Christmas - Cascadian Abroad

Christmas 2015: When in Japan

December 29, 2015 by Robert Haddan

Our first Christmas in Japan was all about observing the new traditions in the world around us. For our second Christmas here, we simply embraced it all in our own way.

Early December marks the beginning of illumination season. In the U.S., it’s common to decorate homes and even entire neighborhoods with sometimes elaborate lighting displays. In Japan, individual homes don’t really get into the act. Instead, shopping centers, parks, train stations and more light the winter skies with massive shows of moving lights and music. And while the Christmas displays in stores disappear the morning of December 25, the illumination shows stretch well into the new year.

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The elaborate illumination show at Caretta Shiodome

A couple poses for wedding photos at Caretta Shiodome's Canyon d'Azur light display — A couple poses for wedding photos at Caretta Shiodome’s Canyon d’Azur light display

This year, we visited Caretta Shiodome, widely considered to host the best illumination show in Tokyo. The theme for this year’s display, Canyon d’Azur, is reflected in the cold, blue lights that rise above the short path winding amongst them. Disney songs are the soundtrack for the light show, which plays every 20 minutes.

During one of the intermissions, a couple and their entire wedding party posed for photos in front of one of the lighted tree sculptures while Father Christmas officiated nearby.

Holiday/birthday fun at Lindsay's place with Cassie, Owen and Vanessa — Holiday/birthday fun at Lindsay’s place with Cassie, Owen and Vanessa

A few days later, we kicked off party season at our next door neighbor’s place with several of the crew from TIU. It was a combination birthday/Christmas party, which made for some wacky decorations and outfits.

Santa Claus stopped by Kawagoe City Hall to give Tokimo, our city's sweet potato mascot, an early Christmas gift — Santa Claus stopped by Kawagoe City Hall to give Tokimo, our city’s sweet potato mascot, an early Christmas gift

A couple days before Christmas, our monthly city newsletter arrived in the mail. The photo on the cover qualified as an instant classic, featuring Kawagoe’s sweet potato-shaped mascot Tokimo posing with Santa Claus at the City Hall. More importantly, it was photographic evidence that Santa was in Japan!

One of Santa's elves arrived dressed as a Kuroneko delivery driver to bring a selection of holiday-themed beers from around the world — One of Santa’s elves arrived dressed as a Kuroneko delivery driver to bring a selection of holiday-themed beers from around the world

On Christmas Eve day, a selection of holiday-themed craft beers from around the world arrived at our doorstep. I had no idea our Kuroneko delivery driver worked for Santa! It was possibly the largest collection of hops in a single location in the entire city that day.

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Sushi with the Section 5 crew. Akinari and Ayano have it figured out. Takumi is trying his best to muster a smile, but what's up with Hiroto's face?! — Sushi with the Section 5 crew. Akinari and Ayano have it figured out. Takumi is trying his best to muster a smile, but what’s up with Hiroto’s face?!

A Section 5 reunion after a year abroad!

On the evening of Christmas Eve, we met up with some of last year’s students for dinner at the sushi place near our house. Three of them studied in America last year, so it was cool to see how their perspectives changed. I was also reminded of how much food college students can pack away in a single sitting. Those days have long since passed for me…

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Christmas Day class party with a student who came to school dressed as Santa. He said he received many odd looks on the train.

Two-toed socks (tabi) make a butterfly when put together

On Christmas morning, Santa slipped in a little gift for Viktoria in the form of Japanese two-toed socks called tabi. Unfortunately, there was no time to enjoy them as Christmas day in Japan is more commonly known as “Friday,” which also happened to be a work day this year.

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Japanese-style potato salad in the shape of a Christmas tree

That evening, we recreated the “traditional” Japanese Christmas dinner with a vegetarian spin on KFC’s fried chicken meal, featuring southern-fried tofu and buttermilk biscuits. After scouring the internet for other Christmas recipes, I also came up with potato salad shaped like a Christmas tree, trimmed with carrot stars and cucumber peel garland. And Christmas cakes. So. Many. Mini. Cakes.

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A Christmas bounty from home included six bottles of Frank's Red Hot Sauce, one of which is nearly gone already! — A Christmas bounty from home included six bottles of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, one of which is nearly gone already!

Santa took a header into the chimney on the way to delivering a gift card from home

Some manly-smelling beer soap featuring actual craft beer as the main ingredient

Thanks to the global delays in shipping, goodies continued to show up at our door in the days following Christmas. Our old friends Frank, Justin Cheryl and Whitman came tucked into a box from my mom in the form of hot sauce, peanut butter cups, cookies and chocolate respectively. A card from my dad featuring Santa head over teakettle in the chimney contained a very generous gift card.

