Consular Christmas blogs: Japan – Romance, cake and police cells

The following is a post by Naomi Cowan, Vice Consul, Tokyo.

Christmas cheer, trip to Tokyo, big night out, a few too many, punch a snowman… six days in a police cell… is how one British national spent the run up to Christmas last year.

Japan is a good example of how behaviour abroad has different consequences to behaviour back home. The consular team here in Tokyo have visited police stations to meet British nationals arrested for offences such as setting off a fire extinguisher, stealing a cardboard cut-out from a karaoke bar and punching a snowman — all of which are unlikely to result in anything more than a caution in the UK.

Police detention in Japan can also be quite different to detention back home. People are often surprised to hear that once arrested, someone can be detained for up to 23 days for questioning before being charged. Arrestees are not normally entitled to have a lawyer present during questioning, and lawyer fees can be expensive — upwards of £2,300 just for a retainer.

Many people end up having to pay compensation to the victim of their actions. Last year, the owner of the  snowman (part of a window display) received around £2,300 in damages — along with lawyer fees and the cost of a new flight home, that pre-Christmas drinking session ended up being a very expensive night out!

You may be wondering whether Japan even celebrates Christmas. You’d be right in thinking that Japan isn’t classed as a Christian country. There are some Christians in Japan, but the majority religions are Shinto and Buddhism.

Shinto shrine weddings used to be the norm, but nowadays Christian-style white weddings, along with Christmas celebrations, are growing in popularity.

On 18 November, Tokyo’s newest attraction and the world’s tallest tower — Tokyo Skytree — opened. I stopped by to take a look the other day and saw that the shopping and entertainment complex attached to Skytree has been adorned with snowflake lights and tinsel trees, and all-in-all looks very Christmassy!

Christmas Eve is the new Valentine’s Day in Japan.

Over the next few weeks, single people up and down the country will be looking for a special someone in time for the night before Christmas, and young couples will be planning how to spend what’s considered the most romantic evening of the whole year!

Christmas Eve in Japan is the time to spend eating Christmas roast chicken with your loved one — department stores, supermarkets, fast food outlets and convenience stores already have posters up letting customers know that they can pre-order their Christmas Chicken.

Then comes the Christmas cake — not the boozy fruitcake that people in the UK tend to love or hate, but a beautifully-prepared sponge cake perfectly covered with lots and lots of whipped cream. By the close of Christmas day, the lights, tinsel and baubles are packed away and focus shifts to the more sober, family-centred, traditional New Year celebrations.

So, if you happen to be spending the Christmas season in Japan, you might want to take the opportunity to fill your stocking with Christmas chicken and “Christmas” cake, but remember that enjoying the season’s greetings a bit too much might not feel quite so festive if you find yourself in a police cell.

Travel safely this Christmas

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