CHRISTMAS IN TOKYO 2008

Christmas in Tokyo is something of an anticlimactic affair. The lead-up is dazzling, but Christmas Day isn’t even a public holiday here and everyone goes to work as usual. But did I mention that the lead-up was dazzling?

I arrived in Tokyo about one week before Christmas Day. Tokyo is a famously big city – in fact, it would probably be simpler or perhaps even more technically correct to describe it as a tightly-packed collection of mini-cities. In the months leading up to Christmas, many of the larger mini-cities and districts put up their own unique Christmas light displays – known here as “Illuminations” – that never fail to attract tides of tourists and locals alike. Considering that many of the popular areas in Tokyo are already blindingly-lit all year round, the addition of even more lights and decorations can easily overwhelm. Visual indigestion can be difficult to avoid, but one shouldn’t try as Christmas here is nothing if not very, very bright.

Popular shopping districts are, unsurprisingly, the main instigators of these visual delights, with the presumed intention of driving sales by luring customers in from the cold like so many moths to a flame. As is the case in many other parts of the world, Christmas in Tokyo has been commercialised up the wazoo. These days, the “true meaning” of Christmas is one often lost amidst all the shiny wrapping paper even in countries with a strong Christian heritage, so you can imagine how almost non-existent Jesus and co. are here in a Buddhist/Shintoist country like Japan where only 1-2% of the population is Christian. To say that the Christian folk here have an uphill battle to fight against all the demented interpretations of Santa and cute salesgirls in skimpy seasonal outfits is an understatement of galactic proportions.

Interestingly, the secularity of Christmas has been replaced here not only with the usual commercial overtones but also with a rather heavy air of romance. The Christmas Illuminations obviously make for ideal romantic spots for young couples to stroll about in the weeks leading up to Christmas, but this is none more true than on Christmas Eve when the young couples of Tokyo come out in force – it almost seems like something of a second Valentine’s Day that makes the following day, the actual Christmas Day, feel like even more of a non-event than it already is.

A final note about the cake on the cover. I noticed that one popular way of celebrating Christmas here is by eating one of these ridiculously overpriced, vacuous cakes. Bakeries everywhere here are stocked with them around Christmas time and they are impossible to miss. This particular one was a basic sponge cream cake with a layer of cream and peaches on the inside, topped with strawberries and a chocolate star. I would have described its taste as being utterly empty and devoid of character if it wasn’t for the freezing, epic trek on my bicycle through the cold and rain at night that I endured to acquire it (another story). Upon my return, and after my bones had thawed, it tasted like the best thing on Earth. Cakes in general are expensive in Japan and I could have easily purchased a one three times the size with ten times the quality of this back in Australia considering what I paid for it here, but when in Rome…

The following are some photos and videos I took of various Illuminations around Tokyo (as well as a few other items of miscellany). Apologies for the mediocre photo quality and grainy video of which my old camera only allows 30 seconds to be recorded at any one time. But for the curious, I hope they will suffice.

Faces that have been mosaiced were done so at the request of the mosaicees. I would have put up many more photos, but then there would have been mosaics everywhere.

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Ginza

Tokyo’s glitzy upmarket district had all the classy decorations one would expect from the stores of some of the world’s most prestigious brands.

This is definitely not the main street in Ginza, but a rather rich looking European-styled street a block or two away. The stylised carriages to the right were tended to by Japanese men sporting huge, fake black moustaches and top hats.

A massive five-floor finger to all the expensive department stores around it, UNIQLO’s flagship store on Ginza’s main strip, Chuo-dori, was suitably branded for the festive season.

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Shiodome

A comfortable walking distance from Ginza, Shiodome is one of Tokyo’s newest ultramodern, skyscraper-laden districts with most of its current infrastructure having been built almost entirely after the year 2000.

Descending into a beautiful forest Illumination next to Nihon TV’s headquarters.

Very pretty.

The Tree!

Probably the closest we got to a White Christmas in Tokyo.

Some video taken in the forest. Note the man in the reindeer suit trudging past at the beginning.

The “Blue Ocean Christmas 2008″ Illumination at the Caretta Shiodome skyscraper complex was an animated extravaganza complete with smoke and bubbles.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to wander through the ocean as there were so many people there that we didn’t know where the queue started, or in fact if there even was a queue. Peering over heads and mobile phones on the shoreline was the best we managed.

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Harajuku and Omotesando

Two trendy, neighbouring fashion areas catering, it seems, to completely opposing budgets. My theory is that you would start off shopping in Harajuku as a teen, then move on to Omotesando when you’ve made/married your pot of gold. Harajuku is famous for its cosplay, punk and loud youth fashions whereas Omotesando is a much more high-class shopping avenue that is home to such money-burning names like Ralph Lauren, Dolce&Gabbana, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Prada.

One of the entry points to Harajuku’s warren of shops and restaurants.