A bar of Apricot Wheat beer soap from my brother arrived the day after Christmas. I literally had the camera in hand, taking a picture of it for this post, when the doorbell rang. Santa’s Japan Post affiliate delivered two companion pieces made from Sierra Nevada and Samuel Adams beers. A note in an e-mail read: “Combining local beers so you feel at home, but soap so you both can lather and always smell like a Portlander.”

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Visitors posing for selfies in front of Tokyo Station's Marunouchi Building illuminations — Visitors posing for selfies in front of Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi Building illuminations

Crowd control at the Tokyo Station illuminations. We were herded in groups from the station exit to the viewing area.

The Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building was heavily damaged by bombings during World War II. A five-plus year renovation project completed in 2012 restored much of the building's original architecture. — The Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building was heavily damaged by bombings during World War II. A five-plus year renovation project completed in 2012 restored much of the building’s original architecture.

This statue of Santa was probably missing a chimney for his foot to rest on. The bell looked more like a bottle of liquor, so maybe Santa was just striking a Captain Morgan pose?

Lighted trees line Marunouchi’s Naka Dori shopping street

Tokyo Station Hotel illuminations. In 2012, an impressive projection mapping display caused major traffic problems, leading to the more toned-down lighting display.

Kids pose for a photo with a statue of famed Meiji-era novelist Natsume Sōseki, author of "I Am a Cat" and other commentaries of life around the turn of the 20th century — Kids pose for a photo with a statue of famed Meiji-era novelist Natsume Sōseki, author of “I Am a Cat” and other commentaries of life around the turn of the 20th century

We wrapped up the Christmas season with a trip into central Tokyo’s Marunouchi district for the last night of illuminations at the restored Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building. In 2012, an impressive 4D projection-mapping display caused major traffic headaches due to the massive crowds, so subsequent displays have been more toned down.

Yet, large crowds still poured out of Tokyo Station. We were ushered like cattle from the station to the viewing area between cloth barriers held by event staff. We snapped some photos, then walked down Marunouchi’s Naka Dori shopping street through the remains of the event’s Christmas Market.

Christmas 2015 is now officially in the books and the New Year is right around the corner. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for 2016!

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

December 24, 2014 by Robert Haddan

I started thinking about “The Christmas Post” a few weeks ago, somewhere around the writing of Thanksgiving in Japan.

I’ve even been kicking around a parody of “The Night Before Christmas” in my head, maybe poking fun at some of the unique ways Japanese folks celebrate the American holiday (December 25 isn’t an official holiday in Japan). In a country where about 1 percent of the population identifies as Christian, Christmas is much more about the secular celebration—more Valentine’s Day than what Americans think of as Christmas.

In the 1970s, an American visiting a Tokyo branch of Kentucky Fried Chicken commented that, in a country where turkey is hard to come by, a bucket of KFC is the next best thing. The enterprising store manager overheard the comment and launched an advertising campaign touting “Kentucky For Christmas!” Today, people order their buckets of chicken weeks in advance, waiting in long lines on Christmas Eve to pick up their now-traditional chicken dinner.

There’s also a lot of preordering and long-line-waiting for extravagant and expensive Christmas Cakes. The origins of the cake come from the post-World War II recovery of the country. NPR recently did an excellent story about what Christmas Cake really means in Japan.

All that said, my take on this post changed today while watching a toddler shoving a cookie in his face at the checkout line. I caught his eye and he smiled big and waved. That got me to thinking about the spirit of the people we encounter every day, which made me feel bad about my “Night Before Christmas” parody.

To me, Christmas is all about traditions. And the great thing about traditions is that they can change as we change. Our families grow and contract and grow again as the years go by and our traditions update accordingly.

Sampson — Me and Sam opening presents on Christmas morning. And yes, that’s a brand new Nintendo!

As a kid, I’d wake up early and start coffee on Christmas morning to make sure my folks would be awake enough that we could open presents—although I suspect my dad was awake before I was. I always made sure our dog, Sampson, had something to open as well. We’d have bear claws or butterhorns for breakfast.

In recent years, we’d spend a day in Leavenworth, WA, taking in the famous holiday celebration in the small Bavarian-style town, stopping for Starbucks Peppermint Lattes both on the way up and on the way back. We’d then host the whole family for dinner on Christmas Eve. This year, we’ll start a new tradition.

