This was the cake I chose for Christmas Eve. Not cheap at approx $40
Food

Japanese Christmas = chicken and cake

My 2009 Christmas Eve cake.  Not cheap at approx . I think the price of strawberries goes up at this time of the year.

Standard food for Japan on Christmas Eve is chicken and cake, maybe washed down with some wine. At the station tonight after getting back from some shopping the area was buzzing with people buying their chicken and cake to take home.

Lots of selection for Christmas cakes. Can you pick a favorite here.
Lots of selection for Christmas cakes. Can you pick a favorite here.
Staff hold up signboards and shout out to people to come and buy their chicken here.
Staff hold up signboards and shout out to people to come and buy their chicken here.
My chicken leg came from Tsubame Grill, and it wasn't cheap either. Ouch! YEN 800
My chicken leg came from Tsubame Grill, and it wasn't cheap either. Ouch! YEN 800
Plenty of people lining up to buy cake. The line for cake was actually longer than for the chicken.
Plenty of people lining up to buy cake. The line for cake was actually longer than for the chicken.

I tried also to make a live streaming broadcast from my iPhone for the first time. You can see the video below. I think I will have to work on my “holding the camera still” technique in future. The broadcast got cut off at the end for some reason. Sorry.

I will experiment a bit more with the live streaming. You can follow me on ustream here.

I was speaking with Danny Choo from dannychoo.com about live streaming the other day. He already has a few videos produced from live streams and can be followed on ustream here and you can see his write-up about live streaming here as well.

Here is the cake I finally bought for Christmas Eve dessert.
Here is the cake I finally bought for Christmas Eve dessert.
My Yen 800 chicken leg. Well, it is only once a year. ^_^
My Yen 800 chicken leg. Well, it is only once a year. ^_^
Christmas Cake with plenty of strawberries and a bit too much cream ^^.
Maybe one last look at the cake again just to savor the moment. Plenty of strawberries and a bit too much cream ^^.

Do you have anything special for Christmas Eve or do you save it all for Christmas Day?

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Shibuya246

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  • RT @tweetmeme Japanese Christmas = chicken and cake, Japan Food | Shibuya246 http://bit.ly/5GLgF7 $8.00 usd for a chicken leg?
    Seems like quite a lot imo. I’m more of a whirte meat person, what is the cost for say a breast portion? And those cakes are sure scrumptilious. It would be very hard for me to pick a favorite. but probably be the chocolate one. the one you picked out looks quite good also.

  • I have been in Japan for 20 years but have never bought a Christmas cake. Last night, a student gave me an absolutely gorgeous one which had the benefit of also tasting fabulous. I still probably will not buy a Christmas cake, but my disdain for them has evaporated. 😉

    Merry Christmas!

  • Yum! I had a yummy chicken leg today but no Christmas cake :l The cake looks absolutely adorable! I want a slice 😡

  • Kya~ the form of carrots is so cuteee hahaha
    The chicken leg looks yummy but so expensive to me.
    And the cake is simply perfect as chritmas girf >.< (I want it!)

  • no chicken leg, but went to the market this morning and scored some Christmas cake with strawberries
    [img]http://shibuya246.com/wp-content/upload/IMG_0044r.jpg[/img]

    starting a new Christmas tradition . . .

  • That does seem expensive for just a chicken leg. Is chicken typically expensive in Japan, or are the prices simply marked up around Christmas time?

      • Ah, I see. I’m living in Singapore at the moment and prices seem to get marked up quite a bit here as well around the holidays as well, but not quite that high. My wife and I found a 1 kg ham for about the same price as your chicken leg!

  • cake & chicken not a bad idea for Xmas, is buying it all cooked better than roosting it in the oven yourself?! I would have bought a whole chicken season it the night before. ^^