In Japan, there is no national religion and many people do not believe in a specific religion. In a 2018 NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) survey, more than 60% of people answered that they had no religion. However, we love events, so we celebrate Christmas and Valentine even if there are few Christians. Japanese people seem to have a habit of making foreign cultures original.

Many young people have the idea of ​​spending Christmas Eve on the 24th with their romantic partners and Christmas on the 25th with their families, but there is no particular rule.We usually eat cake on the Christmas Day. Other countries often have their own Christmas sweets, but Japan does not have any special Christmas sweets.

It is also unique to Japan that fried chicken has become a staple on the Christmas menu. In Western countries, they roast a whole turkey for Christmas. However, since it is difficult to obtain turkey in Japan, fried chicken has been substituted. Kentucky Fried Chicken is the most famous, but the Japanese think that anything is fine as long as it is chicken.  Also, Japanese convenience stores sell high quality fried chicken, so some people buy it at convenience stores. In addition, people say that cakes and fried chicken have become established as a result of campaigns held by major chain stores.

For me, I often go see illuminations with my friends. However, there are many couples who visit there as a date spot, so those who do not have romantic partners would feel a little sad and lonely.

These photos are famous illumination spot called ''なばなの里''(Nabana no Sato). It is located in Mie prefecture.