“First and foremost, Merry Christmas! Hope everyone has a happy holiday. 2 part update: Christmas in Japan, and my personal experience.

For those of you who don’t already know, Christmas IS celebrated in Japan. However, the way in which it’s observed is different than that of America. In Japan Christmas Eve is in fact the more important day and is often thought of as “”the day for couples.”" Unlike America, where Christmas is a family oriented occasion, in Japan it’s all about your significant other. Anywhere you go it’s literally a sea of couples. To be seen alone would be a bit like an green apple in box of oranges. That being said, of course I spend Christmas Eve with Lisa. Everything was flawless – here’s how it went down.

I threw on a swanky suit complete with violent tie and finished wrapping thing around 10:00. I arrived in Yokohama just before 11:00 and patiently waiting for Lisa, who looked absolutely stunning! We bought bento at the local grocer and had a picnic on the same dock we first held hands. From there we slowly came back through Minato Mirai, reminiscing all the places we’d visited before – the ferris wheel, the base of the Landmark Tower. When dinner rolled around I took her to the surprise location, a cozy restaurant situated on it’s own dock, looking over the water. It was worth every penny. Here’s the slick part: It timed such that as soon as we finished dinner their would be a boat waiting for us on the same dock, which would take us back to Yokohama Station. It turned out perfectly, and we had a romantic walk back to the Tower, which we rode to the top. We chatted for another hour amongst the stars, watching the sea of lights below us. I honestly can’t believe how amazing everything went.

And then there was her amazing presents. She got me a very personal card and a brilliant, limited edition Nike watch. I was stoked, it was exactly the kind of thing I needed! On top of that, she hand knit me a beautiful, warm scarf that I’ve been using proudly for the past two days. All three gifts were extremely touching and thoughtful. My present to her was a box of pet rocks, although she seemed to like it.”