or Kitschmas in Japan

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????????? or Kitschmas in Japan?
Preliminary project report, as of
11/11/2007 Issues of Contemporary Japanese
Society and Culture, Kansai Gaidai University
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Project outline

• find out about ways of celebrating Christmas in
  Japan, understand it (verstehe), describe,
  analyze, search for pattern(s) including
• Defining a way of current Christmas spending of
  different groups young people, adults, urban
  population, rural population, Christians
• if possible provide comparison with historical
  ways of spending Christmas
• Discuss role of tradition, Christianity and
  commerce in the Christmas, possibly provide
  theoretical grounding for the discussion

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Methods

• Current(?) literature review
• Joseph J. Tobin (Ed.) 1992. Re-made in Japan
  everyday life and consumer taste in a changing
  society. Yale University Press, New Haven-London.
• Befu, H. Gift Giving in a Modernizing Japan in
  Lebra, T.S. W.P. Lebra (Eds.)1979. Japanese
  Culture and Behavior, Selected Readings. The
  University Press of Hawaii
• Moeran, B. L. Skov. Cinderella Christmas
  Kitsch, Consumerism and Youth in Japan in Miller,
  D. (Ed.) 1995. Unwrapping Christmas, Claredon
  Press, Oxford.
• Hideo Konagaya. 2001. The Christmas Cake A
  Japanese Tradition of American Prosperity in
  Journal of Popular Culture 34(4) pp. 121-136
• English newspaper/journals articles (Washington
  Post, NYT)
• blogs

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Methods

• Interviews, questionnaires (?)
• so far conducted several (n5) interviews, all of
  them young (21, only one male)
• need to reach out to other target groups
• Observation (mostly of the commercialization)
• Taking documentation of the commercials, later
  perhaps media analysis

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Western image of Japanese Christmas

• festival of commerce for couples (expensive
  dinners, hotels)
• "For a guy, Christmas is the best chance to get
  a girl into his hands," said Miharu Horie, a
  29-year-old teacher. "No girl would turn down a
  restaurant dinner and a Christmas present. Of
  course, she might not want to go all the way to a
  hotel room. in New York Times, 25/12/1995
• without understanding the Christian context
• Yes, Yoshito, there is a Christ in Christmas,
  Christian Science Monitor, 22/12/1999
• Christmas Cake, KFC
• done after December 25th

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Image of Japanese Christmas (based on interviews)

• festival for couples, occasion for small children
  with parents, party time for young without
  partners
• meaning depends on the group
• it is not a public holiday, evening celebration
• very vague understanding of the religious
  significance (3/5 thought JC died on Xmas)
• Like New Year celebration better (cash gifts,
  extended family visits)

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Kids/ Parents Christmas

• spend time with the family
• all had a Christmas tree, at some point believed
  in Santa, did receive presents, decorated fake
  Xmas tree
• would eat Christmas cake with parents, possibly
  have chicken (not necessarily KFC)
• presents bought by the parents, kids do not buy
  presents for anyone else in family (4/5), the
  same person would buy presents for friends on a
  Xmas Party (up to 1000 each)
• presents would by the sleeping place until the
  age of 9-15
• all believed in Santa at some point, uncertainty
  about his home, means of transportation
• most of them know several Christmas song such
  as???????????? (Red-nosed Reindeer) or ???????
  (Silent Night)

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Young Peoples Christmas

• depends on whether they have a partner some
  will try to get a date, some will rather stay
  with friends
• if dating, they would go to a restaurant, coffee
  place and stroll no of the interviewees thought
  luxury hotels are common (rich people)
• they will buy a present and expect to get a
  present most likely an accessory of some kind
• if with friends might have a party, chill out,
  watch TV and/or get drunk
• Quotes
• Its like other Valentines Day
• You could be miserable, if you dont have a
  girlfriend
• Its just for fun, it is US style and people
  want to look cool
• Its for fun, not many care about the real
  meaning

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Stereotypes Check
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Selling Christmas a possible dead end for the
project

• see how Christmas is advertised, specific groups
• November 11, 2007- Kuzuha Mall
• ads in some third or half of the shops, Christmas
  decoration in common areas probably provided by
  the owner of the mall
• no Christmas J-Pop, or other songs yet
• nothing special standard bad copywriting
  (Dramatic Christmas)
• Kids Part entry more decorated than the main
  building entry

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What remains to be done

• history of Christmas in Japan
• Japanese Christians Xmas
• Xmas of older people (1945-1951 shift?)
• more young people, preferably not KG students
  (international bias?)
• explore theoretical groundings by means of
• Wa (traditional)/Ya (Western) ouchi /soto
• Hare (mundane)/Ke (special)
• Kitsch
• Inception of Western institutions
  (domestification)
• Questionnaires (?)