What else do they celebrate in japan?

Answer 1

I assume you mean "in addition to Christmas". The Japanese celebrate Christmas, but for a holiday, not necessarily as the same religious celebration we do. They do have a festival that starts about mid-December to prepare for the New Year. Then, they have the New Year Celebration from the 1st-3rd, with smaller festivals throughout the month. The Fire Festival, and a Festival of Lights also coincide. When I lived there, the festivities all got rolled up together to create one very long, and good spirited event. There are lights, gift giving, fireworks, and food. December and January are only the tip of the iceburg. There are summer festivals--and later, bon odoris, and other festivals through out the year. Most are representative of the Japanese paying homage to age old deities; even heroes. They also throw festivals to celebrate harvests. There is even a Mochi pounding festival, mochi being rice pounded into a paste, as you add water to get the right consistency. It would be near impossible to name all the minor festivals and celebrations that the Japanese celebrate. This is because they may vary by precinct, and the fact that some areas celebrate some of the Chinese traditional festivals related to the population.