column:weekly monmon talk
[27] "Cool Japan and the Land of the Free, America"
1. ♪Silent Night, Holy Night
- When Canon Meets Christmas Eve -
♪"The rain will turn to snow after midnight"—a line from the heartbreakingly wistful Christmas Eve, sung with a beat-driven rhythm by Tatsuro Yamashita. The song follows the same chord progression as Pachelbel's Canon. Who would have thought that a 17th-century melody from the Holy Roman Empire, present-day southern Germany, in the same era as Basho and Tsunayoshi in Japan, would become a Christmas song in an island nation in the Far East 300 years later?
Pachelbel's Canon is undoubtedly beautiful. The sound of the strings touches the heart of anyone hearing it for the first time, with its impeccable use of the canon form. Its beauty resonates with Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," expressing a similar sense of the joy of living. Of course, there's also a hint of the bittersweet nature of life, but ultimately, there's a sense of peace that comes from being guided by "God."
In contrast, Yamashita's "Christmas Eve" evokes a sense of longing and melancholy, paired with an awareness of the impermanence of life. There's something in it that connects to the aesthetic of wabi-sabi, stirring a deep nostalgia, a longing for something forgotten. It’s a remarkable blend of Western and Eastern sensibilities, a brilliant transformation—this is why it’s called Cool Japan.
- When East meets West, even Christmas borrows a little wabi-sabi. -
2. ♪We Three Kings of Orient Are
- Whe The Star That Lit the Calendar -
♪"We have come from a distant land, guided by a star, crossing fields and mountains,"—Melchior, Balthasar, and Caspar, the three Magi from the East, come to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It's a story known by every American, or rather, by every Christian. When we think of ♪a star shining in the night sky, of course we picture the Star of Bethlehem.
Christmas marks the day Jesus was born—or rather, the day it is said he was born. The arrival of the Messiah. The day “a hand of salvation was extended.” A week later, Western chronology resets to Year One. Christmas Eve, with its solemnity, its spiritual grandeur, stands as the twin of Japan’s Ōmisoka (New Year’s Eve), where temple bells toll 108 times. Two peaks of spiritual culture, East and West.
And then, somehow, into this sacred scene comes Santa Claus, sleigh bells jingling, beloved by children everywhere. ♪I’m dreaming of a White Christmas—fireplaces, family gatherings, joy. In a land of monotheism, what a peaceful thing it seems, simply to believe in “God.”
- Funny how a star in the sky resets the calendar for half the planet. -
３. ♪All I Want for Christmas is You
- From Bethlehem to Bubblegum -
So then we get to this: ♪All I want for Christmas is you—how should we translate you into Japanese? Kimi? Anata? Even Omae-sama? (Proof again of Japanese richness—Cool Japan, right there in a pronoun!). But isn’t this kind of song, in its own way, a rebellion? Against tradition, against society’s family values, against religion itself? Maybe even a little blasphemy. ♪ Last Christmas I gave you my heart—same category: a love song so light it almost feels scandalous.
Yet that lightness is also resistance. Resistance against traditions loaded down with too much meaning, against suffocating expectations of “this is how society works.” It’s the same spirit that drove the Pilgrims across the ocean, seeking religious freedom—the very root of America’s founding values.But once gained, those values can become shackles in their own right. Conservatism versus progressivism: it’s no accident, but a built-in tension of American culture.
Isn’t this the real Manifest Destiny? Freedom isn’t just being spoiled under a protective system. Sometimes it means risking your life, demanding liberation from every kind of bondage. Freedom with responsibility—that’s freedom in its truest sense. That’s why America calls itself the Land of the Free.
- Who knew bubblegum pop could sound like the Declaration of Independence? -
4. ♪Do They Know It’s Christmas Time at All?
- When Good will Becomes a Burden -
Back in the 1980s, when Africa was starving, musicians from Europe and America rose to the call. First came Band Aid out of the UK and Ireland, draping their charity in the imagery of Christmas. Released in December, written and sung by people (probably) Christian themselves—no cynicism, no arrogance, just a burst of pure goodwill. That was their worldview. That was their culture.
Then came USA for Africa. No need to say the title—♪ We Are the World. And there it was again: ♪ God’s great big family, ♪ turning stone to bread (though, if we’re nitpicking, Jesus himself rejected that trick in the desert!). All of it steeped in a Christian worldview. The wave crested with Live Aid. But if I connect this chain of events to the old saying—“the road to hell is paved with good intentions”—am I forcing the logic a little too far?
Is Christmas special only because Christianity says so? Is monotheism somehow the chosen faith? Rationally speaking, the answer is no. That’s the logic behind political correctness: not “Merry Christmas!” but “Happy Holidays!” A small adjustment, well-meaning for sure. And yet… isn’t goodwill sometimes the cruelest thing of all?
- Goodwill: the gift that keeps on giving… until it suffocates. -
5. ♪I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
- Rational Truth vs, Holiday Cake -
After centuries of bloody religious wars, Europe in the 17th century called a truce (the Westphalian order) and turned from “religious truth” to “rational truth.” From the French Revolution’s Festival of Reason, to the communist dream of paradise on earth… Idealism, sure. But maybe a bit too much idealism. Political correctness today feels like a leftover echo, doesn’t it? A shadow of that old habit of overreaching?
So what if Mommy kisses Santa? Why should that be a problem? In Japan, we celebrate Christmas Eve with strawberry shortcake, pack up the tree right after, set out kadomatsu for New Year, ring temple bells for purification, then visit a shrine on January 1st. And why not? This is the land where Christmas Express trains (thank you, JR Tokai) can happily coexist with Shinto and Buddhism.
Think about it “rationally” and it makes no sense. And yet, isn’t that precisely what makes it Cool Japan? Maybe it’s even why people feel drawn here—Japan, freer in some ways than the so-called Land of the Free. “Ee ja nai ka, ee ja nai ka!” That carnival spirit of turning the world upside down—it’s still alive in Japan’s way of setting things right.
- Rationally nonsense, emotionally genius—that’s Cool Japan in a nutshell. -
6. ♪Saaaaaa-anta Claus Is Comin’ to Town
- Saint Nicholas or Saint Seiya?! -
I don’t recall Jesus ever saying anything about Santa Claus. Santa, after all, comes from Saint Nicholas—or maybe… a Saint Seiya of sorts? (聖闘士, a holy warrior in shining armor?) Either way, he’s not the essence of Christian teaching. So is that really what practicing the faith looks like? The Santa Claus who became a global superstar—the red suit, the booming “Ho Ho Ho,” the sleigh drawn by reindeer—that was America’s 19th-century invention.
See how values shift over time? The 21st century is starting to look like the 17th century 2.0. Back then, Europe wore itself out chasing “rational” truth. Now, in our own age of metal fatigue, we see the same cracks appearing. A new set of values is emerging: respect for majority culture, while still making room for minorities. Will it take root in Cool Japan? Or in the land of the free, America?
- Forget theology—the real miracle was Santa’s marketing team. -
-So, let’s sing it out loud…-
-♪ So this is Christmas, and what have you done?-
-♪ Heal the world. Let THEM know it’s Christmas time again.-
-And let’s say it, even if we’re not Christians… ^^;-
-Merry X’mas!-!
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