It’s early November, and Japan is already gearing up to celebrate the birth of Christ.
No, wait—that’s not right.
Try again.
It’s early November, and Japan is already gearing up to pray at the church of rampant consumerism.
Christian missionaries—my great-grandparents included—failed to sell Christ here (Japan’s Christians make up only one percent of the total population—good for them, I say), but the Japanese sure converted to capitalism with mind-boggling zeal. Even in the midst of a decade-long recession, shopping remains a favorite pastime, almost a religion unto itself. And modern-day Christmas fits right into the shop-till-you-drop ethos found here.
In Tokyo this past weekend, I saw a tree-lighting ceremony in Ginza. It was November 9! This is insane. Something needs to be done to stop the shopping juggernaut that is Christmas. At this rate, it’ll only be a decade or so before this increasingly inane holiday gobbles up the whole year.
2 thoughts on “Bah Humbug”
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i wish i could say it was better here. but alas, late on Halloween at Bartell’s they were frantically ripping down the Halloween crap to make way for the next “seasonal” offerings, which looked to be festive Christmas-y tins of caramel popcorn. the Bon already has 8-foot x-mas “trees” made of teddy bears and tables full of gift “ideas.” Looks like grandma is getting slippers… again. Hey, at least in Japan they recognize the event for what it is, right?
Xmas trees made of teddy bears? I am intrigued and disturbed.