How to Torture a Japanese Person
Friday I was victim of the same old, same old. Nothing new and exciting except a few trips to the post office. Saturday on the other hand was completely different story. The day began early with a call to the family at 7 a.m. Following the phone calls, we got ready to go to Uchinoura where we would begin cleaning in preparation for the Christmas party at my house. While driving to my house, it was hard to miss the violent winds and rains. I then remembered how my office had mentioned that there was to be a typhoon passing by that day, a rarity in December. In any case, we did arrive to my house and unloaded the car that was full of Christmas decorations I had borrowed from Laura and other accessories, props for the party. Cristina and I got to cleaning and were barely finishing cleaning and setting up as the first guests were arriving at 12:30. I had also gift wrapped some items for the guests to open and set up a few games. I was also lucky to have found a stash of Christmas decorations hidden away in one of the cabinets in the front room in my house. Therefore, my halls were decked much more than I had expected.
There were 9 junior high school students in attendance, plus my teacher, her 2-year old daughter, Cristina and myself. We began by simply talking, watching some of the Grinch and eating snacks. We made some hot cinnamon apple cider that proved to be delicious (for one girl). The first game we played was a Christmas card toss where we tossed Christmas cards from some distance into a shopping bag. The first person to make 3 Christmas cards received this huge gift bag from an electronic store. However, the box inside the gift bag instructed the winner to give it to the tallest person in the room. Once he opened it, there was another wrapped box that had another instruction. And so on and so on until the box ended in the hands of the 2 year old with a knit-Christmas stocking inside. The next game was one in which everyone had to line up whereupon the first person would have to roll a die. When the first person in line had rolled the number 2 three time, they had to get up, put on a coat, scarf, Santa hat or reindeer antlers, and oven mitts on each hand. After, they would have to try to open a box that they had helped wrap difficultly at the start of the party. While one person was trying to open the present, the next person was rolling the die. The first person to be able to completely open the box would be the first person to pick out their gift in the gift game. The gift game was one in which you were able to steal a gift that someone else had opened but that not too many people were keen on doing. It is not the Japanese way.
The Rice Pudding Incident. Cristina has found the perfect way to torture innocent Japanese people. She makes rice pudding which seems interesting enough to try. Once the people try it, they hate it (because it is sweet rice) but still eat in and say they like even though their facial expressions scream otherwise. In any case, since it is not Japanese to not eat what is given to you, the children looked like they were eating rice pudding at gun point. I told them that they did not have to eat it at all. However, it was not until the teacher said that they did not have to eat it that they stopped. I felt so bad. But then again it was a bit neat to see the tables turn.
After the Christmas party was over, Cristina and I gave the place a thorough cleaning only to have to go to my teacher’s house in Kanoya to have dinner with her father and friends. I was so tired that this was about the last thing that I wanted to do. However, I am extremely glad that I did because I met some really cool people. I would not mind seeing them again.
On Sunday, Cristina and I spent the whole day doing nothing. Well, we did get up, eat lunch, drop the Christmas decorations off at Laura’s and pick up some dessert, but other than that we stayed in the whole time watching movies until 5:00 when we had to get ready for a dinner at Keiko Kato’s house, Yu’s aunt, who I helped with a translation some time ago. Dinner was great and so much fun. Keiko’s English is by far the best I have heard here in Japan (minus the ALTs). She lived a year in Arkansas and some time in Tokyo as well. Even her demeanor is very progressive and Western. I would like to note that I do not think that she is very progressive because she seems very Westernized because I think the two are very independent of each other. Perhaps I find her more progressive because of her experiences in urban centers. Either way, I just wanted to make the point clear. The food was great. The conversation was very interesting. And the time flew. We spent over 5 hours there talking about anything and everything. I definitely want to hang out with her again and hope that she will make time in her busy schedule for us as well.
That brings me to today when my office had neglected to tell me that today was a moving day and I have been lugging around crates of files and papers that have not been opened in year and probably never will be again with my button down shirt, nice pants and jacket. And life goes on.
There were 9 junior high school students in attendance, plus my teacher, her 2-year old daughter, Cristina and myself. We began by simply talking, watching some of the Grinch and eating snacks. We made some hot cinnamon apple cider that proved to be delicious (for one girl). The first game we played was a Christmas card toss where we tossed Christmas cards from some distance into a shopping bag. The first person to make 3 Christmas cards received this huge gift bag from an electronic store. However, the box inside the gift bag instructed the winner to give it to the tallest person in the room. Once he opened it, there was another wrapped box that had another instruction. And so on and so on until the box ended in the hands of the 2 year old with a knit-Christmas stocking inside. The next game was one in which everyone had to line up whereupon the first person would have to roll a die. When the first person in line had rolled the number 2 three time, they had to get up, put on a coat, scarf, Santa hat or reindeer antlers, and oven mitts on each hand. After, they would have to try to open a box that they had helped wrap difficultly at the start of the party. While one person was trying to open the present, the next person was rolling the die. The first person to be able to completely open the box would be the first person to pick out their gift in the gift game. The gift game was one in which you were able to steal a gift that someone else had opened but that not too many people were keen on doing. It is not the Japanese way.
The Rice Pudding Incident. Cristina has found the perfect way to torture innocent Japanese people. She makes rice pudding which seems interesting enough to try. Once the people try it, they hate it (because it is sweet rice) but still eat in and say they like even though their facial expressions scream otherwise. In any case, since it is not Japanese to not eat what is given to you, the children looked like they were eating rice pudding at gun point. I told them that they did not have to eat it at all. However, it was not until the teacher said that they did not have to eat it that they stopped. I felt so bad. But then again it was a bit neat to see the tables turn.
After the Christmas party was over, Cristina and I gave the place a thorough cleaning only to have to go to my teacher’s house in Kanoya to have dinner with her father and friends. I was so tired that this was about the last thing that I wanted to do. However, I am extremely glad that I did because I met some really cool people. I would not mind seeing them again.
On Sunday, Cristina and I spent the whole day doing nothing. Well, we did get up, eat lunch, drop the Christmas decorations off at Laura’s and pick up some dessert, but other than that we stayed in the whole time watching movies until 5:00 when we had to get ready for a dinner at Keiko Kato’s house, Yu’s aunt, who I helped with a translation some time ago. Dinner was great and so much fun. Keiko’s English is by far the best I have heard here in Japan (minus the ALTs). She lived a year in Arkansas and some time in Tokyo as well. Even her demeanor is very progressive and Western. I would like to note that I do not think that she is very progressive because she seems very Westernized because I think the two are very independent of each other. Perhaps I find her more progressive because of her experiences in urban centers. Either way, I just wanted to make the point clear. The food was great. The conversation was very interesting. And the time flew. We spent over 5 hours there talking about anything and everything. I definitely want to hang out with her again and hope that she will make time in her busy schedule for us as well.
That brings me to today when my office had neglected to tell me that today was a moving day and I have been lugging around crates of files and papers that have not been opened in year and probably never will be again with my button down shirt, nice pants and jacket. And life goes on.
posted by Jesse Montano at
1:09 PM
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