Australia Day 2008

On Saturday I decided to get into the spirit of things and tune in to the Triple J Hottest 100, and found that I didn't recognise most of the songs--including the winning song. ("Knights of Cydonia" by Muse--which isn't bad after a few listens.) That could only mean two things: I'd been living in Japan for a good part of 2007, and I'm getting old.

Well, 31 isn't exactly old, but then age is a relative thing. I realised this one of the last times I set foot inside a nightclub in Perth, and felt like I had stepped into a child care centre. So it was with some trepidation that I ventured into Osaka's Club Pure with young Emma and the other Perth JETs on Saturday night. You see, when I think of thirtysomething males in nightclubs I think of bearded and be-stubbled men wearing tight black jeans and those Chinese/Hawaiian-style shirts that were popular for about 5 minutes at the end of the 1990s (after which most died an honourable death in the local Vinnie bin before resurrecting themselves on the backs of Centrelink clients), dirty-dancing to Gwen Stefani with some pre-pubescent muffin-top. Honestly, boys, it's like watching someone do the "Lambada" with a fetus. And I don't want to be one of those guys!

Fortunately, I was able to overcome my neurosis long enough to have a really enjoyable night with my JET friends (the Daniels C and K, Goran, Aimee, Michelle, Susie and Amanda), as well as chat with (chat with, people, not chat up) some of the locals. There was a dodgy character haunting the dancefloor like the unmistakable odor of eructated garlic ramen--someone who doubtless would have felt right at home at The Shed or The Craic (for those of you with long memories) or Gobbles (for those of you with really long memories)--but the female clientele, gaijin and otherwise, were wise enough to give him a wide berth. The cocktails--watered down though they must have been at $25 for all-you-can-drink--were strong enough for me to lose my inhibitions regarding uncoordinated dancing and seriously off-key singing. Emma, as you know, needs no help in either of those departments, but she appreciated the chance to let her hair down all the same.

Michelle stayed at our place that night, and the next morning was telling me about the mukade (that's giant centipede to you) she encounters in her house from time to time. I showed her a site listing the 5 Most Horrifying Bugs in the World (language warning). The mukade doesn't make an appearance, but another insect commonly encountered in Japan does: the Japanese Giant Hornet. Watch as 30 of them massacre a hive of 30, 000 honeybees.

Christmas & New Year 2007

Do the Japanese celebrate Christmas? Yes and no. Christianity (kirisutokyou, "The teachings of Christ") is a minority religion here, observed by only 1% of the population, so there is little emphasis placed upon the religious aspects of Christmas. (We didn't see any nativity scenes, for instance). Here the emphasis is more on the non-religious iconography and traditions of Christmas--Christmas trees and gift-giving, for instance--as well as its commercialism. Christmas paraphernalia appears in Japanese shops almost as early it does in the West. And while Christmas cards are widely available, card-giving is more generally associated with New Year, which in Japan is far more important than Christmas--as any Westerner working here soon discovers. December 25th is not a public holiday in Japan (though December 24th is: it's the birthday of the current Emperor).

Emma and I both had to work on Christmas Day, and did our celebrating on Christmas Eve. It was the first time Emma got to open presents on Christmas Eve without protest from me! Here are the presents Emma gave me, including a drip coffee-maker:
And here's what I gave Emma (pillows not included):

Since many of our JET friends were either out of town or otherwise occupied over Christmas, we opted to celebrate on our own with a traditional Christmas dinner:KFC . . .

. . . followed by chocolate cake (cake is actually traditional Christmas fare in Japan).

The following Sunday, we went to a nabe feast at the apartment of a fellow JET, Goran, in Myodani. Nabe may be described as a broth, kept bubbling in a special ceramic or cast-iron pot over a small burner, to which may be continously added all sorts of meat and vegetables. Everyone sits around the pot, refilling their bowls and adding more ingredients to the broth as necessary, inculcating a feeling of "community" and sharing--which, since all present were travelling together to Hiroshima later in the week, was most likely the point. As you imagine, the more ingredients that are added, the tastier the broth becomes. This is one Japanese tradition I can see us bringing back to Australia (depending on the availability of portable burners back home).

Amanda, a fellow JET from Perth, with Emma at the nabe feast

We had a great time on New Year's Eve, which kicked off at an izakaya in Sannomiya--a kind of restaurant best described as "only in Japan." After paying a set price of around $30 a head, we sat around a long, low table, at either end of which was located a digital menu with a touchscreen. From this menu we were free to order--within a time limit of 90 minutes--as much finger-food and alcohol as we could stomach. It was, needless to say, a rowdy affair, and put most of us in the mood for karaoke afterwards. (Click on the image below for a slideshow)Most Japanese spend New Year's Eve quietly with their families, only to congregate around local shrines close to midnight to see in the new year. Emma and I were unfortunate to miss this spectacle, because we had to be up early the following day to rendezvous with others journeying to Hiroshima, and there were no trains running back to Tarumi after midnight.