Things I love about winter in Japan: little signs of Christmas

I think I have told this story here on City-Cost before, but my first Christmas in Japan did not look like Christmas back home at all. I'm not sure what I expected, and yes, I was probably naive, but seeing the vast majority of people still headed to work on what is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) public holiday of the year in my home country felt odd to me. My husband and I went to the Cup Noodles Museum and got deep dish pizza for dinner that day, which probably didn't help proceedings ;)

These days, I've adjusted my expectations—as I think we all do, inevitably, as expats—and instead of expecting Japan to have big signs of Christmas, I've come to appreciate the little ones that feel festive. Local cafes or restaurants that put up their little trees adorned with decorations, places that have illuminations which feel like an excellent substitute for Christmas lights back home, or even festive-themed gachapon toys that my kids think are the bees knees...I've learned to appreciate the little glimmers of the festive season.

One of my favorite cafes in Nagaoka is beginning to bring out the festive cheer.