Christmas is nearly upon us again. The magical season of joy, love, and giving; for presents, Santa, and mistletoe. And, in Japan at least, the season for love hotels and long lines at the local KFC!

Everyone's favorite holiday is celebrated a little differently in Japan. Befitting a country where less than 1% of the population is Christian, the Japanese naturally embrace Christmas for its image, and while the origins of the holiday might be somewhat suspect, the world's third largest economy likes to celebrate in style. With no Thanksgiving holiday to worry about, decorations go up as early as the 1st of November, and Tokyo is transformed into a glowing homage to yuletide commercialism.

But even in Japan, Christmas means very different things to different people. Here we look at four distinct groups in the population and how they are likely to spend their day of cheer. So join us on as we set out in search of Christmas in Japan...

The Yamadas

Masahiro Yamada, 43, is a typical salary man with a young family. While Christmas is important to Yamada-san and his family, its not actually a national holiday in Japan, and so on Christmas morning, Yamada-san is off to work as usual!

Meanwhile, Yamada-san's family are doing their best to get into the Christmas spirit. His wife Reiko has already taken their son (Shin, 10 years) and daughter (Chie, 8 years) on a trip to Tokyo DisneySea. This is Disney's second theme park in the Tokyo area and it offers special packages in the lead up to Christmas which are hugely popular with families. The park's giant Christmas tree is illuminated on a daily basis and everyone's favorite mouse plays the part of a surrogate Santa!

Like an increasing number of Japanese families, the Yamadas have decorated their tiny two-bedroom apartment with bows, ribbons, and even a small plastic tree. This needs to be moved when the bedding is rolled out at night. Santa Kurosu came to visit little Shin and Chie the night before, and both received games for their Nintendo DS (though it looks like even Santa-san wasn't interested in standing outside an electronics store in the cold for a new Nintendo Wii). Shin and Chie are lucky! In Japan gifts are usually only given to children who are still young enough to believe in Santa.

Next, it's the preparations for the Christmas dinner, and in Japan it's out with the pots and pans, in with the Colonel's secret recipe! Somewhere along the way, fried chicken leapfrogged turkey and other viable options to become the de facto choice for Christmas dinner, with many fast food establishments offering variations on the "Christmas Chicken." KFCs are swarming with people on the 25th December, all under the watchful eye of a bespectacled Southern gentleman dressed in a Santa suit.

Unwilling to face the cold for some extra crispy chicken legs, Reiko instead opts for a large family size pizza from Dominos, another Christmas meal gaining popularity. For dessert, like most other families, she picks up a Christmas cake: in Japan this is a strawberry and cream sponge-cake. With candles on the cake and a large pepperoni pizza, it may not be everyone's idea of a Christmas dinner, but for the Yamadas and their children its still great seasonal fun!

Rina and Tadashi

Tadashi, 25, and Rina, 23, have been dating for a little less than a year. Though having already experienced the joys of Valentine's Day and White Day (another "lover's holiday" occurring exactly a month after Valentine's) together, this is the day they've been waiting for. Christmas is the main event for young couples in Japan, and woe be unto those without a date on this special night.

Like many young couples, Rina and Tadashi will start the night by wining and dining on a special US$110 per person Christmas course at a fancy Italian restaurant. Restaurants are fully booked at Christmas, sometimes months in advance, with couples enjoying breathtaking views of the glimmering Tokyo skyline and set meal prices sometimes in excess of three times the norm. During the dinner, Rina and Tadashi exchange expensive or cute presents: a necklace for Rina and a wallet for Tadashi, and follow this with a walk past one of the many massive, elaborately decorated Christmas trees scattered throughout Tokyo.

Finally, their amorous evening reaches a crescendo as they check into a love hotel. Basically this a hotel where Japanese couples (most of whom still live at home with their parents) can spend a few hours or indeed the night. Love hotels come in a variety of themes and price levels, enough to satisfy even the most demanding Casanova too strapped for cash to take in a real hotel. Amid a garish array of neon Christmas lights, reindeer-costumed staff, and courtesy Christmas wine, the two lovers spend the rest of their not-so-holy night...

Watanabe-kun

Pity poor Takeru Watanabe. The morning of the 25th finds him crammed aboard a commuter train bound for the city center, surrounded by a sea of equally unfortunate Bob Cratchits. To him, and most other Japanese salaried workers, Christmas is just another busy day, filled with long hours, crowded trains, and meager compensation.

On top of all this, he's 31, has no date for Christmas, and is obliged to attend his company bonenkai, or end of year party. This is a common occurrence in December, as members of companies and organizations, and groups of friends celebrate at "forget the year parties," and wind up drinking enough to do exactly that. Sandwiched in the unenviable position between the weird computer guy from work and his department head at an izakaya, or Japanese-style bar, Watanabe-kun sees little hope for this being a very Merry Christmas. But it isn't long (or many beers) before he is talkative and excitable, with visions of sugarplums dancing in his head.

Soon the two hours of nomihoudai (all you can drink) are through, and Takeru is off on his wobbly way home. Stumbling onto the train, he's greeted by the bright red faces and lingering, alcohol-infused breaths of many of his fellow countrymen. "This year wasn't so bad" he thinks as he leans against the door for support, "but next year I'm going to get a girlfriend..."

The Kobayashis

Yuji and Setsuko Kobayashi, 63 and 60 respectively, are living the good life. As former public school teachers who've recently retired, they've found the next phase of their lives to be abundant in free time and disposable income, thanks to their hefty pensions. And although this particular couple are no longer likely to swing down to a Shibuya love hotel, they're determined to enjoy the later stages of their lives by treating themselves. To this end, they get tickets to a classy hotel dinner, followed by a concert with a pianist and string quartet playing a Christmas suite.

Nothing too fancy, but Yuji and Setsuko aren't alone. Starting in 2007, Japan's "baby boom" population will start to retire, and around 6.8 million people, a number 20% higher than the previous generation, will be leaving the workforce and receive generous retirement packages. Old, bored, and well-off, all indicating that this year's string quartet could very well be next year's symphony orchestra...

Celebrating Christmas in Japan is indeed a unique experience, and although the commercial aspects of the season seem to take precedence over anything else, the festive spirit is truly alive. Whether it's visiting Colonel Sanders with the family or a love hotel with your significant other, the Christmas cheer is always there!

Merry Christmas from all the team at JMI!