by Mason, age 9 from Tampa, asks Santa Kurohsu about Japan’s Christmas Eve traditions, including its famous fried chicken custom.
A Letter to Santa Kurohsu from Mason in Tampa, Florida
Dear Santa Kurohsu, my name is Mason and I am nine years old. I live in Tampa, Florida, and I heard Christmas in Japan is celebrated a little differently, so I have questions:
- Are you different from Hoteiosho, or are you the same person?
- Do Japanese children leave out treats for you?
- Do you bring presents to children in Japan?
- Do you come down the chimney?
- Do you come on Christmas Eve?
- Do you have helpers?
- Do you have reindeer?
- Do you visit every child in Japan, or only those who celebrate?
- Do you wear a red suit?
- Your name is the Japanese pronunciation of Santa Claus, are you the same?
- Geography: Japan is made up of four main islands. Name the largest one.
- Social Studies: In Japan, eating a specific fast food item has become a popular Christmas Eve tradition. What is that food, and how did the tradition start?
From, Mason
Santa Kurohsu Writes Back
Are you different from Hoteiosho, or are you the same person?
Yes, Mason, Hoteiosho comes from older Buddhist folklore, while I am basically the Japanese version of the more modern, Western style Santa Claus, red suit and all.
Do Japanese children leave out treats for you?
Some Japanese children do leave out small treats, though the bigger food tradition in Japan actually happens on Christmas Eve itself, rather than treats left just for me.
Do you bring presents to children in Japan?
Yes, I bring gifts to children across Japan, especially in cities where Christmas has become a bright, festive season.
Do you come down the chimney?
Chimney, when a home happens to have one, though many modern Japanese apartments require a bit of extra holiday magic.
Do you come on Christmas Eve?
Christmas Eve night, yes, a night that has also become quite popular for couples celebrating together, almost like a second Valentine’s Day.
Do you have helpers?
A small team helps me prepare, especially with the very popular holiday shopping season in Japan’s big cities.
Do you have reindeer?
I keep a sleigh with reindeer for tradition’s sake, gliding easily over Japan’s mountains and glittering city skylines.
Do you visit every child in Japan, or only those who celebrate?
I try to bring holiday cheer to any household that celebrates the festive season, even if the deeper religious meaning of Christmas matters to a smaller group in Japan.
Do you wear a red suit?
Yes, a red suit, matching the globally familiar image most Japanese children already recognize from movies, decorations, and advertising.
Your name is the Japanese pronunciation of Santa Claus, are you the same?
That’s right, Santa Kurohsu is simply how Santa Claus sounds when pronounced with Japanese syllables, and yes, I am considered the same character, just adapted with local Japanese pronunciation and customs.
Geography: Japan is made up of four main islands. Name the largest one.
Japan is made up of four main islands, and the largest of them, Honshu, is home to Tokyo and most of the country’s biggest cities, where holiday lights shine especially bright each December.
Social Studies: In Japan, eating a specific fast food item has become a popular Christmas Eve tradition. What is that food, and how did the tradition start?
In Japan, Christmas Eve became linked with a rather unusual tradition, eating fried chicken from a well known American fast food chain. It started with a clever 1970s advertising campaign built around the idea of Kentucky for Christmas, and it caught on so well that many families now order their holiday chicken meal weeks in advance.
