What's going on around the globe
It's that time of the year again, when thousands of Santa's little helpers in Tokyo start preparing presents for boys and girls who've been good. And the top gifts this season are restaurant seats, hotel reservations and ... party packs of flavoured condoms.
Japan's reinvention of western traditions and culture is a thing of wonder. Valentine's Day has been retooled as 'buy-your-boss-chocolate-day', weddings are held in gaudy chapels with fake priests and 'hymns' by John Lennon and Queen, and Christmas Eve is an excuse for mass fornication. Old St Nick is spinning in his grave.
This Saturday, thousands of under-30s will be on 'dating courses', usually involving a trip to somewhere like Tokyo Disneyland, a meal and the, er, climax - an overnight stay in a hotel. The most popular hotels are booked out by late November.
Many hotels sell Christmas deals aimed at couples. One hotel in Osaka, for example, offers a one-night package complete with presents, an original stuffed animal and a small Christmas tree. Guests can also wallow in a rose-scented bubble bath and have a commemorative photo taken: a snip at just over 50,000 yen (about HK$ 3,361).
For those who can't afford such extravagance, there's always the ubiquitous love hotels, which charge by the hour and are usually packed on Christmas Eve.