Capacity Building Support by the Japan Coast Guard to Developing Countries Mobile Cooperation Team Capacity Building Support by the Japan Coast Guard to Developing Countries Mobile Cooperation Team by Ryoki Toku Prologue Sea routes in the Southeast Asian area can be said to be the life lines of Japan. The security and safety of the area is extremely important for Japanese ships as they pass through. Each coastal country's maritime law enforcements are required to have the appropriate capabilities to be able to secure the area. It is also important there are the good relationships and cooperation between the maritime law enforcements of these coastal countries and Japan. Inauguration of JCG Mobile Cooperation Team In October of 2017, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) established a brand-new unit in the JCG Headquarters called the "Mobile Cooperation Team (MCT)", which focuses on capacity building support for developing country's maritime law enforcements. The MCT consists of 7 people. There are 6 members, under the direction of the seventh member who is the Director for Coast Guard International Cooperation. They engage in training for foreign maritime law enforcement and their goal is to create effective, consistent, and sustainable capacity building support, as well as build trusting relationships with other countries through consultations about country needs in advance, and provision of detailed curriculums following the outcomes of these discussions. （ The Japan Coast Guard HP, Public release, http://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/topics/171002_mct_start.pdf , (Access: 11th Dec,2017) ） The first mission of MCT One month from the inauguration of the MCT, they were dispatched to the Philippines for their first mission: to train the Philippine Coast Guard. The MCT engaged in exercises regarding the maneuvering of high speed small boats. Thee high speed small boats that were used in the exercises were transferred from the Japan government to the Philippine government. The MCT members instructed in several maneuvering skills that related to maritime law enforcement, such as guarding measures, like pinch maneuvering, as well as basic techniques like turning, chasing, or approaching the port. This exercise became an opportunity to teach JCG's maneuvering techniques to other nation's maritime law enforcements as well, given that coast guards from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia also participated in the exercises. （ The Japan Coast Guard HP, Public release, http://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/h29/k20171122/k171122-1.pdf(Access: 11th Dec,2017) ） The opportunity for cooperation between the USCG and the JCG in the field of capacity building support The MCT's first mission was also an opportunity for cooperation between the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the JCG. During the same period, the USCG was also in the Philippines to train the coast guard. The USCG and the JCG coordinated on site, and the USCG then gave a lecture about the maintenance of small boat engines. As a result, in this case, we can say that the USCG and the JCG provided joint training for high speed small boats through their cooperation. （ The Japan Coast Guard HP, Public release, http://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/h29/k20171122/k171122-1.pdf(Access: 11th Dec,2017) ） Conclusion The JCG says that through these activities it would like to deepen its trust relationships with other national maritime law enforcements, and contribute to maintaining and developing open and stable oceans under the rules of law. （ The Japan Coast Guard HP, Public release, http://www.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/info/kouhou/h29/k20171122/k171122-1.pdf(Access: 11th Dec,2017) ） The JCG has engaged in several capacity building efforts regarding maritime law enforcement, especially in Southeast Asian countries, not only recently through the activities of the MCT. It is hoped that these engagements help in establishing an international network in the field of maritime law enforcement amongst those who share the same values. In addition, these engagements promote regional cooperation that should help lead to an avoidance of risks in any unpreventable accidents in the future. Back to All JITTI Journals January 2018 Feature Article

