Hanami Part II

This Sunday we decided that we would not only celebrate Hanami, we would also throw in a little Easter for good measure. I found a great recipe for carrot cake, which might have been a snap to make if I wasn't working with the world's tiniest grater. We also made homemade rice balls (some stuffed with kimchi, others with tuna salad) and most importantly, Easter eggs! These would have been impossible if it weren't for my friend Marianna who brought me a Paaz decorating kit as a gift from her recent trip to California. Having only 3 colors to work with (pink, blue and yellow), I think we did a pretty good job with them. Late Sunday morning, we threw all our goodies into a bag and headed out to Yoyogi park to meet our friends Michael and Momoe.

M&M brought some great wine, chips and guac, serrano ham and a bunch of other goodies and we had a feast out on their blue tarp. It was pretty chilly and rain was looming but that didn't keep the masses from coming out to the park. Today's crowd was far younger and a bit rowdier --no less than 4 boomboxes were heard in our vicinity-- but was still relatively calm and civil. For the shear volume of people that were present, all of whom were drinking, there wasn't a single fight or even a raised voice. Okay, there was that one guy that hung from the sakura tree when we first got there, but he was curled up in fetal position within the hour, not to be heard from again.

Maybe it was because "hanami man" was there to keep the peace.

And since it was Sunday in Yoyogi, the goths were there as well.

The cherry blossoms were really lovely. It is too bad that they will die within the week. Sure glad we got to sit out there with friends and enjoy them a bit.

Bringin' in 2010, Japan-style

New Year's is big in Japan. The first thing I noticed when getting back into town (right after Ryan pointed it out to me) is the presence of bits of greenery on all of the businesses. Some just have a sprig of pine leaves around their doorway; others sport an elaborate bouquet like the one on the left. You can make your own doorway decorations at various stands around town (like the one below). We opted for a very simple one with some squares of white paper hanging from a loop of grass.

On New Year's eve we first went to see Avatar (in 3D - very cool!) and then came home to make some nabe in the new bowl that Ryan gave me for Christmas (it tasted much better than it looks). After we dug out all the chunks, we cooked soba noodles in the remaining broth. We were told that you are supposed to have soba noodles as your last meal of the year because they bring long life.

Then the tradition is to bundle up and head to your favorite shrine for the midnight celebration. On only this one night, subways run 24 hrs to allow people to do this. Like everyone else, we stood in line to toss money, ring the bell (attached to those long lengths of fabric), clap two times and say a prayer.

We decided to do this all at the shrine in Kita-ku (where Ryan took Japanese lessons) because they were additionally having a fox-celebration.

We still aren't entirely sure what the fox celebration is all about, but they had a little parade after midnight and lots of folks either wore makeup or a mask (or both). Sake and mulled wine were sold by vendors to keep the blood warm while watching the parade inch by.

On the 1st, we headed out to Funabashi to have a barbeque at Momoe's parents' house. Among MANY other things, we ate this yummy Japanese beef. mmmgood. We also got to relax around the low table in the living room, eat oranges, and watch some funny game shows. It was a great way to bring in the new year!

Christmas in Tokyo

With winter in Tokyo comes the arrival of the sweet potato vendors. All day long these guys wheel around a cart that has a wood fire burning inside. They are cooking and selling the sweet potatoes that they grew on their farms just outside the city. The megaphone at the top of the cart lets them call out as they traverse through the streets. One vendor is often parked outside the gates to my work in the morning. Though the potato itself is rather dry and bland, kept inside the bag, it makes a fabulous lap warmer for ridiculously cold offices, and the sweet earthy aroma is out of this world.

Also during the winter, the Tokyo Dome area becomes illuminated.

The tradition for Christmas here in Tokyo is a little odd. Apparently it is a big date night during which couples eat fried chicken (?!) Since I was in California for the 25th, rather than venture to KFC all by his lonesome, Ryan decided to wander around the dome and check out all the cool lights instead.

Oh and one other thing that happens during winter is a visit from the christmas chopperman. Just kidding. We have no idea why this grown man is dressed up, but we love that he is wearing the pink version of the silly hat the grad students gave me, along with what I guess is a pink reindeer costume (but do reindeers have tails like that? I am so confused).

Trick or Treat

Halloween really isn't celebrated here, but it does have a tiny presence, mainly in stores:

I recently bought a thermos from starbucks and the gal ran out to show me the options, which included holiday-themed ones. She was having so much fun giggling and saying "Trick or Treat", I almost felt bad for getting the plain white one.
Much more common are the general autumn-themed decorations. Here is the menu window at my university cafeteria. The brown baby porcupines are apparently chestnuts (I had no idea they looked like that) which they call marrons, after the french. Lots of marron-flavored desserts this time of year.

I have been on the lookout for Halloween decorations on people's homes. There are only a few discreet decorations here and there, mostly on houses where some children live.

But I have been told that kids do not dress up and actually go trick or treating here. I think they do learn the term when they are in elementary school during English class. I guess the teacher keeps a bag of candy and has them come up one at a time and say the phrase to collect a treat.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to see a table full of japanese undergrads in costumes at the cafeteria on Friday. There were several cats, maybe sort of a zombie, and the character from a Nightmare Before Christmas. And then last night while we were coming home from dinner we saw these two Care Bears waiting for the train. Halloween in Tokyo.