moon viewing season

Well it is now officially Moon Viewing Season. Actually it has been Moon Viewing Season for about a month now, but it finally feels like it.

As with most things in Japan, what better way to celebrate the season/something new/actually anything than cutsie little cartoon characters. Right now it is hard to go anywhere without seeing little moons and bunnies. No, the Japanese don't see the Man-in-the-Moon, they see the Rabbit in the Moon. Personally, I have to agree, the Rabbit is a little easier to see than the Man. Although I wonder if the Rabbit can survive on cheese alone? I don't thing rabbits even eat cheese…

What is Moon Viewing Season? Well it is essentially fall. As spring is the season to view cherry blossoms, fall is the time to view the Moon. Is the Moon view really wonderful right now? Well actually yes. I’m sure it helps that I am in the country side, and that my city of a modest 47,000 doesn’t create all that much light pollution (you can see 5x the number of stars as Vancouver….I know this is not really even a lot, but hey I’ll take what I can get). The other reason that I thing fall is good for Moon viewing is that the nasty humidity of the rainy/typoon season has, for the most party, passed. The air is clear and crisp…quite crisp.

That is actually the forefront of my thoughts lately. The temperature has dropped significantly. The night time temp is down to 12c. Now, being from Vancouver, 12 isn’t that low. In fact if I were at home right now, I think I would feel that 12 is still nice. However, compared to the 35 degree, super humid days of summer, these evenings and morning are definitely chilly. The day times are still warm and pleasant, when it is sunny out. When it is cloudy out it is a different story. The days are still chilly when the clouds are here, and often it rains. The rains are not like the summer squalls, which were warm and quite refreshing. These autumnal rain falls are chilly and wet…kinda like late Vancouver fall.

Apparently the winter snows will come with early December. That is here in town. Up on the hills, I have a feeling that the snows will start in late December. The winter is apparently quite cold. My house will be colder than outside, as I am already discovering with these chilly days. Luckily the Japanese have ways of dealing with this. They don't insulate houses here, for whatever reason, but they have other wonderful inventions. The first of which, I cannot wait to fire up. It is called a Kotatsu. It is a table with a heater under it. You put a blanket under the removable top and drape a fire proof blanket under it. You sit with your legs and torso under the blanket and stay warm. Other ways of staying warm are gas and kerosene heaters. The kerosene heaters are a little counter productive however, as burning kerosene creates carbon monoxide. This requires an open window or door to ensure proper ventilation. A little counter productive if you ask me.

That all being said, winters here are a snowboarder’s paradise. With town getting up to a foot of snow overnight on a regular basis, the hills can get up to 3 metres of snow in one storm. Also being inland, and sandwiched between 2 mountain ranges, we get the nice fluffy powder. Some places on the hills have chest deep snow. Mmmm, yummy!

Well that being said, I think I will have a shower and hop in the tub. That is another difference. You shower before a bath, as the water is expected to be reusable. I personally can’t bring myself to use the water more than twice, but I think I may get over that. The tub I have has some cool heating features. The tub itself is heated, and there is a pump to re-warm and recycle the water. The best part is that the tub is deep and you can sit fully submerged up to your neck, even if you are a gaijin ‘giant’ (which thankfully I am not…it would be nice to be head and shoulders above a crowd once in a while, but I don't need to wear my gaijin badge any more openly than I already do).

Cheers and adieu all. Hope that fall is treating you all well, and that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am glad that I don't need to say Canadian Thanksgiving to you all, as I do with my American friends here. If I don't they proceeded to tell me how that doesn’t really count as thanksgiving, but what do they know anyways, eh? I will be spending my Thanksgiving with another Canadian, shredding some mud up on a mountain with our bikes. No turkey, but we can have some ‘Sea Chicken’ as the Japanese refer to Tuna (or the American’s Tuna Fish, come on though, what the hell else would it be, Tuna Horse?!?). I might make some mashed potatoes though, as there is no shortage of those!

Take care and have a safe holiday!

Also for some insight in to the life of a foreigner (Gaikokujin) in Japan, I highly recommend ‘Hitching Rides with Buddah’ by Will Ferguson. He was a Canadian Assistant English Teacher, and decided to hitchhike from the southern most tip of Japan to the northern most. I have just started reading it, and it is laugh out loud hilarious, and a true insight into the life that all us Gaijin live over here.

And this time I really am finished! :p