Happy Spring Exquinox!

Are we all equal? The day and night hours are.


Many cultures celebrate this august event, which will not occur again until September.
In Japan, there is a certain temple which refreshes itself every six years, and that is one big part of it, but today is a day off for almost everyone in the country, so that they can visit graves and honour the dead, so Happy Shinbun no Hi! Nova teachers must still report to their post, like dutiful soldiers.
But, again the contrast between festivals: on Friday, we celebrated the life of a man who changed the course of Irish History, and, according to some, Western History as well. Now, interestingly enough, a saint is celebrated not because of the day of birth, but the day of death; yet, on a saint's day, many Catholic countries still have the tradition of naming the children by the saint on that day.

I went around the bar, asking my project questions, and the Japanese had some very interesting answers, which I intend to write about in more detail, as I digest the data. I may even expand my thoughts into article form, for one of the local English language magazines here in Japan. Nonetheless, I got something to say!

Well, at least today I can focus on how the world is bathed by the same amounts of dark and night, and how now I can look forward to more shine than not. I like it this way; I have a problem with glare, and may be beginning the early stages of glaucoma, but I still like to walk around in the daytime more than the night. Yesterday, it was nice enough weather wise for me to walk around Osaka downtown, and I really felt like I was able to navigate it well. So, bring on the day, is what I say. With the longer hours of sunshine comes warmer weather, and I think that is something we are all in the mood for.

Happy St Joseph's Day!

St. Joseph, husband to Mary and foster father of Jesus, has his saint's day today. Many people in Quebec celebrate the husband of the Mother of Our Lord, in response to the widely celebrated patron saint of the Emerald Island, St Patrick.

"SO!" you ask, "what of that day?"

Having lost a lot of weight during my stay here in Japan, I can finally fit into a Celtics Football shirt, that was definitely too tight on me when I would throw it on last summer, but now fits me better. Now, I only look like I have gone to seed in it. For me, that is a triumph. It was a clear day, and I walked to Murphy's. St Patrick's in Japan is definelty not the marketing extravaganza as it is in the states. But, no matter where there is an Irish presence, especially Irish American, there is a celebration on the feast day. It used to be that about 15 to 20 years ago, the only thing that would happen in Ireland would be that people go to church, and that heavy drinking was not specifically associated with that day. Not specifically associated, anyway. For example, if St Pat's was on a Tuesday, the heavy drinking would be known as "Tuesday Night."

But, the feast day has become something else entirely for the US's and Canada's Irish Population (hereto referred as Irish-Americans). As a way to extol the virtues of kin and clan, various groups would get together and organize cultural things, and then go to the pub and "have a few for the Saint." So, we now have the brew-ha-ha that we do today, pun intended. Curiously, this tradition has now been re-imported into Ireland itself, where a newfound hope rises, and so do the bar bills.

What about St. Patricks day in Japan? Well, as mentioned before, if there is an ex-pat community which speaks English in any country, there is bound to be an Irish bar, and therefore St. Patrick is celebrated. In Osaka, the party went on long into the night, and, in some ways, it was just like any other Friday night, with some notable exceptions: green and white decorations, ass-to-elbow amounts of people, and, you guessed it, green beer. "So, do you drink green beer on St. Patrick's Day?" As a general rule, I find the custom to be ridiculous, and refuse to partake. But, this year, the beer was Sapporo, not the usual crap disguised with food colouring that they push on you. I drank green, Japanese beer, and loved it. Plus it was cheap. However, not all the night was consumed in alcoholic abandon; I decided a good way to have some fun, entertain myself, and meet Japanese people would be to concoct a fun survey, and canvas the joint for interviewees.

Bloom

Flowers have universal appeal, but Japan seems to dig them very much. There are numerous floral arrays in every business you go to, plants and all kinds of flowers are sold everywhere. I may even buy a spider plant, myself. You would think, though, there would be more bamboo sold, but the traditional violets, gardenias, etc, seem to rule. Mother Nature, too, has begun to refresh her abode, and it is a particular joy to see the sprouting of the new plants. The daffodils are in full bloom as well. I have always loved daffodils. Their bright,yellow tops standing heroically, defiantly, against anything that the last stages of winter can bring. I think the courage they represent is a good metaphor for all of us, that we too can withstand the worst that the winters of our discontent can bring, and shine, shine like the sun.

