あたり次第と思います。アメリカより日本の季節は早いだよ。多分３か４週間前、東京はクリスマス季節のようになった気がついた。銀座特別に祝い祭りになった。アメリカでは大体感謝祭日後だけです。明日は体感謝祭日だけど七面鳥をオーベンで焼きません。家族は短い旅行をする。静岡の寸又峡に行きます。ハイキングし、SLの電車を乗って、温泉をして、写真を撮って、 おいしい日本料理を食べてします。

It's difficult to explain, but the Christmas holiday atmosphere in Japan is very different from America.  Probably a good reason is that it is mostly just a secular holiday here, and a borrowed one at that.  Compared to America, the decorations here are much larger and appear to be more expensive.  Also, as Monica puts it, there are fewer decorations but they seem rather random, like a big beautiful Christmas Tree in front of an important building, but no other decorations at all around, whereas in America, the Christmas   decorations, large and small, are everywhere.  But NOT until after Thanksgiving.  Here, they appear much earlier.  I started noticing them three or four weeks ago.  Especially in Ginza, the elite shopping center in central Tokyo. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, but I won't be cooking a turkey this year.  Instead, we will take a little family trip to Sumata-kyo, in Shizuoka Prefecture.  We will ride on the Steam Locomotive, go hiking, take pictures of Autumn scenery, go to an onsen, and eat delicious Japanese food. 

Before we leave, I need to make the Schedule for the Altar Servers for December for our church which is in Roppongi.  So, there is some real Christmas Spirit in Japan besides the beautiful decorations.

Comments

[Martin]

Good observations about Holiday cultures in Japan and America. 写真と話は面白いです！