Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. In Japan, children look forward to a visit from Hotei, a jolly Japanese god with a rotund frame. Ganref As Christmas approaches, ...

Editor’s note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. One of Sumire Sekino’s most ...

In Japan, the most wonderful time of year is marked with fried chicken — KFC, that is. Ordering KFC for Christmas began in Japan in the mid-1970s and has since become a Christmas Eve staple. Every ...

Only about 1 percent of the Japanese population is Christian. But you might not realize that if you visited a major metropolitan area during Christmastime. Just as in America, you'll find heads topped ...

"The most wonderful time of the year" is rapidly approaching, which means it's time to break out all our beloved and unique Christmas traditions from years past — caroling, cookie decorating, fighting ...

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Christmas is near, and in Japan that means ...

Christmas in Japan is a unique cultural phenomenon. Unlike in many parts of the world where it is a deeply religious occasion, imbued with traditions rooted in Christianity, Japan celebrates Christmas ...

Around Christmas in Japan, it's no longer just a holiday of lights and the shopping season, but also a kind of Valentine's ...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to celebrate Christmas in Japan? Do they celebrate Christmas? The answer is yes, and it’s probably a bit different than what you would expect. We ...

Notably, during the era when the Tokugawa shogunate implemented the Sakoku policy, isolating Japan from the rest of the world, Christianity was officially banned. This prohibition extended to the ...