Christmas Illumination - Sapporo

25th December, 2004 - Odori Kouen is a little different when there's no Yuki Matsuri - however, it doesn't lack colour and light. Each year, Sapporo has lights up to White Illumination, from late November to about the 3rd of January. It's not quite Christmas in nature, but the illumination adds a lot of life to an already thriving park. And if you look hard enough, you can see a little bit of Christmas even here in cold, cold Sapporo.

Actually there's a thriving trade in Japan for Santa Claus, or Santa-san - it's what you would call seasonal work.

The illumination may not be a good win for carbon-emissions, but there's something that's definitely uplifting to see a night-light display.

Even the trees compete for our attention.

 And succeed in outshining even Odori's brightly lit Sapporo Tower.

There's something at once both beautiful and disturbing about this Christmas illuminated maypole... it's a little like a Christmas-themed toy-shop.

Hopeful smiles whilst simultaneously being strangely melancholic.

It's a beautiful time to be in Sapporo if you can't make the Yuki Matsuri.

Come 10:30pm, the lights go out, and it's off to home we go... the boulevard lights remain on to light our way... thankfully, Odori Subway Station is near-by. It's cold, but it's been a great Christmas Day - at my second home, Sapporo.

 

Christmas Eve - Sapporo Style

24th December, 2004 - I arrived into Sapporo on Christmas Eve... actually the weather in Japan had been a bit of a nightmare in the days preceding, and there had been many days when New Chitose Airport had been closed. Thankfully, this was not one of those days. I was re-united with T-chan (after too many weeks), and also her wonderful family. My mood had lifted.

Many people ask, what is Christmas in Japan - and that's both an easy and difficult question to answer. In my opinion Christmas is great in Japan... for starters - I can experience a white Christmas (at least in Sapporo)... unlike the hot, dry days we get back in Adelaide.

It's a consumer occasion - and let's face it... some consumerism can be  YUMM-O! One tradition that's developed around Christmas in Japan is the Christmas Cake (kurisumasu ke-ki). It's generally a light sponge cake that's beautifully decorated with cream and edible delights (who can eat Father Christmas though?). I found that Japanese cakes whilst they look like they should be super-rich are generally refreshingly light flavoured. Unfortunately they're just too small for me! ?;-)

There are few if any religious over-tones to Christmas. It's a consumer time of year, most often celebrated as a romance occasion for young couples. However, more and more there is a cultural inclusion of Christmas in Japan - without the Christian core. New Years Day in Japan is much closer to Christmas in the West - with a focus on family gathering.

We certainly had the whole family gathered for tonight, and it was as much a re-union as it was Christmas. Nihon no ke-ki... hisashiburi desu ne! Ittadakimasu.