Haru: spring to it!

Ahh, springtime in Japan! No more winter coats, no more hats. Now that I have said this, I fully expect the largest snowfall in Osaka history. But, today and yesterday, the weather was just georgeous. Plums are beginning to blossom here, but I have been too busy at work to go to Osaka Castle and see the blossom, which gives me pause about the old phrase, stopping to smell the roses. I will not let the cherry blossoms go unwatched, though, and their blossom is just around the corner. I can't wait!



On another note, I am busily planning my trips back to Beijing, and back to Baltimore. When I get to the capitol of China, I want to see the Great wall, the forbidden city and walk around the middle of town. My friend, LZ, is going to help me with this. I am lucky to have a contact in the city, so that I can see part of the "real" city, not just tourist sections. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know.

Whale of a Time

I have been steadily working at the factory--- I mean, Nova. I have been doing a lot of overtime lately, because I am preparing a trip to Beijing at the end of April. One of my former students from GHCC is going to squire me around for a few days, and I will stay a few days. I have the time pretty much sewn up, and all I have to do now is to get my flight arrangements and a hotel. You will then see all the magnificent pix I can take!

This week has been pretty busy, I had a test to study for and got good marks, so there is that. Yesterday, I was walking around the underground mall, and there were three sumo wrestlers just walking down the hallway. This is an example of the integration that Japan has with its modern and traditional self, that these three huge, men were sauntering down the way in kimono with no one giving a second glance, unless they are a fan. How many times do you see ball players in the states do that? Let me tell you, too, they are BIG BOYS, and any one of them could easily give Ray Lewis a good shove, and mean it. You do not want to mess with them. What was interesting to me was that they carried themselves with a quiet pride, knowledgeful that they are emblematic of the culture they love, and doing a sport which is full of tradition and athleticism. One of the guys had even shaven his head in the old, top-knot style. They did not push anyone out of the way, they did not have an entourage, they were just passing through, just like any one of us were. Yet, you could tell they were well aware of their power. There are times where I think this is emblematic of the Japanese in general. They will do their best so you do not notice what they do, but you can't not notice. And, if you push, you better be prepared to feel a hard push back, maybe even two.

Another good example of this is the attitude towards the leviathan of the sea. Last Thursday, I ate whale. It was delicious, a little like beef, a little like venison. Now, some may decry my dietary decision, but when I told my dad, he said that you could get whale in good French restaurants, in Boston, in the Sixties. When I was in Tokyo, they had whole shops selling whale meat. Now, anyone who knows my attitude towards cetaceans know I savoured every bite, and felt no guilt, but rather pride and happiness. I feel part of a tradition that goes back more than a thousand years, an art perfected by Basque fishermen, and carried on by New England whalers, who helped fuel the economy of my that region searching for the beast. The fact that we can eat whale meat in Japan today, though, is part of what I am talking about with the Japanese. There is a stricture against hunting whale, which the Japanese circumvent by claiming their harvest is for "scientific purposes." If the science is to find out how much you can stuff down your gullet, or how well the meat settles into your tummy, well, it might just need more research, now, don't you think? So desu. However, eating whale is traditional. And, like the sumo wrestlers walking down the way without worrying about what people are thinking when they are living a traditional life, so too the Japanese government cares not a whit what the international community thinks about stuff they should keep their noses out of, Japanese things! No matter how many boats Greenpeace has, the whalers have more, and they will ram your ass if you get in the way. Just try to push, see what happens.

Did I eat the whale? Yup. Am I going to continue to live in Japan? Yup. Am I going to rethink the arrogance of being American? Nope. Why? Because we are all arrogant as cultures in our own way, and I got mine, and it is what I understand. Maybe I will temper it, maybe I will learn to disguise it, a la japonaise, but I will come to terms with it, it is part of who I am. And I will savour every bite of that, too.