This is the first year that I have noticed (with great foreboding of the nature of future years) that Christmas in Japan has finally "arrived" on a large scale.  A lot of shopping areas put up decorations and the Kobe "Illuminarie" has been going for serveral years to commemorate the victims of the Hanshin Earthquake, but this year, the TV commercials seemed to take on a different spin: namely that things being advertised without a Christmas connection, seemed to feature santas or families acting "Christmassy"

Christmas in Japan is basically thought of as "romantic" and officially it is when a couple dress up and go out for a posh dinner and eat iced sponge! I was greatly amused by the tree in Mio department store (my second home") This year it featured TV screens that inbetween having santa bouncing around, showed a recurring two minute video of a girl alone on Christmas Day, but who finally meets a guy.   Talk about taking the Christ out of Christmas!