Christmas Eve in Japan - and more pictures!

[laurainlimbo]

Before I post a few more pics, I thought I'd answer today's writer's block question since it's Christmas Eve here in Japan:

If you celebrate Christmas, what will you do this evening? If you don't will you still do something festive, or is it just another night?

Well, for many reasons, Christmas Eve is just another night for me, and it has been for many years. I do enjoy Christmas decorations, and I send out cards (most years), and I even love some holiday movies (like Elf !)... but I haven't been into giving gifts or doing the whole Christmas celebration for a long time. For me, Christmas only has meaning if I'm with my family in America, and only if I'm able to just enjoy being with them, and not obligated to buy gifts. I'm not stingy - in fact I love giving gifts to friends and family - but I just don't believe that Christmas should be a commercial holiday. It should be about sharing good times, love, and good food with our loved ones - it shouldn't be all about buying stuff that people don't want or need. For the last three years, I was not with family for any holidays, as I was living in Chicago. And this year, we're back in Japan, so I won't be with my family for Christmas or New Year's. Of course Christmas doesn't have the religious meaning in Japan that it does in other parts of the world (although I would argue that the holiday has really lost it's religious significance in western cultures lately as well); but sadly Japanese people have absorbed the "kitsch" of Christmas into their culture, and you can find holiday decorations, lights, and horrible "muzak" versions of Christmas songs in almost every store and restaurant. Lots of houses are even decorated with lights and reindeer and Santas, and of course some younger people, especially couples, celebrate Christmas by making or buying Christmas cakes. We had our own little mini celebration tonight, though - we decided that we'd been eating too much cake lately, so instead of cake, we asked Masahiko's mom to buy sushi. We we ate delicious sushi and chicken and miso soup for dinner, and I'm so full and satisfied!!

New Year's Day (正月 O-Shogatsu) is a much bigger celebration in Japan, and has much more cultural significance. My mother-in-law will be making Mochi and we will probably be eating Soba Noodles . Most Japanese people visit a shrine or temple, and it's also the time of year for house cleaning (like our spring cleaning in the states).

And speaking of New Year's, most people also send 年賀状, nengajō (New Year's cards), to family and friends. I finally sent my cards out today (29 of them!) - I had meant to send them yesterday, but it was a holiday (the Emperor's birthday). So, please let me know when you receive your cards:)

I'm planning to write some posts in the next few days about Japanese living, and my house, etc., but for now I'll leave you with a few more pictures I took when I was walking today and yesterday. The weather has been gloriously warm and sunny, and I had to get out and stretch my legs and get some exercise. It hasn't looked much like winter lately - sorry for all you folks in snowy parts of the world (unless you love the snow!)... anyway, here's some pics:



Here's the grocery store called Max Valu that was recently built near our house. The food is really inexpensive. This company, Aeon, just built a huge mall in Fuji that looks like an American shopping mall. They're taking over Japan, like Wal-Mart in America!:



Here's a string of vending machines on the street near the grocery store. The first three are just for cigarettes!:



Here's a Kinkan tree (in English it's called a kumquat) - these fruits resemble lemons, but Japanese use just the skin for cooking. it's very bitter:



And here's an example of Christmas "kitsch" - Santa Claus is trying to get into this unusual house that resembles a mountain cabin:



and finally another picture of Mt. Fuji:





Happy Christmas everyone! I'll be around a lot the next few days - nothing to do!!

Comments

[serialbathera.livejournal.com]

I am sorry you haven't felt much like celebrating Christmas in the last few years.

Thank you for explaining the christmas and new year's activities in Japan. It is interesting to learn about new things.

Much love
::hugs::
-A

[zeecha.livejournal.com]

I very much enjoyed reading this post & those links about the Japanese New Year's celebration & the soba noodle making. I have to admit that I don't really know much about Japanese culture (or other Asian cultures) at all (or very limited). So thanks for that.

I loved the soba pictures! I have enjoyed making my own pasta from time to time, but it *is* a process that you can't really rush. I'll be making varskeciai this afternoon, for our Christmas Eve meal. That's a traditional dish for my family--a meatless dish. It's a noodle dough that is cut into a circle & then filled with a cottage cheese filling; we serve it in a sour cream white sauce...it is SO good! anyway, seeing those pictures at the soba link surely made me think that cultures of the world are not so different, in some aspects...

