In many places, celebrations will be getting into full swing. But if you're in Japan, by the time you read this, Christmas (kurisumasu) will have already been forgotten. Like everywhere else, in the runup before, there have been carols sung and trees and lights and images of Santa hung up, especially in shops. All of this will have strangely disappeared by Christmas morning.

To a Westerner, Christmas may have deep associations. But in Japan it is mostly about Christmas cake (keiki), a gaudy sponge cake covered with whipped cream and decorated with strawberries that is eaten on Christmas Eve with friends or family or romantic partners. No one who eats it will be doing so already feeling stuffed from a heavy Christmas dinner. Nor are they likely to be yearning for the rich fruit cake to follow later on with tea, each dark brown slice fragrant with the scent of sherry or brandy, and coated thickly with marzipan and icing.

Nor will any child remember being called into the kitchen months before, and given a wooden spoon to stir a fruity mixture in a metal basin, and told to make a wish. This was the heavy pudding that appeared, with blue flames of burning brandy round a piece of holly, to crown the Christmas repast. Was it this, or the mince pies, in which there might be a coin in silver paper? Whatever it was, presents aside, Christmas was mostly about eating — apart from the Church.