KFC for Christmas dinner might seem odd. There are no “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” signs in our neighborhood. Yet, Japan has created its own set of traditions. Christmas isn’t a national holiday, but it’s still a time when people show a little more kindness and a little more cheer.

This week, I’ve seen a hairdresser and a pizza delivery guy dressed in Santa suits and a dog wearing a Christmas sweater. “Illuminations” are popular and bountiful. Twinkling lights and guys in Santa suits yield the same joyful reaction here as they do in the U.S.

The Christmas season is one of the few times we Americans set aside our differences. We smile more, give more and spend a little more time together in community. Seeing the season from another perspective, in a society where the community is always the priority over the individual, shows that it’s possible to make that sense of community the norm instead of a seasonal exception.

So, whatever your flavor of the winter holidays may be, I sincerely wish you the happiest season. May that joy continue through the year to come. Happy Holidays!

A Random Day in Tokyo

December 5, 2014 by Robert Haddan

A tramp to Tokyo VegefoodFesta last weekend led to a completely random and awesome day in Japan’s capital city.

The rain was just heavy enough to keep the crowds thin at Yoyogi Park, where two separate festivals were taking place simultaneously. VegefoodFesta is an annual beacon for Tokyo-area herbivores, offering a few dozen booths with 100% plant-based eats, fresh produce and responsibly-made goods.

Vegan Takoyaki — Takoyaki, a fritter that usually contains a piece of octopus, was vegetarian-friendly at VegefoodFesta

I love these kinds of events because it’s an opportunity to get a taste of traditional Japanese foods without the fear of meat or fish sneaking into the dish. There were vegan versions of takoyaki (octopus fritter), tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) and Japanese curry (usually has chicken).

Vegan Tonkatsu — A vegan tonkatsu sandwich. The breaded pork cutlet is a popular food in Japan.

One booth made “hie of fish” sandwiches, using Japanese millet (hie/ヒエ) to create a fish-like patty. They also offered an “American Dog,” which was a corn dog that replaced the “dog” with a large chunk of burdock root (gobou/ごぼう).

Our friends from Loving Hut were on hand with three separate booths featuring their meatless version of yakitori (meat on a skewer). Mana Burger was right by the gate and I had one of their veggie burgers in hand within moments of entering. I was looking forward to visiting them on our trip to Fukuoka, but they’d closed up shop. In July, they reopened in Yokohama and made the short trip up to Tokyo for the festival.

The other half of the festival grounds was hosting Fiesta de España. I’d pretty much eaten everything in sight at VegefoodFesta, but there was still room for some Spanish red wine and a churro. We watched a couple songs from Seville, Spain folk-dub-shoegaze duo IAMDIVE on the main stage before heading out.

We walked across the street and into the actual park area of Yoyogi Park. The leaves are in full autumn mode and the park grounds had transformed from summer green to fall yellows and reds. The park was crawling with photographers and models, taking advantage of the short-lived landscape.

Roppongi Tree Lights — The trees along the streets of Roppongi Hills light up blue…

After wandering around Harajuku for a bit, we hopped on the train for Roppongi. The trees along the streets near Roppongi Hills are wrapped tight with lights alternating from blue/white to red every few minutes.

Inside the Roppongi Hills complex, a small Christmas market featured small ornaments and German food and beer. Christmas in Japan is all about the secular and is very Western in terms of music and decor.

Roppongi Heart — The heart in the pond at Roppongi Hills. Tokyo Skytree lights up the night sky in the background.

The Tokyo night was brightly lit between the trees and the shining Tokyo Skytree tower in the skyline. Everyone was in good cheer—maybe because “Whisky Hills 2014” was hosting 300 yen (about $2.50 USD) whiskey tastings.

Roppongi Metal Tree — A metal cone with changing lights set up in 66 Plaza at Roppongi Hills

All the walking around worked up an appetite. We (barely) found the nearby Chien Fu vegetarian Chinese restaurant. A nondescript sign led to an elevator to the shop. We entered the dining room with its ornate tables and decorations. Everyone was dressed up for a night on the town. I felt a bit like a drowned dog after tromping around in the rain all day, but they didn’t seem to mind. We split a sweet and sour “pork” dish, spring rolls and an eggplant dish.

As we left, the sweet old man who greeted us when we came in asked “Vegetarian?” We said yes and his face lit up…. “Very good!!! Vegetarian… very good!”

I’ll say the same for Tokyo on that day… “Vegetarian… very good!”