Christmas in Japan: Globalization Versus Localization

Authors: Kimura, Junko; Belk, Russell

Source: Consumption, Markets and Culture, Volume 8, Number 3, September 2005 , pp. 325-338(14)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Products and services promoted on a global scale raise issues of globalism that are more superficial than the issues raised by the globalization of world holidays. It is one thing to have an Ikea and a KFC in the city, and conceivably quite another thing to have Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Halloween. Holidays like these have more complex cultural ideologies behind them. They threaten to displace traditional local holidays. And they offer a significant context in which to examine the interplay of global and local forces in the contemporary marketplace. We ask to what degree Christmas in Japan represents Western cultural imperialism, global homogenization, and a Westernization of Japan, versus local cultural adaptation, hybridization, and appropriation .

Keywords: Christmas; Japan; Globalization; Gift-Giving; Holidays; Westernization; Videography

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10253860500160361

Publication date: 2005-09-01

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