When Easter Starts Looking Like Just Another Spring Event
Francesca
A Small Concern from a Catholic in Japan
Christmas in Japan — we are used to it
In Japan, Christmas has long become a seasonal event.
The streets shine with beautiful illuminations,
large Christmas trees appear in shopping centres,
and the atmosphere becomes festive and cheerful.
Sometimes I even see small cards with wishes written on them hanging from the Christmas tree — rather like the colourful paper strips used during the Tanabata festival in summer.
At this point, I simply smile quietly and think,
“Well… that is very Japanese.”
For Christians living in Japan, Christmas becoming a cultural event is something we have more or less learned to accept.
And then Easter began to appear
A few years ago, however, I started to notice something new.
Magazines and advertisements began featuring “Easter specials.”
They introduced charming displays of pastel-coloured eggs,
cute rabbit decorations,
spring-themed table settings and interior ideas.
Everything looked cheerful and stylish.
In fact, when I travelled overseas in my thirties, I often happened to be there around Easter. I remember supermarkets filled with chocolate eggs and rabbit-shaped sweets, and I happily bought some myself.
But there was one small detail that made me pause.
Almost nowhere did they explain what Easter actually is.
Easter on bread packages
Before long, the word Easter began appearing in even more unexpected places.
It showed up on the packaging of sweets and bread.
Bright spring designs, decorated eggs, rabbits —
and the word “Easter.”
When I first saw this, I remember thinking quietly to myself,
“Are they going to turn Easter into another seasonal event too?”
Christmas becoming commercialised is one thing.
But if Easter were to follow the same path…
As a Christian, I must admit it gave me a small moment of alarm.
Easter is not widely known in Japan
For many people in Japan, the word “Easter” is still unfamiliar.
Yet for Christians, Easter is actually more important than Christmas.
It celebrates the Resurrection of Christ —
the very heart of Christian faith.
That is why seeing it presented simply as a cheerful spring event can sometimes feel a little strange to believers.
A curious contrast
Interestingly, Japan already has a traditional religious celebration in spring.
It is the Buddhist festival Hanamatsuri, which commemorates the birth of the Buddha.
At temples, a small statue of the infant Buddha is gently bathed with sweet tea.
And yet, despite the large number of people in Japan who identify culturally with Buddhism, many people are not familiar with this festival at all.
Meanwhile, Easter rabbits and eggs sometimes appear in lifestyle magazines as a fashionable spring theme.
Moments like this reveal something rather fascinating about Japan’s relationship with religion.
Perhaps just a little gentleness
Of course, there is nothing wrong with enjoying seasonal decorations or celebrating the arrival of spring.
But as a Christian living in Japan, I sometimes find myself hoping for just a little gentleness.
Enjoy Easter if you like.
But perhaps allow it to remain something more than simply another cheerful seasonal event.
I have already learned to smile quietly when I see Christmas trees decorated like Tanabata wish trees.
But Easter…
if possible, I still hope it can remain something a little more sacred.
