The festive season is in full swing now. I can see Christmas decorations up in almost every business around Fuji. I think the difference between Ireland and Japan right now is the amount of people shopping. In Ireland, thousands of people are all doing Christmas shopping at the same time. It means that stores everywhere are full of people and in some places you can barely move! It gets incredibly busy at this time of year. I have heard that the busy spots in Japan are the illumination festivals and, of course, K.F.C. on Christmas Eve. I have heard that so many people want fried chicken on Christmas Eve that you have to order in advance to get any. In Ireland, however, we have turkey on Christmas Day. Turkey is hard to find here in Japan, so chicken has become the popular alternative. I`m looking forward to visiting an illumination in Tokyo later this month. Just before Christmas, we have a holiday for the Emperor`s birthday. On December 23rd the country celebrates his birthday with a national holiday. Every time a new emperor is ordained, the date of the holiday changes. It`s good to have a holiday so close to Christmas. Enjoy the New Year festivities!
Alan