There are few to none options for turkey dinners here in Japan...UNLESS you know where to look. There happens to be a few specialty stores and a few restaurants who celebrate Thanksgiving with turkey dinners. Or you can visit www.themeatguy.jp who sells turkey and chicken beasts that vary in weight and origin. This guy goes and gets these birds in perhaps early October when you can start purchasing them until mid November when they are either all sold out or is it crunch time to get a bird by the special day.
Here in Japan, this year we had the day off before Thursday. This day is to celebrate hard work ANNNND, get this, the harvest festival. What does this sound like to you!? But of course! Labor Thanksgiving Day!!! Ok so the two are a bit lumped together but the important part is still there, Thanksgiving. The Japanese holiday is called Kinro Kansha no Hi, 勤労感謝の日. This is a day for congratulating people for their hard work and giving thanks. Traditionally on this day the emperor makes the first offering of current years rice harvest to the gods and then partake in the fresh harvest himself. This tradition goes back hundreds of years, though in recent times, since the end of the second world war, it has come to be known as a labor day combination. This holiday is always celebrated on the 23rd of November, unless the 23 falls on a weekend, in which case the kind Japanese government will observe it on the following Monday, which will then be a day of rest.
One of the major festivals for this day occurs in Nagano and unfortunately I was not able to make it there.
On to Thanksgiving dinner...again...Here is mine!
What we have here is a sincerely molested chicken, adorned with stuffing. It weighs in at perhaps a kilo or two. A small gravy dish. Mashed sweet potatoes. And green bean casserole...and pan.
And that proves you can do Thanksgiving in Japan
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