[Text]

[grapeeater]

So Christmas is coming up, I guess. It's more of a lover's holiday in Japan, but it doesn't seem like it is here? I guess it's more like the American version without the religion.

What sort of things do you guys do for Christmas in your home worlds? I usually just ignored it, mostly, since it's not as big of a deal where I'm from and I wasn't dating anyone. Apparently in other countries eating fried chicken on Christmas isn't a thing? I don't know why it's a thing in Japan, it just is.

Comments

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

Fried chicken? That's kind of funny. When we were kids, my mom would take me and my brothers out for Chinese and a movie on Christmas Eve.

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

[Oh okay, he can do voice, too.]

Chinese? Why?

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

I dunno, I think it was just tradition? That and I guess you could always count on the Chinese places to be open on Christmas. This was in America, by the way, so a lot of restaurants would've been closed.

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

I guess so. It's a pretty big holiday there, so... I guess people from countries where it's not really celebrated would keep their businesses open. It seems a little weird, but I guess people eating fried chicken on Christmas is weird for you.

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

Maybe a little, though I'm pretty sure KFC's one of those places open on Christmas, too.

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

I guess. Maybe that's how they got to be such a big thing in Japan initially? I don't know.

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

Is a fried chicken date really considered romantic over there? It'd be about the last place you'd want to take a lover in the States.

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

I think they make the restaurants fancy for the night. It's supposedly pretty nice, though I've never been on Christmas. People book months and months in advance.

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

Wow...

[What an image that is.]

I didn't even know fast food joints took reservations. Maybe I oughta see if restaurants around here do the same thing. This place has a sorta Japanese influence to it, right?

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

I guess it does. I haven't really noticed, but I guess I wouldn't since I'm from Japan.

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

What about Valentine's Day? That's our big lovers' holiday, is it different over there?

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

Uh... well on Valentine's Day women give chocolate, either to the people they're obligated to give chocolate to like their friends or bosses, or to the people they love. White Day's a month later and men give chocolate to the people they got chocolate from on Valentine's Day. Lovers usually handmake the chocolate for each other and just buy boxes for everyone else.

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

That's way more elaborate than what we do. Yeesh. At most, little kids just buy everyone in their class some cheap candy...

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

Yeah. It's kind of annoying, but I guess the candy companies like it.

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

Yeah, Valentine's and Halloween are the big candy holidays for us. I heard a rumor that the formulas they use in the chocolate actually changes in October to keep up with production demands, but who knows.

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

No idea. Halloween isn't really a thing here. I kind of know about it because of movies and stuff like that, but almost no one celebrates that here.

[Voice]

[ratherbelocky]

You got some other fall holiday instead?

[Voice]

[grapeeater]

We have Bon near the end of summer, which is to celebrate the dead, and Respect for the Aged Day at the end of September. Autumnal Equinox Day is around then, too. Health and Sports Day is near the middle of October, Culture Day is at the beginning of November, and Labour Thanksgiving Day is near the end of November. There's also the 7-5-3 Festival which is in the middle of November, but since I'm older than five it doesn't really matter much to me and won't unless I have kids.