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Today was allegedly our 17th month anniversary so we went out for a meal this afternoon. I had that very traditional Japanese meal of beefburger and deep fried shrimp(?) and Reiko ate scallops. It was very tasty. On the way to and from the restaurant we passed multitudes of Christmas relics.

There were snowmen and Father Christmases outside restaurants and childrens shops. They were doing roaring trade with specially themed Christmas areas of the stores filled with toys, trees, tinsel and baubles. All over Osaka and Japan there are symbols of Christmas. In Umeda (Osaka city centre) there is an enormous neon Christmas tree. Universal Studios Japan has dropped the Halloween festivities for Yuletide ones with Elmo and Bert clothed in Santa gear doling out presents and even statues of KFC`s uberlord Colonel Sanders outside their stores have been dressed up as the fat red man.

I know it`s November and that to be seeing the first signs of Christmas so late in the year (though still not late enough) is refreshing. Where I am from in England the populous will have been decorating the outside of their houses with a network of bright lights as well as large neon icons of the Christmas season since early October whilst at the same time helping passing aircraft guage their altitude in stormy weather . It`s just that I was expecting to see few if any symbols of Christmas in Japan 6000 miles away from London. There is a Christian community in Japan located predominantly in Western Japan where missionary work was located in the 16th Century but Christmas in the largely Shinto and Buddhist nation is seen as more for couples and children. I guess I was just hoping to have a Christmas free Christmas this year. Is that too much to ask?