I can't say much about my 21st birthday other than that it was very American. My friends took me out drinking and we played games, ate food, and were generally load and obnoxious to the Japanese people around us. My friend Satoru did give me what I think is the best present ever though--a cactus that is currently sitting on my desk. He said it was to remind me of home (Texas, not Washington D.C.) All I know is that I drunkenly stabbed myself with the thing several times over the course of the night, and had no idea what I had done each time.
New Year's was something quite different. Shige-san and Asako-san invited my friend Luke over, since his family is away and all the rest of my friends already have guests. As part of the traditional New Years celebration, we spent most of the evening making hand-made soba noodles to eat after midnight. It's supposed to bring health in the New Year I think, but Luke and I, having never made our own noodles before, were really really terrible at it. Not to say that we didn't try. But eventually we ended up just separating the noodles so they could be cooked later.
I may have mentioned to some earlier, but my host parents were enthralled by the idea of
eggnog. I tried to find an international food store in Tokyo that carried it, but had absolutely no luck. Which is how Luke and I ended up trying to make our own eggnog with real eggs and cream and milk and sugar, just like the pilgrims did it (joke). All I can say for that attempt is that at least the final product has the taste of eggnog. If you can ignore the fact that its like drinking malt-o-meal, then it's actually quite good. And as of yet, no one has gotten food poisoning from drinking it, so I think that all-in-all things could have been a lot worse. And for those of you who try to make your own eggnog at home, all I can say is that you need to keep a really close eye on that milk, and don't let your eggs turn into the scrabbled variety.We spent the rest of the night cleaning the kitchen and watching Japanese TV, which some of the strangest and most oddly entertaining shows I have ever seen. There was no big screen countdown, just Shige-san's watch going off and us toasting in the New Year with sparkling grape juice and the gaijin soba that we had made earlier. It wasn't half bad, considering that Luke and I helped make it....
The next day, Asako-san and Shige-san and I went to pay our respects to the local shrine. The larger and most famous shrines are packed on New Years Day, and sometimes you have to wait two or three hours to get your turn to pray. The shrine is surrounded by lanterns, on which the
names of the major donors of the shrine are written for good luck. After waiting in line for only about ten minutes, we were able to walk up and pray. The process goes: throw in money, ring the gong, bow twice, clap twice, make your wish or prayers, bow once, and leave. If you pay enough money, there is a place inside the shrine where you and your family can sit and pray for longer, but I've been told that its a lot of money, and not many people do it. Afterwards we drank warmed sweetened sake for prosperity (which felt a lot like our "eggnog") and then Asako-san and Shige-san and I all bought fortunes. Apparently I am only going to be having a little luck this year, with some health issues and quarrels with a friend. However, the person that I am looking for (aka my future husband) will apparently be appearing sometime in the near future. I think that's a fairly good fortune, don't you?After all this, we went to Shige-san's parents house to do the traditional New Year's calligraphy.
Shige's mother tried to teach me, but I guarantee that holding that brush and making the strokes is a lot harder than some people give it credit for. The brush is supposed to be held perpendicular to the paper, and you have to know when to press down and when to make your strokes longer and thinker for emphasis. I have four attempts, and by the end I was at least holding the brush right and making somewhat of the right shapes with my characters. All it says is nihon shogatsu, Japan New Year. Still, it was a big accomplishment for me.Things are finally quieted down, with Shige-san and Asako-san getting ready for their trip to Guam in a couple days (a friend's wedding, I believe). I should be spending the time doing my research and studying kanji, but we'll see how it goes. All work and no play, right?
Ageshite omedetou to you all!
