Kazumi is a Japanese student who wanted to share about her impression of Christmas in Vancouver. Here is her story:
Last Saturday, I went to the Christmas market at Canada place. In Japan, I seldom see such a market, so I really wanted to go there.
In the market, I could see several types of shops. There were a lot of shops that sold Christmas goods, which surprised me. I bought ornaments made of traditional German fabric. I probably couldn’t get one in Japan. While I was strolling, I realized how important Christmas is in Vancouver. Needless to say, Christmas is related to religion. Many Christians live in Canada, and therefore, this event is natural here. But for the majority of Japanese people, Christmas is very different.
Japanese Christians celebrate the same way as Canadians do. The others, who are not Chrisitians, also know what Christmas means, even though we don’t go to church. For us, Christmas is just an excuse for having fun. Many companies make desperate efforts to compete for sales.
Also, the most important day in the year, New Year’s Day, is coming soon after Christmas. I think that the last two weeks of December in Japan are very busy and messy. I often see many people who bustle and hustle. However, the participants of the market here seemed to be relaxed and enjoying themselves. There were full of smiles. No vendor hurried to sell their product. It hardly felt busy. Last year, my priority was selling as many cakes as possible. I didn’t like Christmas then, but I may be able to like Christmas and enjoy in Vancouver.
Advice for other Students
Some markets have expensive admission fees so make sure of which market is best before going.
It’ a good chance to compare to the differences from your country. Also, it’s nice to know that most of the products there were hand made.