It's Beginning to Look a Bit Like Christmas

As the holidays approach, Tokyo is putting up more and more Christmas decorations. There are wreaths, fake evergreen bows and lighted displays everywhere but despite the trappings of the holiday, there is no Christmas spirit here what-so-ever. It is very sad. At home you can feel the joy and good cheer of the holidays everywhere you go. It's subtle but reflected in the voice and face of almost everyone you meet. Here there's lights but the holiday is completely dead. It has no meaning, it is a mere commercial fabrication. It makes me sad and adds an extra chill to the winter air.
This is the beautifully lighted tree in the square in front of the local train station. One day I got home from an errand to see downtown Jiyugaoka decked out in Christmas finery. It reminded me of home.

Note: This picture was taken with my camera phone. I sent it via email to my PC as a test to see how good the pic showed up on a real screen. I'm impressed. The camera phone pics are a lot higher quality than I expected.