End of year, Kyoto

It is amazing to see Kyoto at this time. The main street at Gion-shijo station is even more crowded and everyone and every building is immersed very much in a holiday atmosphere. Christmas decorations caught my eyes as well as all the sale signs you can see from the outside of the stores, which are all very catchy and exciting. If there were snowing, I might almost think I am again in Canada.



Kyoto street, crowd and Christmas lights

Before dinner, my host parents went to a booth to buy a ticket-like stuff. The personnel inside placed numbers of tickets and my host parents asked me to pick one. It was a lottery booth. My Japanese friend told me later that it was a special at the end of year, as the amount and chance of winning are much higher so people always treat themselves with a little bonus before the new year come.

Lottery Booth with advertisement

In my family, a small Christmas tree is also set up. This reminds me of my childhood Christmas time back in China, we always had a Christmas tree at my grandparents', and we as little kids did not think much of the meaning and culture of it but only took it for granted and consider it as another chance to get gifts beside new years and birthdays, and perhaps the adults did not think much as well. I am not sure if it is the same in Japan, but obviously Christmas in Japan is more for couples than families. I have heard about how Christmas here is regarded as the second Valentine's day in the year. However it might not be so true: Valentine's day is more of a confession day in Japan, and Christmas is truly a day for the couples and somehow it is more mature in terms of age. In this sense, it is actually the biggest "Valentine's day" in modern Japan.



Christmas decoration made of the product.

Almost for any place of the world where celebrates Christmas, the holiday is made to be a big buying day. People shops for others as well as themselves more than any other times in the year, simply because of the promotion that is taking place in every possible store. The shop owners are always smart in getting people to spend. Even the prices are not reduced as dramatically as in north America, it still seem to be a good time for shopping and I am already tempted by the whole holiday feeling, and feel like I have to go there to be a part of this Christmas and new year celebration.

The invisible society

An early morning train passing Fukakusa.

Japan is often considered a society of rules. From time to time we are likely to hear such comments on Japan, and even Japanese people will admit it as a fact. In the past two months, even tiny little details are constantly reminding me of one of the fundamental and widespread idea of Japanese society: responsibility. Due to the responsibility especially when it relates to one's profession,  the society at it very surface appearance is maintained by everyone in the society.

 In the washroom of CIE building.

             The image of the well maintained society  is  firstly  showed through the public services. It is certain that almost everyone who firstly come to Japan will be impressed by the public toilets. It is very rare that the toilet will be out of toilet paper or liquid soup. In Kansai Gaidai's toilet, even the newly replaced toilet paper are especially folded as in the style of hotel toilet. The personal who is in charge of this cares even the details, which shows a great sense of consideration. Some extra toilet paper are often placed on the board inside the stall, not only inside school but also in some department stores that I went.

Gaidai Festival.

           During the Gaidaisai festival this year, the decoration was everywhere in the campus. The different booths had to take some space for the preparation of the food. It looks like a mess, but underneath everything, there were boarder lines in between: as seen as the plastic sheet that the students put under everything. After the festival took place, everything was cleaned and took way as nothing has ever happened in there.

Gaidai Festival.

          One thing that recently impressed me is the bench in the Fukakusa train station that just got repaired. I sit on the same bench almost every time when I was waiting, but in that particular morning  some wood stripes were replaced with some new ones. In Canada, things got repaired very slowly. It takes time for someone to notice the problem as well as the actual repairing, and unsurprisingly you can always know they are doing so because there is always a notice sign. However, things in Japan are done unnoticed. I remember only one time seeing a cleaning worker in Kansai Gaidai's washroom, and at most times they remain invisible while the job is never delayed.

A construction site beside Gaidai. Clear plastic boards are used for the protection. 

          There seem to be an invisible plastic sheet for everyone in Japan. They clean after themselves as carrying the garbage with them due to the fact that there is not many rubbish can on the streets; They do their job very quickly and care even the most unnoticeable details. Somehow this image of Japan shows at the same time a caring for the others and a carelessness for the others. It sounds ridiculous, but it seems to be the only way for me to explain what I perceived in my daily life in Japan. The people are taking care of the own business, with full responsibility and the most considerable attitude, while when it comes the time when they are doing things only depending on their own opinion, they are unlikely to do it.

( The title of this blog is taken from the film 2046, directed by Wong Kar-wai in 2004. It is a dream-like story about a man using wrting to deal with memories of different people. I took the film's title out of a personal favor and the wish to use the blog to document my experience in Japan. )