An Unconventional Christmas

Christmas, meet Japan.  Couples stroll on Christmas eve.  Young employees stand outside of convenience stores selling fried chicken and Christmas cakes and related sweets, which were advertised weeks prior in free catalogs with exquisite pictures (which I accumulate and use to decorate my room). Weeks prior to Christmas, stores are also decorated just as one would expect from the commercialized holiday season. Christmas is certainly acknowledged, although one can only expect the spirit to be different in Japan.  One naturally expects Christmas in the city to be a little colder in many respects, and to the Japanese, Christmas is not a particularly significant holiday, unless you have a significant other.

That said, I have had a refreshing Christmas this year.  Growing up in America I have experienced the same thing year after year, so a change of pace is certainly welcome.  This year I woke up early to visit a famous fish market in Tokyo called "Tsukiji."  Tsukiji auctions off the freshest seafood before sunrise, so those who are serious about fish auctions usually arrive pretty early.  Unfortunately, now is a busy season for bidding on maguro, and the main area was closed off to tourists.  Instead of shouting and fishy aromas, my friends and I settled on the tourism-oriented areas aisles of merchandise and unidentifiable ingredients.

A few aisles down there were also rows of nook restaurants, serving mainly sushi but also spaghetti and other, somewhat overpriced fare.  Passing by, we were able to peek into the kitchen of a few of the restaurants and witness the sushi chefs slicing up fresh morsels of fish.  One diligent chef swished his knife threateningly at my friend who was attempting to take a picture.  Ah, how I love the Jpaanese.

We eventually settled into a nook restaurant for breakfast.  Sushi is a perfect way to start the day in my opinion. There is a perfect balance of food groups.

Miso soup, pickled vegetables, green tea, wasabi with minced daikon and soy sauce accompanies a bowl of fatty tuna on rice embellished with fish eggs, green onion, cucumber, rolled omelette, and the green leaf, which is intended to match the flavor of the tuna.  It took me forever to finish, and I felt mildly guilty as people began crowding outside waiting to enter the tiny establishment.

Afterwards we meandered around the market for a little while longer.  My friend purchased a sushi knife, and at the time of purchase, the shop owner proudly demonstrated its effectiveness by slicing a paper dangling in the air.  Craftsmen are serious about their trade.

 Here is a general impression of what the market would feel like.  Rather crowded and full of vehicles and people and motorized carts with large boxes of fish.

Afterward we headed into Ginza, which is renowned for high-end shopping, and wound up at the first starbucks established in Japan.

After which, I headed back to a long session of karaoke on no sleep.  It was quite the surreal Christmas in many regards.  I did not miss the simplicity of an American Christmas, although I feel myself longing for that significant, intrinsic meaning of the holiday that is so emphasized in the states. As well as the record snowfall that hit Maryland.

Lately I've been inspired by the values of cultures around me, and the emphasis they put on respect and care for others, as well as selfless consideration of the world.  I think these values are intrinsic to human nature, but over time stress, high expectations and the lack of time to accomplish things hardens society, particularly in America.  This is what my experience has shown me.

Lately it's been so easy to be overcome by laziness.  Simply put, my plan was to accomplish one class-worth of work a day with this winter break.  My classes are not so rigorous..so this is feasible.  Somehow I find myself bumming around online or starting something and then wanting to move onto somthing else without finishing it... wanting to talk to someone... wanting to not think about how much work I've put off up until now and inevitably it occurs to me and I am overwhelm with guilt for not even keeping up with classes that are interesting to me.  Maybe I should stop pretending to enjoy it.  What irony--to feel uninspired in spite of the wealth of inspiration around me.
Well, no one else seems to be accomplishing much either right now.  I do not object to catching up with people in the dorm.  Simple happiness is satisfying enough for me, even if I'm not fully utilizing my time to the best degree possible (again, American concepts of efficiency and happiness are flawed, in my opinion)
That said, I am still American, and will feel better if I
Catch up with American politics and news
Catch up with all of my classes
Reinvent interest in my hobbies
Make time work for me

This is what New Year's resolutions are for!

I am also looking forward to hatsumode, or the first shrine visit of the year on New Years, although no plans are in the making yet.