Christmas Shopping Abroad

Filed in archive A World Away on November 16, 2007

A week from Friday is supposedly the biggest shopping day of the year. In the subculture of retail employees, the day is known as "Black Friday." You've had to wade through the riot of consumers who are out for the best deal and, perhaps, out for blood as well. Perhaps you even wished aloud that you were somewhere else during the busy shopping season.

What if you were somewhere else? Like Tokyo. What would it be like to do your Christmas shopping there? It might be like this (if you were a wisecracking hipster like Tokyo based performer and writer Kevin Cooney).

As it turns out, Tokyo is big on Christmas. According to people who have spent time their over the holiday season, some of the Christmas trees can put Rockefeller Center's to shame. Some of the decorations are pretty far out.

And the shopping? In Tokyo's shopping centers, you could probably mistake any ordinary Friday for "Black Friday."