JITTI Journal January 2023 Back to All JITTI Journals January 2023 Feature Article Autonomous Driving in Restricted Areas at Japanese Airports By Yoshihiro Fujimaki 1. What is “autonomous driving in restricted areas”? Development of the autonomous driving car is progressing not only for public roads but also for airport environments. It looks easier to ensure traffic safety in restricted areas of airports, so-called “Airside,” than on public roads because neither the general public nor cars driven by them are present. In addition, while the Japanese government has set an aspirational target of 60 million inbound tourists in 2030, the capacity of airports may be constrained by a shortage of labor working at airports, especially those working for ground handling services. Therefore, autonomous driving cars at airports are expected to be a quite useful tool for labor-saving. Based on the above circumstances, in 2018, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) established a committee to study demonstration experiments of autonomous driving in airport restricted areas. This committee aims to realize autonomous driving in restricted areas by conducting several demonstration experiments. Since its establishment, the committee has been considering the guidelines, selecting participants, and reviewing the results of such demonstration experiments. The committee focuses on towing tractors and ramp buses, some of which are currently at “Level 3” autonomy and will be at “Level 4” autonomy in the future. The differences between “Level 3” and “Level 4” in autonomy are shown in the table below. Table 1: Differences between “Level 3” and “Level 4” in autonomous driving (Prepared based on “Public-private ITS Initiative/Roadmaps 2020” (in Japanese, definitions of these Levels are equivalent to SAE International J3016 (2016)): https://cio.go.jp/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/its_roadmap_2020.pdf ) 2. Autonomous driving towing tractor Towing tractors are used for transporting passenger checked baggage and other cargo within the airport. Serving as the demonstration experiments which I mentioned earlier, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) have been conducting several trials of autonomous driving towing tractors. ANA has been holding tests at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport). Their autonomous driving towing tractor is manufactured by Toyota Industries Corporation, and it runs along the pre-defined route based on information gathered from camera, GPS and Laser imaging Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) integrated sensors. In FY2021, they performed over 200 transportations of passenger checked baggage and other cargo, over 1,100 km in total, without any delay. JAL has been conducting tests at Narita International Airport. Their autonomous driving towing tractor is manufactured by TLD Group, and it also runs along pre-defined route based on information from odometer, inertial measuring unit (IMU), GPS and LiDAR sensors. In FY2020, they performed over 300 transportations of passenger checked baggage, over 300 km in total, and have officially introduced the autonomous driving towing tractor since March 2021. (The above figure is reprinted from the JAL’s website: https://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/202103/005973.html ) 3. Autonomous driving ramp bus Ramp buses are used for transporting passengers between airport terminal buildings or between airport terminal buildings and aircraft. An autonomous driving ramp bus is now undergoing demonstration experiments at Narita International Airport. That autonomous driving ramp bus is for 10 passengers, and is manufactured by Tajima Motor Cooperation with autonomous driving system developed by TIER IV, which is a software development company in Japan. It runs along the pre-defined route based on information from camera, IMU, GPS and LiDAR sensors, and ran in total for about 80 km in 4 days for a demonstration in FY2021. Currently, the consortium including Narita International Airport Corporation and TIER IV is conducting trials where a single remote supervisor monitors up to three vehicles at the same time. (The above figure is reprinted from the Narita International Airport Corporation’s website (in Japanese: https://www.naa.jp/jp/docs/20220210-5g_HP.pdf ) 4. Towards “Level 4” autonomy Besides vehicle development, several challenges regarding infrastructure and traffic rules still remain in order to realize “Level 4” autonomous driving in airport restricted areas. Particularly in restricted areas, generally there are no traffic lights at intersections and tall traffic lights may become a hazardous obstacle to aircraft in those locations . Regarding this point, it is still under consideration for how to ensure traffic safety using infrastructure and/or traffic rules. JCAB has set the target to realize “Level 4” autonomous driving both for towing tractors and for ramp buses by 2025, and continues working with the participants of demonstration experiments.