My feelings on Christmas have waxed & waned over the years. I agree with some of what you wrote...you are making me more thoughtful than I already am! I know for me that as we go forward in life, with all the changes that happen over the course of time, we make our own traditions, with people who we claim as family--whether they are related by bloodline or by choice. hmmmm...I may make a more thoughtful post about this...

anyhoo. Thanks for sharing! and Merry Christmas!

[dawnie1970.livejournal.com]

*smishes you tight* Beautiful pictures, lovebug! ♥

[wolfpurplemoon]

I look forward to receiving a traditional Japanese New Year's card, sounds very intriguing! :)

We tend to just buy presents for the immediate family (Mum, Dad and Phil that is), and we do it all from our Amazon wish lists so we are all getting things we want, which means you know that what you bought is going to be appreciated! Xmas Eve itself is nothing special though, just time to be with family and relax in front of some festive TV.

Today I had a good Xmas eve at work, only a few of us in (I suppose that people who are going to visit family or are preparing for visitors take the day off) and some food was brought in by a couple of women and we spent most of the day chatting before slipping out as early as we could get away with!

Enjoy your unseasonable weather, it's warmed up a little here, just enough to get rid of that dangerous ice luckily! *hugs*

[gwoman.livejournal.com]

i love love love your pictures! definitely keep them coming :)

merry christmas and happy new year :)

[toadflax234.livejournal.com]

I haven't spent Christmas Day at home with my mum for some years - we'll go and see her after Christmas though.

When we got married, she told us to make our own traditions, and not to start being tied to the rest of the family. She'd always been obliged to spend the day with her parents and elderly aunts, and didn't want us to have to do that - she hated it!

So we've always had Christmas at home. Anyone can come to us, but we don't move. I like it like this. :-)

Fascinating Japanese traditions though - sounds like fun! I particularly like leaving the old year behind and starting anew. Not a bad plan, that.

Have a great holiday anyway. *hugs*

[bayareajenn.livejournal.com]

OMG, Elf is my current favorite holiday movie! "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" I so want to answer the phone like that on the holidays. :-)

I sent you a Christmas card about a week and a half ago. Not sure how long it takes for something to get to Japan, though. I was hoping you'd get it before Christmas, but it's looking like no, but I wanted you to know that at least one more is on its way.

Japan looks beautiful this time of year. It's really nice to have pictures like that, of the places you see regularly. I did that when I lived in India years ago, and it just brings it all back to me when I look at them now.

[jojobruin.livejournal.com]

Cool pictures, Laura! Can you send me your new mailing address to me please? ^_^ jonathanjostar at gmail. Merry Xmas to you too! *hugs*

[jojobruin.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm glad the weather is mild where you are now! I don't expect any sympathy from you but LA has been unseasonably cold lately!! It's hovers below freezing point at night!

Your pictures look great! You really make me crave for me now.

I knew about Xmas in Japan - it's quite similar in China where people celebrate it just for the sake of celebrating it. The lunar new year's, which Japan now replaced with the solar new year's, is a much bigger deal, likewise. =)

Hope all is well! Merry Christmas!

[jojobruin.livejournal.com]

You too, much more!

I'll let you know when I receive your postcard. Thank you!

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Love the shot of Fuji. Just amazing. *envies*

I'm with you... For years now, I've really lost that "Christmas spirit." It's all become so commercialized and money-driven... people stressing out about what to buy, not having enough money to spend... and for me, that just kills the spirit. So this year, being that my mother still hasn't been able to land a job, she was stressing about not having as "grand" a Christmas as we usually have. (meaning fewer gifts) So I took the opportunity to (hopefully) start a new tradition... I suggested we just skip the gifts this year. I said gifts are nice and we all enjoy them but in the end it's just "stuff." And we don't necessarily need more "stuff." I suggested we do our normal brunch (YUMMY) and dinner (EVEN YUMMIER) and just spend the day focused on each other... playing games and just enjoying one another. It took about a week but they all finally said it was a good idea and so that's what we did... we played board games and had a great time. I really enjoyed Christmas this year more than I have in a looooong time. :-)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... sushi, chicken and miso sounds like such an awesome Christmas feast!!! Can I come live with you? lol...

Happy Holidays to you, Laura. I hope all is well in your part of the galaxy!!!

(sorry for being such a bad LJ friend of late as well.. and thank you for sharing your life over there with us!!!)