Wednesday, December 31--Out With the Old, In With the New

There is no question in my mind that we are not in the States. It is New Year’s Eve and every last trace of Christmas is gone. Well, at least from Japanese houses and stores. The Americans are lagging behind. The Japanese are now focused on the New Year, and decorations of evergreen boughs, dried grasses, and oranges adorn the entrances of homes and shops. 2009 will be the Year of the Ox, and everywhere you look there are cows (someone decided cows are cuter than oxen)—cards, stuffed animals, Starbucks coffee mugs, cell phone charms, ceramic figurines.

The past week has been a flurry of activity in the neighborhood, as it is tradition to do a thorough cleaning of the home at the end of the year. All the work is to be completed by December 31—no one is supposed to do work on January 1. Windows have been washed, futons have been aired, rugs have been beaten, floors have been waxed, closets have been purged. Many houses have even gotten a new coat of paint (I think there must have been a group discount one street up from us…seems like every other house was repainted).

For the next few days we will stay away from shrines and temples, since many Japanese flock there during the first three days of January to pray for good fortune in the coming year (several MILLION visit Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine alone). They turn in last year’s good luck charms at special booths erected at the shrines and purchase new ones to guard against misfortune. It is supposed to be a time of happiness and joy, free of stress and anger.

One Japanese tradition that I know would never work in the U.S. is the sending of New Year’s cards. They serve the same purpose as our Christmas cards…to inform friends and family about the events of the past year and to extend best wishes for the coming year. However, no matter when they are deposited in the mailbox, New Year’s cards are saved and sorted by the post office, and ALL are delivered on New Year’s Day (the envelopes or postcards are marked with a special symbol signifying they are New Year’s cards). I just can’t picture the USPS successfully stockpiling that much mail for days or weeks, then delivering it all to the correct addresses on a single day.

We have no big plans for New Year’s Eve or Day. Tonight we will go over to Jim’s coworker’s house for games and food. It will be strange not to have Dick Clark help us usher in the New Year from Times Square (since we are 14 hours ahead of New York). Tomorrow I’ll finish cleaning the house in preparation for Jenny’s arrival on Saturday. I know—if I’d followed Japanese traditions, the house would already be clean, and I could put my feet up!