Value Capture Session Overview Value Capture Session Overview by Mamiko Kim A few weeks ago, on June 26 th , JITI held a joint session with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) titled “Revenue Opportunities from Value Capture” as part of APTA’s 2019 Rail Conference. In the early 2010s, JITI held programs in Chicago and California. However, this was the first JITI event held in Canada since its inception. Due to the distance from our home base in Washington, DC, and the fact that our regular audience members may not have gotten a chance to attend this session, I hope to relate more details about this event’s subject and the discussion that took place to our readership. We had speakers from Japan and North America, which diversified the experiences shared For those unfamiliar with the term “value capture,” particularly in regards to rail, it refers to instances where rail companies are able to create capital through infrastructure and land investments above and around stations and rail lines. These investments create revenue opportunities as people are enticed to shop and spend money in these locations, and in turn increase ridership to and from stations. We had presentations by Yuji Murakami of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Kantaro Yamaguchi of the Tokyu Corporation (Tokyu) who both shared illustrations of success stories in Japan where consistent cash flow came into their organizations by utilizing value capture. It is important to note that most rail systems in Japan are operated by private companies, and do not receive financial assistance from governments. In fact, these private companies own real estate and businesses that are separate from the rail sector (such as shopping centers as opposed to station properties), and the rail system is sustained by both ridership and money pulled from these businesses and real estate owned by the company. There are particular challenges in the US and Canada to utilize value capture due to the fact that most rail systems are operated by the public sector, and thus construction and operation are usually funded by state, local, and federal governments. This in turn means that there is more restriction on the type of development that rail systems are able to make, with much of the revenue from real estate around stations being pulled into private businesses rather than returning to the rail system. Heather McKillop of the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) and Kevin Desmond of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (Translink) presented their own successful models of how they are able to combat these challenges. This included Denver’s achievement of partnership and collaboration with multiple players in order to accumulate some 14 different funding sources to revitalize the Denver Union Station, which they did with such success that they were able to pay off all loans 21 years early. Mr. Desmond described how they have levied property taxes on real estate around stations, doubled property values through pre-development work before disposition, through commercial partnerships, and how they will begin imposing development cost charges in 2020 as another way to fund stations. Panelists consisted of leaders in organizations with success in value capture There were two main discussion points that the moderator, Sasha Page of IMG Rebel, introduced to the panel discussion. The first question was how rail companies are able to manage real estate risk. Mr. Murakami explained that JR East’s goal is to add value to the areas around the station as well as to run trains smoothly in those areas. This could mean that they find areas of interest to work with. For example, there is a famous temple in Nagano. By creating a rail line to this temple, it gives people an attractive option to get there. This intrinsically benefits the rail line and the area around it. Mr. Yamaguchi, acknowledging that their goals are similar to that of JR East, added that with changes in the real estate market due to gentrification and an aging population, Tokyu is working with municipal governments to try to minimalize risk. In Denver’s case, Ms. McKillop elaborated that to mitigate risk, Denver took out a large credit risk premium. Now that there has been a precedent set, she believes that it will be easier to work with the US Department of Transportation in the future. Finally, Mr. Desmond explained that at Translink they have a revolving land account, where they buy and sell land for strategic acquisition. As introduced earlier, they have begun doing pre-development of the land to increase land value before the sale. In the future they are looking into doing more joint developments as well, which carries less risk than creating developments alone. In addition, Mr. Page asked each of the panelists on how their organizations deal with the affordable housing issue. Gentrification, which we are also familiar with in the DC Metro area, is especially a problem around rail stations as it pushes out the very residents who need public transportation the most. Mr. Desmond relayed that this was particularly an issue in 2017 in the Vancouver area, as not only were middle- and lower-income buyers priced out of real estate, but there was a lack of rental properties being built around rail. Since then, municipalities have been working to resolve this problem. He emphasized that policies need to begin at the municipal level. Translink, as they begin joint development ventures, are looking to make sure that areas they control have affordable housing. Ms. McKilllop echoed Mr. Desmond’s points, as she noted that land-use decisions are made by municipalities. She spoke of the power of rail companies to negotiate with municipalities, such as a recent example of an affordable housing unit next to a station which was unable to build due to parking requirements from the city. RTD was able to negotiate for limiting the number of parking the housing unit needed as both RTD and the city of Denver hoped to encourage people to use public transit. The situation in Japan is rather different. Mr. Yamaguchi revealed that like the United States and Canada, land use is determined by municipalities. However, Mr. Murakami explained that in Japan there are strong social programs that protect individuals in middle- and lower-income brackets. In fact, because municipalities have successfully made these efforts, JR East has never been asked to include affordable housing in their developments. Mr. Yamaguchi said that Tokyu does do work to help renovate older properties along their rail lines, which attracts younger people, single mothers, and the elderly. They also expand their bus services so that those who live farther away have access to the stations. The speakers of our session stood together for a group shot The discussion continued with questions from the audience, which I will not cover here. However, I do encourage you to view the full videos or to listen to the audio we have on our website. I hope this report gives the readers a taste of the session, which covers much more information than written here. The major takeaway was that each of the rail systems represented strives to be the world’s best, but there are unique challenges that impact them differently. However, all of the speakers spoke of their common goals to commit to best practices, to build and maintain efficient, convenient, and reliable rail systems, and to sustain these activities through sound business methods, such as value capture discussed in this event. This joint session may not have covered or resolved every issue that rail companies face as they seek to utilize value capture, but we believe that it is one step towards opening up a discussion so that all may benefit internationally. We will continue to follow this topic closely in the future, and hope that you can join us in our next event. Back to All JITTI Journals July 2019 Feature Article

