Leading up to our frist Christmas in Japan, things were surprisingly similar to home. I wasn't really expecting that in a country where Christmas is by and large adopted for its commercial appeal and not its religious significance. But then again, I guess its the commercial appeal that we mostly see at home too. Right after Halloween the Christmas decorations went up - there were colored lights and Christmas trees (either made of lights or of the plastic variety - one does note the absence of pine scent, unfortunately). Christmas carols - both in English and Japanese - started playing in most public areas. Ikea was selling gingerbread house equipment (even though most of my students had never heard of a gingerbread house before) and overall it was easy enough to feel like the season was right on schedule. The shopping, which is traditionally a serious pass time in these parts, was clearly stepped up a notch. Nana, one of my conversation partners, and I went shopping to get Christmas cards and wrapping paper at the local LOFT home store. When we went to get in line at the register, we soon discovered that the line didn't just make one small snake (something which we started to gripe about) but actually snaked around the corner, across the entire floor of the building, back, down again and then up the small snake we had originally seen. In the photo we are half way through the long half of the line. It took about 40 minutes to pay for our stuff.
But that wasn't the only thing that reminded me of Christmas! We clearly needed a tree, but we didn't want to buy a plastic tree that we would have to get rid of at some point. My Japanese teacher came to the rescue! As a Christmas gift, she gave me a "grow your own tree" kit. I was expecting something like a chia-pet, but the set up was different. There was a cardboard tree with branches cut out, "magic water", a petrie dish to stand the tree in, a garland, a plastic star for on top, and some sparkles to sprinkle over the end result. She told me to wait until a few days before Christmas, spread out the branches, stand the tree in the dish and add the water. I was starting to imagine more of a mold bloom. As it turned out, however, the reaction was (I think) chemical. The green color was probably die in the tree branches, but the mass appeared to be like tiny crystals. It took about 48 hours to reach full bloom and it is still just as nice as the the picture (actually a bit more plush). Perfect Christmas tree and a fun experiment!
You may also notice the fancy white blob with the left with the orange on top. This is kagami mochi. When I bought it, I had no idea what it was, but I saw a picture of one sitting on a desk and it was clearly connected to New Years, so I decided to go ahead and buy one and then figure it out with the help of the Internet when I got home. Here's what wikipedia says:
The kagami mochi first appeared in the Muromachi period (14th-16th century). The name kagami ("mirror") is said to have originated from its resemblance to an old-fashioned kind of round copper mirror, which also had a religious significance. The reason for it is not clear. Explanations include mochi being a food for sunny days,[2] the 'spirit' of the rice plant being found in the mochi,[1][2] and the mochi being a food which gives strength.[2]
The two mochi discs are variously said to symbolize the going and coming years,[2] the human heart,[2] "yin" and "yang", or the moon and the sun.[3] The "daidai", whose name means "generations",[4] is said to symbolize the continuation of a family from generation to generation.[1]
Now, I'm still not 100% sure what the story is behind these mochi decorations. Clearly they may or may not symbolize a lot of things. I can say that I have seen them everywhere. Even Disneyland was selling them with a Mickie figure on top instead of a bitter orange. They could be found for sale in convenience stores, grocery stores and beyond. Russell and I are looking forward to the second Saturday of January when we get to try and eat whatever mochi is inside the plastic outer shell.
Finally, I got to do one thing I usually don;t get to do in Oregon. I got to assign my students really long writing assignments to do over the break. I love teaching! I did volunteer to correct papers if students brought them to me before the break. One came decorated. My students are awesome.
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