Santa Colonel!
Merry Christmas my fellow Ibarakians. As many of you surely know by now, Christmas is quite different here in Japan. First of all, it is a working day, so no day off to open presents from Santa which is kind of sad. Also, Christmas in Japan is not a family holiday. Japanese people usually go out with their friends and celebrate or go out on dates. It is really quite different from our Christmas traditions back home. One of the biggest differences is the food. When I first moved to Japan, I was with a friend of mine during Christmas and he said "ケンタッキー行こう " which translates to "let's go to Kentucky Fried Chicken." "KFC? During Christmas?" I thought. But then I came to realize that all Japanese people go to KFC.
The brilliant PR guys at KFC came up with the idea that all Americans eat KFC on Christmas Day, and Japanese people ate it up, literally. I have lost count on how many times I have explain to my Japanese colleagues that that isn't true. I am sure a lot of you are now nodding your head right now because you have done the same. But yeah, here in Japan everyone has KFC. KFC is usually sold out by the BEGINNING of Christmas day. What else do they have with KFC? Sushi and pizza.
Yup, Pizza La, Japan's biggest pizza corporation, is extremely busy that day. So Imagine your usual Christmas dinner back home. Mine would be almost the same as Thanksgiving but with some little differences. Now swap all that out for pizza, sushi and KFC chicken. Wild right? But I do recommend trying a Japanese Christmas dinner at least once. It is quite delicious and just fun to do. But I still miss my family's home cooked Christmas dinner every year back in the states. So what other ways are there to celebrate Christmas here in Ibaraki?
Tsuchiura's Illumination show
If you want to see a display of lights, come on down to Tsuchiura. "Illumination" is Japan's way of saying Christmas lights show. The Tsuchiura Suigo Park Illumination show is quite spectacular. It is really pretty to see and it is a great outing for the family. This place is right at the waterfront of Kasumigaura Lake so it can get real cold at night. I suggest bundling up. Hey, this is Ibaraki Eats, what about food? Well, take your pick of food trucks.
One place that has been coming to this illumination show for years is a really delicious Brazilian food truck. This truck has been selling amazing Brazilian meats and sandwiches every year and it is really good. My recommendation is trying the churrasco. It is so soft and delicious that you might end up buying another one. Usually, this food truck is at this event almost every day.
Another food truck is Chronic Burger. I talked about Chronic Burger a few weeks ago so if you want to read about them, check out the post;
Chronic Burger is delicious and I highly recommend buying one of their burgers. They are not at the event every day though. I believe they may only come on the weekend.
Feeling cold and would like some coffee? Check out the small brown coffee van. They have been coming to this event for many years. Their coffee is perfect for that cold wind that comes from Kasumigaura Lake.
Unfortunately, because of the corona virus, this event has been cut short this year. The event usually starts in November but this year it is starting on December 14th and it finishes on January 11th.
Update
Update on the Suigo Park Illumination event. Unfortunately, the event has been further postponed until next week December 21st. I am not really sure if the event will even be held next week since the corona cases are still going up in Ibaraki. They are rising especially in the Tsuchiura and Tsukuba areas. This event is a lot of fun and it is really beautiful. I had hoped to go this week and take some pictures of the food trucks and lights to show you all. That is why I do not have pictures of the food trucks and I do not have the names of the trucks posted. I will just have to use some of my old pictures. I hope you get a chance to experience this awesome event.
To be on the safe side, I would recommend checking on the event's website to see when it will begin and what the times are. Here is the link:
There are usually a lot more illumination events around Ibaraki. The Ishioka Flower Park has a grand and really nice event during December. Unfortunately, the Ishioka Flower Park is under renovation so the park is closed for the remainder of the year.
Daigo lights up Fukuroda Falls at night for everyone to see. But I have yet to go to this event so when I do, I will be sure to talk about it.
Tsukuba Station Illumination
The Tsukuba station area also has some nice Christmas lights up. The wife and I have taken a stroll through the path of lit up trees and found it very nice. Plus, there are a bunch of places to eat around there. So once you have checked out the lights, check out the restaurants in the department store area.
Christmas at the Duck
Another place to celebrate Christmas would be my favorite place, the Drunken Duck. The Drunken Duck usually has a Christmas dinner during the middle of December that is similar to their Thanksgiving Dinner. I have gone to the Duck in past Christmases and the owner Jamie, has come out in a Santa outfit and given presents to all the customers. But because of covid, I don't think that will be happening this year, but hey, you can still enjoy a delicious Christmas meal.
Christmas Pudding
The Duck's Christmas pudding is fantastic. I am not sure if it will be on the special menu this year, but if it is, I highly recommend ordering it to complete your Christmas dinner.
Check out the Drunken Duck's Facebook page here for more details on their Christmas specials;
An American BBQ Christmas!
Feel like having a huge American BBQ Christmas dinner? Then you need to take advantage of Buddy's Rib Company's Christmas special. This Christmas special is awesome. You can either order the 3,000 yen special which brings two big BBQ chicken legs, half a rack BBQ spare ribs and a lot of fries. Or you can order the 6,000 yen special which brings 4 big BBQ chicken legs, a whole rack of BBQ spare ribs and more and more fries. This is an amazing deal for good quality American BBQ. The wife and I ordered this special two years ago and we had a very Merry BBQ Christmas.
Check out Buddy's Facebook page for more details;
Hitachi city also has a Christmas village event and so does Tsukuba but I haven't heard any news about the events this year. So my guess is that both events are cancelled due to the pandemic.
Tastes like Eggnog!
Miss Eggnog? Well, there really isn't any eggnog in Ibaraki. So you either have to make it yourself or maybe Starbucks can help you. When you go to Starbucks, show the staff this picture. It is from their secret menu. This latte actually tastes pretty close to eggnog (sorry no liquor).
If you know any other Christmas deals, specials, illumination events or food events, I would love to hear from you and to hear about your experience.
So however you celebrate Christmas this year, be it at home with friends and family or going out to see some lights and enjoying some Christmas food specials, I truly hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Stay safe this Christmas and I hope Santa got you whatever you were wishing for.
Enjoy!
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