Development of High-speed Rail in the United States < Back

As vaccination rates increase in the United States and globally, discussion regarding introducing vaccine passports has taken full swing. With sensitivity towards worries over discrimination and other controversies, governments, private companies, and others have begun taking aim at what a vaccine passport might look like, and have made some progress in making them more wide-spread. < Back Tourism & More Vaccine Passport Trends By Tetsuhiro Nakagawa & Daisuke Takagi As vaccination rates increase in the United States and globally, discussion regarding introducing vaccine passports has taken full swing. With sensitivity towards worries over discrimination and other controversies, governments, private companies, and others have begun taking aim at what a vaccine passport might look like, and have made some progress in making them more wide-spread. Download the Report

This paper analyzes the evolution of the U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic policy, based on two key policy documents, providing an overview of the historical context and current state of U.S. Arctic policy. Furthermore, it elaborates on the specifics and consistency of the U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic policy implementation plan and insights into future directions. Through this analysis, we aim to deepen understanding of the strategic challenges faced by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Arctic and its role in ensuring a sustainable future for the region. < Back Maritime Transportation February 2024 Polar Command: The Evolution of Arctic Policy in the United States Coast Guard By Daisuke Komatsu This paper analyzes the evolution of the U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic policy, based on two key policy documents, providing an overview of the historical context and current state of U.S. Arctic policy. Furthermore, it elaborates on the specifics and consistency of the U.S. Coast Guard's Arctic policy implementation plan and insights into future directions. Through this analysis, we aim to deepen understanding of the strategic challenges faced by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Arctic and its role in ensuring a sustainable future for the region. Download the Report

Coordinating between three municipalities and private/public transportation organizations poses a challenge, but the greater Washington, D.C. area is making strides in allowing for data sharing, open access, and cooperation between urban transport and city planning. < Back Surface Transportation Mobility on Demand Trends in the United States ~A Case Study of Washington, D.C., Part 3~ By Daisuke Miyamoto Coordinating between three municipalities and private/public transportation organizations poses a challenge, but the greater Washington, D.C. area is making strides in allowing for data sharing, open access, and cooperation between urban transport and city planning. Download the Report

