(upbeat music)
- Baking is my communication tool with American people.
I'm not so good speak English,
but I can make a good dessert.
So during the holiday, I'm always making
a Japanese Christmas shortcake.
- I'm Nico Tortorella.
I'm an actor, an activist
and a firm believer that our differences
actually make us stronger.
I'm on a journey with IKEA to meet real people
and discover the diverse and spectacular ways
they celebrate the holidays.
Maybe you celebrate Christmas with milk and cookies
and a Christmas ham.
Or maybe you celebrate it with fried chicken and cake
like Portland resident Mio Asaka.
- My name is Mio Asaka.
I'm a baker and owner of Mio's Delectables.
- Mio runs a mini Japanese bakery
right out of her own home
and sells her goods at the Portland Farmers’ Market.
Mio has this real passion for baking
and sharing the traditions that she brought from Japan.
Her specialty: the Japanese Christmas cake.
(angelic choir)
Mmm.
(playful music)
We should probably go get some strawberries
for this cake, huh?
- [Mio] Yeah, yeah.
- Wow, hi.
How are you?
Mio's Delectables isn't just a business for Mio.
It's a way for her to share her traditions
and culture with other people
and to really bring people together,
especially during the holidays.
(knocking on door)
Hi!
How are you?
Good to see you.
- Good to see you.
Welcome.
Come in.
- I come bearing gifts. - Oh, wow.
My Christmas tree is like this size tree,
but I always decoration.
You have to enjoy that.
- This is your son here?
- [Mio] Yes. - [Nico] Willie?
- William. - William.
I admire Mio for being a single mother
who works hard to create a warm, inviting
and loving home for her family.
Ta-da!
Japanese Christmas is pretty unique.
For a while, it was a really romantic holiday in Japan,
kind of like Valentine's Day in the United States.
- [All] Romance.
- Fried chicken is really popular.
- [All] Karaage.
- And dessert—Christmas cake, especially—
is a focal point for Japanese Christmas.
- [Mio] When I came to the U.S., I didn't know that
this country not familiar with Japanese style
type of cake, so I explained this cake is
a very soft and not too sweet.
Now it is very popular.
- This looks so beautiful.
Japanese Christmas cake originated in
post-World War II Japan.
Middle-class citizens finally had access to sugar
and other ingredients that had once been
considered exclusive.
And from this, the tradition was born.
All right, it's time to eat.
- [Mio] Japanese Christmas is an important day.
We eat a big dinner with our family.
It's very much like the U.S., but we eat sushi and karaage.
- [Nico] Do you have any traditions before a Christmas meal?
- We say (speaking Japanese.)
Bon appetit. - Bon appetit.
- (speaking Japanese)
(gentle music)
- Mio is pretty inspiring.
She truly embodies the tradition represented by
something as simple as a cake.
Japanese Christmas cake is a symbol for prosperity
and growth, qualities that Mio really
brings to life every time she bakes this cake
for her friends and family.
- (singing in Japanese)
- There you have it, folks.
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.