In a country where only a fraction of citizens identify as Christian, the Japanese people sure know how to get into the Christmas spirit.
Children meet Santa Claus, as any wide-eyed child in the United States would. Families have a traditional dinner, only their consists of a "Christmas Chicken" - courtesy of Kentucky Fried Chicken's influence - and a "Christmas Cake;" a circular sponge cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
Another, more widely-held, tradition is buying a Christmas tree. It's a custom that translates overseas and one that a British man recently took to a new level.
Digital media business owner Joseph Tame decided to spread holiday cheer by dressing up as a fluorescent Christmas tree in order to run down downtown Tokyo streets.
"There are many areas of the city that are beautifully illuminated with Christmas decorations, but there are also areas where there are not," Tame told CNN. "I thought wouldn't it be great to take the fun and wonder of these illuminations into those areas and spread the Christmas cheer."
It took two months, 99 batteries, and nearly 100 feet of wire to make the festive costume work. The Tokyo resident started wearing it last week and plans on doing so through Dec. 25. As of now, he's only received positive feedback.
"Even as I speak to you now there's a crowd of people taking photos and everybody wants to take photos with me," he said. "One of the main things is to break the social barriers. Tokyo is a great city but people keep to themselves. It brings people to get together."
Watch video of the Christmas tree costume below.
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