Rulemaking Activities for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in Japan Rulemaking Activities for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in Japan By Shinichiro Tsuri 1. Background As mentioned in my previous article , Advanced Air Mobility or AAM is the next-generation of air mobility that is expected to operate in the near future, and in Japan, the Concept of Operations for Advanced Air Mobility (ConOps for AAM) was published in March 2023. In parallel, under the activities of Public-Private Committee for Advanced Air Mobility, the direction of rulemaking was discussed at each working group (Airworthiness WG, Personnel Licensing WG, and Flight Operations WG etc.), and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), established and amended related rules from November 2023 to March 2024, in order to realize AAM operation at the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. In this article, I will introduce the major examples of these rulemaking activities for AAM in Japan. 2. Examples of Recent Rulemaking for AAM in Japan General Definition In order to cover emerging technologies such as VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) capability and electrification, the following amendments regarding aircraft and engine classification were made in Ordinance for Enforcement of the Civil Aeronautics Act (CAR: Civil Aeronautics Regulations). “VTOL airplane”, which means an airplane with the vertical takeoff and landing function such as vectored thrust or lift & cruise type AAM, was specified under “airplane.” “Multi-rotor”, which means rotorcraft with more than two rotors, was specified under “rotorcraft.” An electric engine (in CAR, the term “electric engine” is not used but it is described as “VTOL airplanes powered by electricity” etc.) was specified under “engine.” Amendments on Aircraft Classification (Reprinted and translated from Overview of Rulemaking Activities for AAM ) Amendments on Engine Classification (Reprinted and translated from Overview of Rulemaking Activities for AAM ) Aircraft Certification Design features such as VTOL, electrification, and pilotless operation are not assumed in the existing airworthiness standards (Airworthiness Inspection Manual Part II, which provides performance-based requirements for normal category airplanes, equivalent to 14 CFR Part 23 in the US). Therefore, Special Conditions for eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft were established in JCAB Circular No.1-031 in order to standardize type certification processes. For example, the following special conditions for energy storage and distribution systems are prescribed in § eVTOL 23.2430. (b) In an energy storage and distribution system, the following functions shall be provided: (1) The battery cell balancing function; (2) The function to estimate the battery’s state of charge; (3) The function to estimate the battery’s state of degradation; and (4) The BIT function for the entire battery system including the control section. Flight Standards Aircraft operating under certain conditions (e.g. multi-engine rotorcraft flying over water at a distance from land corresponding to 10 minutes or more at normal cruise speed etc.) are required to be equipped with life jackets or equivalent devices by CAR. As for AAM, since the flight time is generally short and the time to find a suitable location for an emergency landing is limited, CAR was amended so that VTOL airplanes and multi-rotors powered by electricity flying over water for 3 minutes or more are required to be equipped with life jackets or equivalent devices. Air Carrier Circulars for air carriers were updated to cover the features of AAM. For example, while minimum 25 hours familiarization flight training with the intended model of aircraft is required for captains in air carriers conducting scheduled operation, the handling quality of AAM is still unknown and the volume of training required for captains may vary significantly across AAM models. Therefore, a circular was amended so that the volume of required training on VTOL airplanes and multi-rotors powered by electricity shall be determined in accordance with the characteristics of the model. Licensing The requirements of airmen certification also need updates to deal with AAM. For example, aircraft (line) maintenance technicians for AAM need knowledge about engines beyond traditional turbine and piston engines. To examine this capability, a subject regarding the engines of VTOL airplanes and multi-rotors was added on knowledge tests for the licenses of maintenance technicians in CAR. Takeoff and Landing Site Regarding the takeoff and landing site for AAM, which is called “vertiport”, a tentative guideline for vertiport design was issued. In the guideline, basic policies including technical criteria for vertiport facilities such as FATO, TLOF, and Safety Area, are provided. These criteria are basically harmonized with the prototype technical specifications of European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Example of Vertiport Facilities Layout (Image Source: Vertiport Design Guidelines ) 3. Future Prospects Rulemaking activities for AAM are ongoing also in other countries such as the US and Europe, and the development of international Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for AAM at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has started. Rules for AAM in Japan will be continuously evolving along with such international trends, technological advances, and possibly lessons learned from the AAM operation at the Expo in the near future. References Shinichiro Tsuri, Concept of Operations for Advanced Air Mobility (ConOps for AAM) in Japan https://www.jittiusa.org/jitti-journal-2/november-2023 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Public-Private Committee for Advanced Air Mobility https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/koku_tk2_000007.html Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Vertiport Design Guidelines https://www.mlit.go.jp/koku/content/VPDesignGuidelines_en.pdf Back to All JITTI Journals July 2024 Feature Article

Recent developments concerning the revitalization of the U.S. maritime industry have been outlined in the following reports in Japanese by the Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute: “Presidential Executive Order and Section 301 Measures under the Trade Act for the Revitalization of the U.S. Maritime Industry” (April 21, 2025); “The SHIPS Act for the Revitalization of the U.S. Maritime Industry” (May 9, 2025); and “Recent Developments in the Revitalization of the U.S. Maritime Industry: Application of Section 301 Measures under the U.S. Trade Act and other measures” (October 15, 2025). Subsequently, as a result of the U.S.–China summit held on October 30, 2025, both countries agreed to suspend port-related charges and other measures that had been in effect since October 14. The pause is to last for one year, starting November 10. This report focuses particularly on the actions taken by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, as there have been major developments since our latest report, which describes wider measures by the U.S. administration and congress in order to revitalize the U.S. maritime industry through executive orders, the SHIPS Act, Section 301 actions and so forth. < Back Maritime Transportation February 2026 Recent Developments in the Revitalization of the U.S. Maritime Industry: Application of Section 301 under the U.S. Trade Act By Kazuya Fukuhara & Hiroyuki Yamagami Recent developments concerning the revitalization of the U.S. maritime industry have been outlined in the following reports in Japanese by the Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute: “Presidential Executive Order and Section 301 Measures under the Trade Act for the Revitalization of the U.S. Maritime Industry” (April 21, 2025); “The SHIPS Act for the Revitalization of the U.S. Maritime Industry” (May 9, 2025); and “Recent Developments in the Revitalization of the U.S. Maritime Industry: Application of Section 301 Measures under the U.S. Trade Act and other measures” (October 15, 2025). Subsequently, as a result of the U.S.–China summit held on October 30, 2025, both countries agreed to suspend port-related charges and other measures that had been in effect since October 14. The pause is to last for one year, starting November 10. This report focuses particularly on the actions taken by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, as there have been major developments since our latest report, which describes wider measures by the U.S. administration and congress in order to revitalize the U.S. maritime industry through executive orders, the SHIPS Act, Section 301 actions and so forth. Download the Report

