Christmas here is different but somehow similar. The Christmas songs in the shops as well as the decorations are far less obtrusive than in Vienna. Even in the main shopping streets of Tokyo there is far less Christmas kitsch than in the relatively small shopping streets of Vienna. It's such a pleasure not to be overexposed to Christmas before it actually happens!
One of the few noticeable things are the "I believe in Santa Claus" hats the cashiers wear in Kasumi. Which seems a bit odd to me because I'm sure they never have believed in those stories. However, I've been told that some are actually teaching their children to believe in Santa Claus (which makes me wonder if the children are just pretending to believe so that they can get their presents and make their parents happy at the same time).
I've been told that in Japan Christmas is a very important time of the year for couples (and not the family, like in Austria). And there are a lot fewer presents than in the US or Austria. Also New Years Eve seems to be a very quiet celebration which is spread out over several days. Unfortunately I'll probably never experience it myself though... but Rome should be nice too ;-)
Other than enjoying the last days before returning home I've been busy with work (as usual, and it's going really well as usual too), and I've been practicing Karate. In Karate I started using the Japanese numbers when it's my turn to count out loud. I still need to practice getting the order right, especially in the range from 4-8 I tend to get the order messed up if I'm trying to concentrate on the movements of different body parts and at the same time yell out a number in the right rhythm. Sometimes I also mix in both versions of the same number (e.g. 4 is "yon" and "shi"). I have a hard time not laughing at myself when I notice that I did it again, I wonder how the others manage not to change the expressions on their faces.
When we did Katas today (which I really enjoy) anyone who would have been watching us must have thought there is a hidden camera somewhere. Not only was I always delayed, but I was also completely clueless on what to do. It was great! :-)
It seems that they practice Katas on Saturday mornings, so I guess in the future I'll be getting up earlier on Saturdays than I do on weekdays.
I wonder how long I'll have the newbie bonus in the class... and what will happen once I don't have it anymore. Everyone else is sticking exactly to all the rules, the whole practice reminds me of the mechanics of a clock. Every movement is exactly precise, unlike Capoeira there is no informal chat between exercises, everyone is very serious. Unlike Capoeirea you don't hear people talking about "scarita" and "atsui" all the time. ("It's so hot in here and I'm exhausted..") I miss Capoeira a bit, if I'm lucky I'll get a chance to play a bit in Vienna. Oh, and I should mention that after class everything changes. People smile, chat, laugh, drink beer, go out for food or Karaoke... they are extremely nice people.
This is probably my last post before next year. It's been a great year, and I hope yours has been great too.
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