Danielle- Christmas

Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!! It's been kinda hard to get the whole "Christmas spirit" feel this year, just because not many people seem to celebrate it like they do in the States. Because Christmas in America (let alone, in my household of eight) and Christmas in Japan are really quite different.

Here are a couple quick things I noticed:

1. People still work/go to school on 12/25. :o

2. It's mostly a time for young kids and is less celebrated when you get older.

3. 12/24 may be bigger than 12/25, and that's when my host family did their gift exchange (and I got my pajamas that I never want to change out of, because they are soooo comfy, thank you host mama!!)

4. It's not as family-oriented as their New Years celebration is. Christmas Day is more a time for friends to get together and chill. Whereas, New Years is when people travel to get together with their families and chill. Lots of chillin' going on in the winter time.

5. There aren't too many decorations around; mostly just when I go shopping do I hear the music and see the lights (Christmas cakes are definitely a thing out here, though).

This year, holidays are very different for me, since my family and I have always been very close. This is actually my first Christmas I've ever been away from home. Though I'm not able to spend it with my family, I do feel very lucky that I was able to celebrate the holidays with my favorite people that I met out here in Japan. I'm super grateful for them, why are you all so nice to me?! :D Thanks, buddies!

Also, looking forward to celebrating my first Japanese New Years! Can't wait to try some osechi (New Years feast)!

Comments

Daniel- こにちわ！！

こにちわ！！　(Daniel) Hello,こにちわ, bonjour, Привет ! My name is Daniel Panasenko, and I am the 2012-2013 LEX intern in the Hippo office in Tokyo. I am from Sacramento, California, although originally from Dnipropetrovs'k, Ukraine. I first came across LEX and Hippo when I came to Japan with People to People in 2009. I was hosted by members of the Hippo Family Club for four days, and I enjoyed the experience so much, that I came back to work for Hippo as an intern. Although I am fairly new to Hippo, I have been received warmly and welcomed into the Hippo family. Everyone at the office and at the family clubs are very kind, supportive, and incredibly patient as I unintentionally butcher their language. As the year progresses, I will blog about my experiences in Japan as well as my insights into the language and culture. Although I am a bit overwhelmed by the novelty of the lifestyle and language, but I am more than happy to be here, making fascinating new discoveri...

Danielle- Shopping Malls

Shopping Malls I noticed I don't talk about shopping enough, so here's a brief overlook of some of my favorite shopping malls (so far~) out here in Japan. AEON I have one about 5 minutes away from my local train station here in Chiba. It feels very homey to me, just because it's really spacious and open and reminds me of a shopping mall I had back in Illinois. What I love about Aeon, too, is that it has a bunch of different stores (other than just clothes). On the first floor, you have your groceries, bakery, and cosmetics, and stuff like that. On the other floors, you have your clothes, electronics, food court (talk about majorly nostalgic, especially with the KFCs and Subways), and mini arcade. Chiba is kind of out-of-the-way, and so Aeon has been a very convenient place for me to buy my toiletries and CalorieMate... and just walk around, if I feel like it. I bought my first winter coat there and some gloves, and it was all reasonably priced, I think (granted,...

Dannielle- Setsubun

Setsubun In February, there is a holiday in Japan called Setsubun. In celebration of the special day, I ventured out to Nagatacho (close to my work here in Shibuya) and visited the Hie Temple. It was so beautiful and peaceful up on a small hill, and oddly placed among the city life of Tokyo. It was crowded with people (but not too crowded, hence why I chose Nagatacho over Asakusa) standing in front of the temple "stage", within which we could hear some music and see some people inside dancing and preparing for the event. Because I got there earlier, I had to wait a bit, and so I talked with the older couple that stood next to me. Turns out, the husband and wife had been to the US before and lived in New Orleans about 10 years ago, so we eased into some great conversation. Very sweet people. When the event started, I witnessed a person dressed as an oni (demon) emerging from inside the temple, being drawn out by the priests who threw beans at him and shou...

Search This Blog