Well, it definitely has been a while since I last posted. Many apologies! It's currently our winter break, and everyone was struggling with last minute things before the break started as well as the holidays. Christmas in Japan is an American brought holiday. While students are off during Christmas, it's not necessarily celebrated as the same magnitude. Christmas here is toned down. Not many people give gifts, some people hold parties, some travel to different cities, but mostly, it involves being around family and friends, which is what we did this year.
For Christmas Eve, my friend Emily and I went with a few friends out to a restaurant and to karaoke after. The restaurant itself was also adorned with Christmas decorations, the only donwside was that the lights were so dim, it was difficult to get a good picture. As you can see from above, they even had a Christmas Tree in the middle of the place! The waiters and waitresses wore santa caps as well. And for dessert, they gave us a plate with cakes, and with icing wrote, "Happy X-Mas!" It really was an adorable and delicious gift!
Karaoke is a big thing here in Japan. I've seen coutless karaoke places downtown. And as you walk through, you will see many people advertising, standing outside with signs trying to get people to go in. One of my friends works at a karaoke place as well! Karaoke here is a fun event for hanging out with friends, or for taking people out on dates. In addition to having many locations, most karaoke places are open until the hours of the morning, usually closing at 6 am. Whenever we go with a group of Japanese friends, they always stay out until closing time. I have asked them about why they choose to stay out so late. The answer is simple really. Most of the Japanese students don't have cars. The reasoning behind this is because it can cost around $3000 or so to go throught the process of getting a liscence. Their means of travel is usually by walking, bike, scooter, or bus. However, the busses stop running around 11 pm, and don't start up again until 7 am. If any of them wanted to leave after 11 pm, but before 7 am, they would be forced to travel back home in the dark. And it would also be really cold for them because of the weather change. So they stay out until the sun comes up, and usually get something to eat after leaving the karaoke place before walking back home in daylight.
On Christmas Day, we had a dinner here for both exchange students, and Japanese students. Everyone made different dishes or bought different foods (I bought ice creams for dessert). And we also had 2 Christmas Cakes. Everyone had such a great time together. Even though all the exchange students weren't here because of traveling, we still managed to have fun with those who stayed behind.
Around 11pm on New Years Eve, we had decided to visit the shrine near Kumamoto Castle. As we arrived, we saw a ton of people waiting in line to enter the shrine to make their first wish of the year. We saw some young people making the countdown from 10. And as soon as the clock struck midnight - signaling the new year - the doors to the shrine opened, and people poured in. Two friends and I waited in line to make our own wish. We also received some Mochi, a type of Japanese sweet made from rice, as we were waiting. It took quite awhile, but before we entered, we realized there are a few steps you need to take to make your wish. We watched some of the other people and got the steps down.
When entering the shrine, the first step you do is toss in some money, about 10 yen (10 cents), into the large bins they have. Although, some people were throwing in as much as 1000 yen (~10 USD). Next, you bow twice, calp twice, make your wish, and bow once more. We were so nervous that we would mess up the order of things!
We also received our first fortunes of the year. In one of the pictures, you'll see tags on a tree. Those aren't tags, but they're people's fortunes. It's custom here to receive a fortune, read it, then tie it on a designated area. However, there are smaller fortunes you can buy and take home with you.
It was amazing to see so many people at the shrine, and I'm really glad I was able to share these special holidays with the other exchange students and japanese students. Because of them, being away from home this year wasn't so bad.
またね！
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