Christmas

I was talking to a professor recently who put it very well. Japanese people must appear to an outside observer to be very strange as the year ends and the new one begins. On December 25, they celebrate Christmas. On the 31^st they go to the Buddhist Temple to ring a bell 108 times to rid themselves of the 108 human desires. On January 1, they go to the Shinto shrine to pray for a good year.

Of course, most Japanese people celebrate Christmas similar to many people around the world; they celebrate the Santa Claus holiday. Some, though even most of these are non-Christian, go to Catholic Mass or other Christian services in the few places around Tokyo where they can on Christmas or Christmas Eve.

In America, Christmas is a time to be spent with family. People travel all over the country to be with their families. We have traditions of decorating a tree, so that we have a festive place to gather with our relative to open presents and celebrate in general, complete with a big meal, or at the very least, lots of food. But in Japan, Christmas is a holiday for romance. Christmas is spent with your boyfriend/girlfriend if you are young (and dating) and with your friends otherwise. Think first kiss of the New Year in the States. That’s the emphasis put on romance for Christmas.

In Japan, New Years is the holiday to spend surrounded by family and traditions, again complete with a big meal. (More about this holiday in a few days!)

My Christmas in Japan was very good. I went to a crowded Christmas Eve mass in Japanese here on the college’s campus, which was followed by a little tea party thrown by the sisters with some cakes, tea, and soda. There were lots of happy little kids running around and the sisters were very hospitable.

I woke up very early and excited on Christmas morning. (I had presents, and even a stocking, waiting for me in the other room that my family had sent to me.) I woke up too early on Christmas morning. I woke up at 5:30 on Christmas morning. I told myself, “Self, you are not 5. Go back to sleep.” I woke up too excited on Christmas morning. I kept trying and trying to go back to sleep; but for about an hour and 15 minutes, I woke up every 10 minutes. Then at 6:45 I mercifully fell back asleep. My alarm went off at 7:30. I was expecting a call from home and had things I needed to get done before running across town for Mass in English. I should get up. But I couldn’t for the life of me drag myself out of the warm bed into the cold room where the presents were. Nope, couldn’t get up. Just 5 more minutes, ma! I turned off my alarm and turned off the snooze and fell back asleep. I woke up to it going off again at 8:15. This time it was my family calling!

I answered and my mom knew she had woken me up. She always knows. I run over to the other room to open presents, and, on speakerphone with my whole family, drop a couple of f-bombs because the room was so so freakin cold. My mom gives my still sleeping brain of taking the presents back to bed with me, and I quickly obliged. We all talked for awhile and I opened my presents and they opened the ones I sent them. Eventually we said goodbye. I got out of bed again and put on lots more warm clothes and made myself some mixed berry pancakes for Christmas breakfast, while chatting some more with my sister online.

I made my way across Tokyo to Roppongi where I met Kanami. We went to Mass there in English and it was nice. We had a bit of time, so we went to a café and had some coffee while chatting and people watching. Back in Shinjuku, we went our separate ways. She headed home to her family, and I rushed home to get everything ready for dinner. I had three students over, including my friend Ayako, to have a big American Christmas dinner feast. And that we did. I still have leftovers to finish, though I sent some home with everyone.

I got lots of cards and e-mails from all you dear people back home, and that made the holiday so much better! It was difficult to be away from home, but it is so worth it to experience the holidays somewhere else! Next, New Years!

Current Music : I'll be True by Dashboard Confessional---Thanks for the Mixed CD Sammi
Current Mood: Ashamed it's taken me so long to post. . .