Christmas...the WORST time to be in Japan if you are a Yank! Especially if you celebrate the Pagan-Roman-Christian conglomerated version like most Americans. Just take a look at this Japanese Christmas card... Every year for 7 years I have put up with Japan's fucking up of one of my 2 favorite days of the year. 4th of July is the other favorite, but at least they haven't fucked that one up. And most years I bitch about it in a blog post.
Of course, my cultural reflex is to say that Japanese are doing Christmas "Wrong", but then I remember that we Americans twist up many European holidays, and that Christ-mass/Solstice itself is a blend of MANY traditions. I am biased of course, and feel that America has successfully blended the best parts of Christmas, while Japan merely took the "look" and threw out the spirit -- like emptying out the Christmas stocking, throwing out the candy and shrieking "My my! What a fine sock!"
If you have kids, Christmas in Japan is about pretty lights and a small dinner at home. If you are a young, single person you pretty much have to have a date for Christmas Eve -- if you don't, all your friends know that you suck. Bikers may have big "biker family" drinking party, but like every other holiday in Japan, it is really just an excuse to get fucked up -- Christmas has nothing to do with it.
Christmas DAY does not exist in Japan. By the 25th, it is all over. Tokyo seems to have the most Christmas spirit, but it is an international "island" in Japan -- heavily influenced by outside cultures. In Osaka, decorations are gone first thing Christmas morning, and many people go to work. Most parents here in Osaka say they don't give their kids presents, and the ones that do, only give 1 per kid. Funny thing is, most of those parents say "Santa Claus brought it". Those parents are different and usually go all out to do Christmas like Americans do, with the Coca Cola Santa and everything...but they are a minority. But there is actually no "Christmas" here, there is only Christmas Eve. The family day for Japan is New Years Day.
Of course there are no turkeys or large hams here for us to eat on Christmas. And even if I went over to the next prefecture to find the Costco, I have a typical Japanese oven...not big enough to cook American sized food in. So we are having chicken. I actually ordered a whole chicken...but the asshole at the chicken shop said "I sold them all by 930am". So apparently "order" means fuck-all to him. (that annoyed the carps out of me.)
In order to enjoy a proper, America-Pagan Christmas during this winter solstice, we will lock ourselves in the house from this afternoon until tomorrow lunch... ignore the Japanese and their Christmas cakes and dating rituals... sit around our pagan symbol of everlasting life (the evergreen tree) and give our gifts (pagan and Christian tradition). We won't be using holly to protect ourselves from witches or pagans though, nor do we have any mistletoe to celebrate fertility and the new year with... or to stand under and kiss Scandinavians. My kids know that papa bought the gifts. No credit goes to Sinter Klaas (Saint Nicholas), the Weihnachtsmann, Père Noël, the Christkindl (Kris Kringle), Joulupukki, Babbo Natale, Saint Basil or Father Frost.
One day I will tell them that Christmas on December 25th comes from the celebration of winter solstice and the "
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti" or "Birthday of the Unconqured Sun" ...which Christians corrupted into "Son" and used it to celebrate the the INCARNATION of Jesus -- not his birth. December 25th was chosen as the date Jesus' soul entered his body because it was 9 months after "The Annunication" -- and conception -- which was said to have taken place on March 25th. The incarnation was clearly considered the date of his arrival on Earth, not his emergence.
But anyway, I hope YOUR Christmas is a good one. WE will too, in spite of Japan. I just like to bitch about the way Japan fucks up my favorite day, just like I like to bitch about the way they fuck up my language. Hence I spend my time doing "Damage control" by teaching English.
Merry Christ Mass, and happy "Dies Natalis Solis Invicti"!!!!
(Thanks to Wiki for the
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti info)
Yup. I want one of these for sure. The brown one appears to be new, because it is for sale as new on Amazon...Amazon just sells everything now huh? The black one with the doors is pretty wicked too, but it a bit "heavy" visually. It needs a flashy, satin runner cloth on top to balance it out...maybe with some dragons embroidered into the cloth...
If it were an angular design, I could make something myself, but I don't have the tools for the curved bits on top. Those are hot aren't they?! I like the brass bits on the brown table too. The brass bits give it a very masculine feel while the curves give it a sexy female groove. Some yin/yang Taoist artistry goin' on there...nice balance.
...I'm back! An hour or so later after I wrote the above, with a photo-shopped idea of what I might like to build based on the available tools and on the shit I plan to put in the thing. Naturally, I enjoyed the "light" look of the original brown...very Zen looking...but I think a bit more storage space for my baggage...I mean...my stuff... is a good idea.
