Life in Fukuoka "English"

【Christmas Events and Illuminations】

You may have noticed that in Japan, the moment Halloween ends, Christmas decorations and promotions show up everywhere. I actually saw one of my local supermarkets getting the Christmas sweet packs out on the floor on Halloween! For me, growing up in the US, holiday decorations didn't go up until we got through Thanksgiving, which in the US is the 4^th Thursday of November. This year, that will be this coming Thursday the 25^th.  Anyway, in the US, my family would usually get our Christmas tree up the first or second week of December. My dad wasn't the type to rush into these things, we usually bought a live tree and if you put it up too early, by Christmas we'd have lost a lot of pine needles, as we were terrible about remembering to water it. Christmas morning meant stockings, then breakfast and then presents. My sister and I used to wake up so early just to go into the living room to look at the Christmas lights and see all the presents Santa had brought us. In the afternoon, we always went to my aunt's house where the whole family gathered for a potluck, more presents and a couple good games of poker. In Japan, my Christmas is a bit quieter, but I do still put up a tree and decorations. In past years, I'd invite friends around to celebrate with me and I'm hoping to do so this year if everything looks alright. I usually cook a big main meal, a few years back I did Beef Wellington, another year it was ham, I've done roast chicken and most recently I did a beautiful crispy slab of pork belly. Mashed potatoes and gravy are a must, mashed potatoes are easy to make but I know gravy is sometimes a mystery for Japanese people. It's easy to make, the simplest way would be to make a roux with flour and butter. Add a consomme bouillon cube and hot water, mix and simmer until thickened. It will give you an idea of what gravy is. For real gravy though, you need to roast some meat and take the drippings to make the gravy base. I like to add sauteed onions and mushrooms to the gravy and lots of herbs like thyme, sage and parsley. There are recipes online so if you want to try something different for Christmas, just find a recipe that suits your fancy!

Christmas Illuminations

Well, all this talk about Christmas has me all excited for the season now! I guess going out to see some of the Christmas illuminations around the city will put me in the holiday spirit even more. All around Tenjin and Hakata, shops and even some houses are brightly adorned with lights and other holiday decorations. Some places change up their decorations every year with different themes depending on what they are doing and others keep it consistent, and something to look forward to every year. Getting hot wine like at the Christmas market is probably the smarter thing to do. Enjoy the lights and stay warm!

Illuminations Around Fukuoka

There are quite a few places to see Christmas Illuminations around the city and one handy guide for foreigners with that information is Fukuoka Now, a free monthly magazine. There are usually lots of pictures and it's pretty easy to understand where to go. Take a look and head out for those bright lights with your partner, friends, family or even on your own!  You can find the magazine online if you look up Fukuoka Now.

https://www.fukuoka-now.com/ja/fukuoka-winter-illumination-guide/

The Christmas Market

I mentioned getting hot wine at the Christmas Market a bit earlier, so if you were wondering about that, well, in Fukuoka, every year from November to December 25^th, there are Christmas Markets set up in Hakata and Tenjin that really give you that wonderful cozy winter feeling. It is the largest Christmas Market in Japan, set up over a few different places with stalls lined up under the Christmas decorations and lights. You'll find a range of delicious drinks like hot chocolate and that hot wine I mentioned,  as well as a pretty good menu of foods to try. It's a fun event and this year the markets will be set up at the square in front of Hakata Station and Fureai Hiroba Square in front of Fukuoka City Hall in Tenjin.

There will also be a light up in Nakasu called “Nakasu Kibo no Hikari” which started last year. The trees along the road in Nakasu are lit up from 5pm to midnight, making it another spot to enjoy.