Now in Omotesando, outside the giant Ralph Lauren mansion. Some lanterns wrapped with the usual “user-generated” messages about love, peace and having a Merry Christmas. There is a big fence behind these lanterns with more written messages that didn’t make it onto a lantern.

Looking down at the centrepiece display at the Omotesando Hills shopping complex. At regular intervals, a computer somewhere would instruct it to break out into…

DISCO MODE!

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Roppongi

Arguably the “gaijin” capital of Tokyo and home to the famous Roppongi Hills development. Featuring its own lavish lights and deocartions, its close proximity to other similarly well-lit districts such as Tokyo Midtown and Tokyo Tower made it a great hub to branch out from.

The “Artelligent” Illumination was spread out across Roppongi. Here is but one street in the area. So sparkly.

Invasion? The giant spider sculpture at Roppongi Hills set against a rather dramatically lit treeline (read: fire! flames! destruction!).

This lit-up model of Tokyo Tower was inside the six-floor atrium of TV Asahi’s headquarters at Roppongi Hills. This year apparently marks their 50th anniversary of broadcasting such (inter)nationally recognised shows like Gundam, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and…

DORAEMON! Apart from the shameless romantic gesture, this has nothing to do with Christmas in Tokyo but I know some of you will appreciate it anyhow.

A forest of Christmas trees whose lights are powered by an exercise bike.

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Tokyo Midtown

This sprawling office/residential/commerical development (not unlike Roppongi Hills next door) had one of the most impressive Illumination displays, in terms of scale anyway.

The “Starlight Garden” Illumination. A truly massive field that contained what must have been thousands of lights. Celestial constellations were depicted in white amongst the galaxy of blue.

Cosmic!

This was unfortunately the best shot I could get from one of the balconies above. This Illumination was, understandably, insanely popular, which made getting a good view of it rather difficult for all the crowds jostling to do the same. There was even a queueing system in place to regulate the flow of people in to and out from the site.

Inside a small domed chamber near the main Illumination display. You can’t see it here, but there are about 30 other people packed tightly under and spilling out from this dome, all taking more or less the same photo. Not sure if it’s a permanent fixture or something erected specifically for the holiday season.

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Tokyo Tower

We visited this iconic landmark on Christmas Eve and it was predictably swamped with couples. Queues of people waited in line to buy a ticket to visit the viewing platforms above. This Eiffel Tower clone is actually taller than the French original and is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world.

Like TV Asahi, Tokyo’s famous broadcast relay tower marked its 50th anniversary this year. I wonder if Tokyo Tower helped to broadcast TV Asahi’s first program…

A view from the parking lot.

Under the giant Christmas Tree near the base of the tower. There was a lit up garden and gazebo behind this.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Japan without a random encounter with a weird company mascot! Hopefully the first of many to come.

Despite his truly frightening appearance, this silent street performer drew crowds of curious onlookers who laughed freely at his antics. I guess the locals here don’t really bat an eyelid at homicidal-looking Santas. Honestly, I expecting him to pull out a gun at any moment and start firing into the crowd, before calmly turning it on himself. Fortunately the only thing he produced, after much twisting and tugging, was a cute love heart-shaped balloon surrounding two even cuter balloon dogs. Then he picked out one guy from the audience and made him deliver it to his lady friend on one knee.

You really couldn’t sum up Japan’s warped interpretation of Santa any better than this.

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Shinjuku

Perhaps one of the most well-known (and busiest) districts in Tokyo was elegantly dressed for the occassion. I’m currently staying in Shinjuku City and am only a 15 minute bicycle ride away from the main station area, so I’ve been back many times now after Christmas and many of these lights are still up.

The “Southern Lights” Illumination display managed to light Shinjuku up even more than it usually is.

One of the walkways outside the monstrous Shinjuku Station.

Outside the Tokyu Hands shopping complex.

A rainy night outside the perpetually-busy east exit of Shinjuku Station.

The “Shinjuku Terrace City” Illumination, again, perched somewhere in the maze that is Shinjuku Station.

A chamber that changes colour when you interact with the podium inside it.

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Bonus Material

As I mentioned previously, Christmas in Tokyo is, by and large, a godless affair. Hopping from one Illumination spot to the next, from one sparkling shopping complex to the other, there was nary a nativity scene in sight. The faithful appeared to have thrown in the towel. That is, until I stumbled upon this…

Eleven young Japanese believers doing a synchronised dance routine to various Christian songs outside Harajuku Station. It was a little awkward to watch as they weren’t particularly good dancers, nor very synchronised, and the songs they were dancing to were in English and I doubt any of the locals watching really understood what they meant. Anyway, onlookers were given small packets of tissue (what else) with Jesus himself on it and some blurb in Japanese presumably telling them that Christmas isn’t really about scary white men in red pyjamas and dating.