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Happy Thanksgiving!
 
I am happy to report that I had my first decent Thanksgiving tonight since coming to Japan in August 2003. In previous years, I had work during the day (last year, at night as well), but this year, Thanksgiving coincided with the Japanese Thanksgiving! There is actually no Thanksgiving tradition here, but it did give me the day off.
To be honest, Thanksgiving makes me much more homesick than any other holiday. Christmas, New Years, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Valentine's Day are all celebrated in some way here, and I can pick up eggs and fireworks at a convenience store 5 minutes walk from my apartment, so DIY Easter and Fourth of July celebrations are possible as well.
In my heart, however, Thanksgiving is tied to family much more than the other holidays, which makes it impossible to have the perfect Thanksgiving as long as I'm in Japan. I can't pay the airfare for the 20 or so family members my parents host every year, and Grandma doesn't fly anyway. Two years ago, I made cardboard cutouts of the brothers and a few other relatives and sat them around the table in Kami-cho for Chicken Namba, Umeboshi, Kabocha, and Mashed Potatoes, but it just wasn't the same. In fact, when I floated the idea of doing it again this year to Natsuko, she said that it sounded downright creepy! I guess that just goes to show that we still have some cultural barriers to break down. Maybe next year, if I'm still here, we can get some of those robots that Honda is working on.
Anyways, even a small Thanksgiving in Japan is a tall order. Procuring a turkey is possible, but it is expensive and there are only two stores in this region that have them (that I am aware of, anyway). Plus, ovens are a rarity in Japan, and there was no way I could host a dinner in my shoebox apartment even if I had one. So, Natsuko and I scoured event listings and settled on the turkey dinner offered at this place. We went with friends and had a great time. There was turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie! Sorry if this doesn't sound as exotic as I'm trying to make it!
 Natsuko and Laura with food.
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Hopefully I'll be back again in a few weeks to make it TWO whole entries for 2006.
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| | Posted 11/23/2006 11:38 PM - 69 Views - 4 eProps - 2 comments
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