FALLing in love with Nippon

So despite the busy schedule that this fall has brought me, it has also brought me a new appreciation for the country I am living in.  With the hot and humid weather behind us, fall has proven to be a wonderfully temperate season filled with mostly beautiful days.  So, I have tried to take advantage of all that Nippon has to offer me in fall, and in true form they mostly revolve around holidays!!

KAWAGOE MATSURI

The first weekend in October, Kawagoe (about one hour from where I live)hosted their yearly matsuri, or festival.  To try and describe it would be near impossible, but I will do my best.  Basically you can imagine a city full of food booths selling everything from hamburgers and chocolate dipped bananas to squid on a stick (no joke).  When the sun finally sets, huge wooden floats get pushed through the streets by volunteers from the town.  In a cacophony of music, dancers, and yelling from the crowd, the floats spin and jet through the crowd at one another.  Two floats that pass each other end up battling one another making this one of the most famous matsuris.  What really impressed me was the amount of people.  It was so crowded, that at times it was near impossible to move making this festival not for those who suffer from any kind of claustrophobia.  

Squid on a Stick!  

Ramon Burger

Battling Floats

HALLOWEEN

To really get into the Halloween spirit I decided to throw a Halloween party at my apartment.  Letting my inner Martha Stewart out, I tried to put together a night that would be fun and memorable, marking our first official holiday in Japan.  Thanks to a care package from home and the generous donations of those who attended, we had many delicious dishes, drinks, and of course all while we wore our costumes.  And, leave it to me to find a pumpkin in Japan, but I did!  So we were able to carve a pumpkin to!!  

It was a wonderful way to start Fall off right!!

Yummy!

NIKKO 

Really there is not much to say about Nikko in fall.  I would prefer to let the pictures speak for themselves.  Suffice it to say that Nikko is about 3 hours from where I live and totally worth the journey.  The colors are more vivid than I could have ever imagined.

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is a very important holiday in my family.  Unlike Christmas there is no concentration on shopping and present exchanging, therefore the sole message of “We are Thankful” rings out above all else.  Despite being away from the people that I am most thankful for, I was able to celebrate here in Japan with my newly formed family.  

I contributed the mashed potatoes, gravy, and potato salad (thanks to my Mom and Grandma's cooking tips it was not difficult to make either!)

Aaron did the honor of carving the turkey!

Teachers from Ina Gakuen

Everyone that came brought a dish to share and it was not long before the bar turned into some new aged-Plymouth rock; Pilgrims and Native Americans replaced people anywhere from Jamaica, Canada, and  England to New Zealand, America, and of course Japan.  Although we were far away from America, I think in that little bar we were able to capture what Thanksgiving is truly about: being with people you care for and whom care for you.  And that is something to be truly grateful for.