I’ve always been a huge fan of Christmas, and when the season approaches you can always see me with a Santa hat on my head and Christmas music playing on my iPod. But my first Christmas in Japan was quite a surprise. When I got here, I didn’t expect the Japanese people I would meet to be very religious, so after arriving in my city I was surprised to find myself surrounded by a kind community of Japanese Baptists who ran a friendly church complete with a kindergarten for the local kids. There’s no greater thrill for Japanese children than to get presents from a real gaijin dressed up as Santa Claus, and when the church asked me to play “Santa-san” I was all too happy to oblige, ho-ho-ho’ing as I handed out presents and being sure to speak only English, to keep things properly authentic. I’ve since been asked to play Santa dozens of times, although one of my more memorable performances was at a Buddhist preschool. They had none of the trappings of the holiday like festive decorations of snowmen and reindeer, and in lieu of Christmas carols the kids sang a song about the happy birth of Buddha while holding candles, which was quite an interesting cultural experience. But Santa Claus knows no borders, and the kids were thrilled to receive presents from me. All of us at J-List sincerely wish you and your loved ones a wonderful and warm Christmas holiday this year!