As with other parts of the aviation industry, air cargo transportation has been greatly impacted by the coronavirus. However, repercussions have been felt differently across regions of the world, and the U.S. has even benefitted from trade with some countries. < Back Civil Aviation Trends of Air Cargo Transportation in the U.S. By Daisuke Takagi As with other parts of the aviation industry, air cargo transportation has been greatly impacted by the coronavirus. However, repercussions have been felt differently across regions of the world, and the U.S. has even benefitted from trade with some countries. Download the Report

JITTI Journal Cultural Article November 2024 Back to All JITTI Journals November 2024 Cultural Article Christmas in Japan By Suzannah Nevas When I lived in Japan over a decade ago, I recall my State-side parents being surprised to learn that Christmas was celebrated in Japan. “But Christmas is a Christian Holiday,” my mom said. “Aren’t most Japanese people Shinto or Buddhist?” It’s true, according to Pew Research data from 2010, only 1.6% of Japanese people identify as Christian. But for the most part, Christmas is celebrated as a secular holiday in Japan. In fact, I told my mom to think of it as switching between American Christmas and American New Year’s. In the U.S., and many countries in the West, Christmas is a family holiday with religious origins and customs. In contrast, New Year’s Eve is not so much a family affair- young people will get dressed up and go out with their friends or romantic partners, perhaps anticipating a romantic midnight countdown kiss. In Japan, New Year’s is a holiday when people return to their family homes and visit the local shrine together for the first time in the new year. Christmas, however, is not associated with family or religion, but is instead imbued with connotations and expectations of romance. Christmas Eve in Japan is a bit like Valentine’s Day in the U.S. If you find yourself in Japan this Christmas, here are the key elements for celebrating like the locals: Go on a date- preferable out to a popular urban center. Extra points if your outfits are coordinated or festive themed! Major cities may have European style Christmas markets, and many restaurants will have special menus, or couple set courses for the special day. Go see an Illumination (holiday light display). These get more elaborate and spectacular each year and often feature special photo-op displays. Here is a list of Japan-Guide.com ’s 2024 Illumination locations by city. I personally recommend the Kobe Luminarie which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this winter, though it technically doesn’t begin until well after Christmas is over. KOBE Luminarie 2007 by 5th Luna (Copyrighted under CC BY-NC 2.0 ) Eat Cake. It isn’t Christmas in Japan without a Christmas Cake! Japanese Christmas cake is usually some version of strawberry shortcake- layers of sponge cake, whipped cream and strawberries. Either rolled or round, these beautiful, picturesque cakes tend to be cute and small compared to an American-sized cake- because they’re often meant for serving just 2! Pretty much anywhere that sells cakes will have these but they tend to sell out quickly. Department store patisseries will display their Christmas cake options weeks in advance so you can pre-order if you know where you’ll be. Tokyu Department Store 2013 Christmas Cake Catalogue (via this site ) Exchange gifts. While the exchanging of presents between koibito (lovers) is a far cry from the piles of wrapped boxes in stockings and under living-room Christmas trees in America, many couples do get each other a gift to open together on Christmas Eve. Don’t fret- there will be LOTS of gift ideas on display at every shop you see. Now don’t despair if you find yourself single in Japan around Christmas time. First of all- plenty of venues offer singles mixers to try and cash in on all the people not already paired off. Furthermore, pretty much everything listed above can be enjoyed just as much with your friends instead of a lover. One Japanese Christmas custom that really doesn’t have anything to do with romance is eating Kentucky-fried chicken! Thanks to an incredibly effective and enduring ad campaign by KFC in the 1970s, a bucket of fried chicken is about as iconic a holiday image in Japan as a Santa hat! In fact- you’ll often find both together! If you make it to Japan this winter, I hope you will enjoy some of these modern Xmas traditions! KFC Christmas Advertisement (via this site ) Sources https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/feature/religious-composition-by-country-2010-2050/ https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2304.html https://www.feel-kobe.jp/kobe_luminarie/eng/ https://www.jrpass.com/blog/do-people-celebrate-christmas-in-japan

A Private Workspace in Train Stations < Back