Forgive us, readers, for we have sinned. It has been about two months since we lasted updated this blog. Gommen! Unfortunately, work and travel commitments being what they are, not to mention the time it takes to edit and organise photos, we won't be able to update as regularly as we like. When we do, you'll hear about it through Facebook.
On Christmas Day 2008 we flew to Beijing. We were with a tour group, we were the only non-Japanese guests, and the tour guides spoke only Japanese and their native Mandarin. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves, but we had a fantastic time, though Emma did end up catching some kind of flu on the way back and was laid up in bed for the following week.
Click here to see the photos. (The tab on the left runs the slideshow.)
I hope, but I won't promise, to put up photos of other trips in the near future.
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
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).
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).
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.
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.
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