Thanksgiving isn;t big (for obvious reasons) in Japan. However some do get the holiday off to give thanks. They don't have turkey. The only ham they have in japan is the sliced version for sandwiches. So bringing the ham was a shock to them. But they enjoyed it more than most things I think.
Christmas is bigger than I expected in Japan or at least our heavily influenced area of Japan. At my Japanese and American Preschool all of the Japanese came to school with Christmas gifts and new toys. One of my American friends asked if it was Annual Gift Man that dropped off the toys. It wasn't. It was Santa.
About 10% of the country believes in Christianity. But what is interesting about religion out here is that a lot of it is intertwined with each other. Its normal to have a Christian wedding, a Buddhist Funeral and celebrate Chinese New Year (This year is the year of the Snake coming up FYI)
New Year is a week long festivity. Full of cleaning every speck of dust out of your house and then spending your time with family and friends. They believe whatever you do that first week will pave the road for how your next year will follow. They have little tricks (much like the ones I found out we do. My family doesn't do much for New Years) They leave a bowl of fruit that they don't touch for 3 days. It means they will be bountiful with food the next year. They go to the temple for New Years and ring it in with a prayer and a wish. And other things like that. I think its something Americans should celebrate in line with (and its not JUST because I want a week off lol)
The Japanese I talk to have NEVER heard of groundhogs day (and I found out the groundhog doesn't see his own shadow. He sees Jack Frosts shadow.) So it was fun teaching them about that one.
February 3rd is Setsubun. It is a holiday like another New Years where you wish for bad spirits to stay out and for good luck to enter your home. They throw beans and talk about Oni (a demon orge like thing) It is a fun holiday.
Valentine's Day is split into 2 holidays (I am SURPRISED Hallmark hasn't tried to capitalize on that yet) It is February 14th (The girls give gifts to the boys) and March 14th (The boys give gifts to the girls). Basically asking to be the valentine and finally getting a response. It is a cute and sentimental way of expanding the holiday.
I am sure there are more that are different and I can't wait to hear more about it!
