Around Halloween, I asked my brother and my sister-in-law about which holidays they actually celebrate in Japan. My sister-in-law has lived in the US for a couple of years now, so she has some idea about the holidays we celebrate here (though there is a terrible language gap, and I can't understand most of what she says, and vice-versa), and my brother has visited Japan and his wife's family quite a few times, so he has some idea of how holidays are celebrated in Japan (though he still has not learned a word of Japanese. Go figure). So, anyway, I asked if they celebrate Halloween at all in Japan. Apparently not at all. So I asked if they celebrate Christmas. At first the answer was no. I asked if they even gave presents, in the spirit of consumerism. My sister-in-law said, "Maybe, a little". My brother said they have their festivals, and special days, but definitely not the same ones as people in Europe and the US. So my question is, how do you feel about fanfics set in Japan, that portray holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc? Does this bother you?

Not really considering most of our readers are not from Japan and wouldn't really be up to date on their holidays and our stories need to appeal to our readers. Adding in holidays they would be familiar with truthfully makes more sense to me than using ones they aren't just to be 'authentic'. Plus as writers, it's easier to write about the ones we ourselves are used to.

And while I may not be a country, as in one compared to many lol, I am Wiccan and don't celebrate Christmas, but have used it in stories none the less. Though I do have to wonder, if they don't celebrate Christmas, or at least not much, how come it is in practically every drama and manga? lol

That's what I was thinking..about the Christmas thing. It looks like they have a big festival for it every year and that most in Japan have taken to celebrating it. Usually I just don't write about holidays, and if I do, I research to see if they celebrate it the same way, or if it's different way or not at all.

I did include some Christmas into one of my stories and when I went to look it up if they celebrated it in Japan(or how) this was the answer I mainly got(though it may have been worded differently on different sites): gojapan.about.com/cs/christmasinjapan/a/chrismasinjapan.htm

I have no problem with western holidays being written in fanfiction that is set in Japan. But then, it all depends on how the writer does it. Because sometimes it can be so far fetched that you will be like 'really?' and have to look it up yourself(but it's rare that, that happens XD)

There are a few fanfic writers who have delved into the mysterious world of Japanese holidays, especially Forthright. It is fun to learn about what life in Japan is REALLY like, so I will definitely check out that website. Thanks for making a link, BTW. While I, for one, am not upset when a writer chooses to give Kagome brown eyes instead of blue, or portray Kagome's family as celebrating Thanksgiving in Japan, or modern western-style furniture in the feudal era, I know some readers get really bent about such matters, and I have learned a lot from them! But once my curiosity is aroused, I feel this terrible need to find out the true facts!

Guilty as charged, I just did include Valentine's day in the previous chapter of Chain... Even if I did portray it the way shoujo manga and doramas tend to. Popular culture is where I pick up on things and if that varies so much from reality, then I guess I am very much clueless. I don't think I generally have included much holidays to my fanfics. And I'd never throw in Halloween or Thanksgiving, since those are American holidays for the most part. :3

I don't feel bothered to see Western holidays in fanfiction that much. After all, the audience is mostly Western.

Sometimes I really wish I actually knew a Japanese person who could tell me more about all things such as these, since there are plenty of those different kinds of festivals in Japan.

same here the only asian friend that i have in my school would be from india but he doesn't share much about his culture only if you are really interested
I ask but it is really confusing since my mind have this ability to always compare cultures together. xDD
For one, I am a latina (half mexican & salvadorian) so comparing it the the U.S culture is almost the same thing. For example Halloween in mex, we call it el dia de los muertos but in a different day yet it happens in October. We celebrate it differently bc in el dia de los muertos we invite or dead love ones back and offer then food and connect once more.
Japan contains an almost the same kind of festival that welcomes their departed back into the living with laterns in the water but i forgot the name of it.
In Japan i mainly notice festivals and community celebrations and the mega one in the asian community will be the new years celebrated the same day as ours or another popular one will be children's day during may 5.
Buttt i notice another familiar one and that will be thanksgiving!! woot woot!! in november 23 so writing about thanksgiving is fine but the thing that keeps nagging me will be the foods we describe sometimes in the fanfics :OO
we tend to focus again towards our culture and not the japan's daily foods