it's not life that matters but the journey...

Today, February 3rd, Japanese people celebrated an annual ceremony called "Setsubun" (Bean-throwing ceremony). Setsubun literally means "seasonal division", and in Japan refers to the spring Setsubun, which coincides with the Lunar New Year. According to this article Setsubun has been celebrated in many ways, but perhaps the most common custom found throughout Japan is the traditional Mame Maki or the scattering/throwing of beans (mame) to chase away the evil oni (ogres, evil spirits, as depicted in the illustration which heads this article). In some ritual forms, the Toshi Otoko [literally "year man" but referring either to the "man of the house" or to men who are born in the animal sign of the coming year (tiger for the year 2010)] will throw mame within the house or at someone perhaps dressed as oni and repeat the saying Oni wa Soto; Fuku wa Uchi (Get out Ogre! Come in Happiness!). After the ritual throwing of the beans, family members may then pick up the number of beans corresponding to their age; eating these brings assurance of good fortune in the coming year. These days, of course, it is not uncommon to see children dressed in masks of oni, others madly throwing beans, and all gleefully shouting for evil to hit the road. Prominent temples in Japan may also find monks or celebrities showering large crowds of people with mame to ward off spirits and welcome the renewal of the coming New Year.

I've been to bean-throwing festivals and ceremonies in the past, but today all we did was to eat some traditional foods, including Nori Maki (sushi roll), which my mother-in-law made. We also ate nabe (boiled vegetables) with kani (crab), and fresh strawberries for dessert. It was delicious!

But before dinner, I spent the day with my friend Miki - she picked me up at 10 a.m. and we went to see Avatar . We didn't see it in 3-D because it wasn't offered that way, but also because I actually can't see 3-D (due to an accident I had at age 4). I thought Avatar was visually stunning, and obviously in terms of special effects, I do believe it's worthy of some Oscars. However, I agree with some others who have said that the story is in no means original, nor did I find it very interesting. The basic plotline of evil corporate greed (and military might) versus peaceful, earth-loving indigenous peoples holds a timeless message of non-violence and environmentalism (as well as tolerance); but it's been done before. As well as the the idea of the outsider (or alien who represents the "bad guys") becoming accustomed to the ways of the native people, and being accepted as one of them. I'm not being cynical - I've just seen it all before. Of course in Cameron's hands, these ideas did take a brave new visualization, one that was gorgeous to the eyes, as well as at times even sentimental and touching. So I did enjoy the film overall. But I wish there had been less battle scenes (these were a bit too overdone), and more focus on the relationships between the characters, and the reasons behind the entire "Avatar" project. I felt that was glossed over in favor of more scenes of destruction. And one more thing: didn't anyone else feel like the closing song was a mirror of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic? Come on James, show a little creativity! The music throughout the movie seemed to be just one note off from Titanic's score all the time.

Anyway, my eyes were tired after the movie, but I'm glad I went. We were going to get lunch after the movie, but since the movie was three hours long during lunchtime, we picked up sandwiches at the convenience store beforehand, and ate them while we watched the movie. So instead of lunch, we got ice cream and coffee and came back here to my house to do a little Japanese review.

I'm so enjoying my time with Miki - she's such an easy person to hang out with, and helps me tremendously with my Japanese. And I'm also teaching her some English, so it's a good trade! Oh, and her sister's husband works for a private school in Fuji (he's a business teacher), and Miki might talk to him to see how (if) I might apply for a teaching position. It's so great having connections - though I have no idea if her brother-in-law can help me, or if there are even any positions available. It's worth a look though, especially since this school is not far from where I live.

Lately I've been feeling a bit of culture shock (i'm already in the second stage which I'll talk about in another post), homesickness, and frustration; hence the lack of real updates or meaningful posts (or photos) recently. I'm still waiting for an answer on the job I want, and need to think seriously about applying for other positions. Also, I've been having those moods in which everything annoys me, from the slightest noises (and there's a lot around here) to the food my mother-in-law serves, to the way we have to do laundry. and of course I'm missing so many things from my American life already. But it will pass, as everything does.

I'm anticipating that tomorrow will be a nice day, and Fuji-san will be covered in brilliant white snow from all the cold weather lately; so I hope to take a walk and get some pictures. Then Friday I have my first yoga class with my mom-in-law, and then Saturday we have a big music party near Mt. Fuji - maybe we'll see some snow!

how's everyone else out there?