Happy Halloween!!!
JapanYears Reader: "Hey, Mike. What's your favorite holiday?"
Mike: "Halloween. No doubt about it."
I love Halloween. I have ever since I was a kid. It seems so pure... people giving gifts of candy to kids without the expectation of anything in return, other than a friendly "trick or treat". Kids actually working for a goal: dressing up in a costume, marching the street carrying a big sack to fill up with goods, then lugging it around as it gets heavier and heavier as the night goes on.
Halloween is one of those days that evolves as people grow up. As a kid, I thought it was so cool that one night a year I could dress up in a cool outfit, go up to random houses, say the magic "trick or treat" phrase, and be given candy by perfect strangers. My dad - always safety conscious - would sift through the candy to look for any unusually tampering of the labels; and I'm sure on occasion he snuck himself a piece or three of my goods. But that's one of the benefits of parenthood. As a teenager, Halloween was a time for me to terrorize the neighborhood and I have to admit that on occasion I did some not-so-nice things involving cartons of eggs, toilet paper, and neighboring houses/yards. As a parent, Halloween has a new but equally meaningful vibe. Being able to watch Josh play and interact with the other kids, all in their cute little costumes, is an absolute blast. This year is the first year that Josh actually understands that saying "trick or treat" means getting candy. And he walked us all over Yokosuka Naval Base tonight to get as much as the little guy could carry.
In Japan, you often hear the word kawaii, especially when small children or Hello Kitty dolls are within earshot, because kawaii is the Japanese word for "cute" and Nihon-jin love cute things. There's also a word that sounds very similar to kawaii, but is pronounced "kowai". Kowai means "scary" in Japanese. What better day to combine all things kawaii and kowai, than on Halloween.
Before Josh's big Trick or Treat Candy Excursion, we met up with some of the other families that we call friends here on the Kanto Plain. Here are some of the resulting pictures:
Mike: "Halloween. No doubt about it."
I love Halloween. I have ever since I was a kid. It seems so pure... people giving gifts of candy to kids without the expectation of anything in return, other than a friendly "trick or treat". Kids actually working for a goal: dressing up in a costume, marching the street carrying a big sack to fill up with goods, then lugging it around as it gets heavier and heavier as the night goes on.
Halloween is one of those days that evolves as people grow up. As a kid, I thought it was so cool that one night a year I could dress up in a cool outfit, go up to random houses, say the magic "trick or treat" phrase, and be given candy by perfect strangers. My dad - always safety conscious - would sift through the candy to look for any unusually tampering of the labels; and I'm sure on occasion he snuck himself a piece or three of my goods. But that's one of the benefits of parenthood. As a teenager, Halloween was a time for me to terrorize the neighborhood and I have to admit that on occasion I did some not-so-nice things involving cartons of eggs, toilet paper, and neighboring houses/yards. As a parent, Halloween has a new but equally meaningful vibe. Being able to watch Josh play and interact with the other kids, all in their cute little costumes, is an absolute blast. This year is the first year that Josh actually understands that saying "trick or treat" means getting candy. And he walked us all over Yokosuka Naval Base tonight to get as much as the little guy could carry.
In Japan, you often hear the word kawaii, especially when small children or Hello Kitty dolls are within earshot, because kawaii is the Japanese word for "cute" and Nihon-jin love cute things. There's also a word that sounds very similar to kawaii, but is pronounced "kowai". Kowai means "scary" in Japanese. What better day to combine all things kawaii and kowai, than on Halloween.
Before Josh's big Trick or Treat Candy Excursion, we met up with some of the other families that we call friends here on the Kanto Plain. Here are some of the resulting pictures:
posted by Unknown | 10:07 PM
8 Comments:
I was just getting ready to write a quick e-mail and decided to take a minute to read the blog. I absolutely loved the pictures of the little ones in their costumes! Everyone looked great! I was really happy to have a Halloween preview before our Halloween here. Like you Mike, I have always liked Halloween, and can't wait for our trick or treaters. Nicki will tell you that the kids sometimes come by the carload from other areas to visit us. At 13, Kimberlee still wants to trick or treat this year, and will be dressed as a genie! Again, love the pictures!
Love,
Mom
Oh my I just love all the little cuties in their costumes!! I think I like Halloween more as a parent than I did even as a child. Josh looks so big. Monkey?
Red is dressing as (shocker) a princess, Stinky and Boo are going as cowboys.
Has anyone mentioned to you the "spirits" that haunt Gridley Tunnel and One-Way Hill on base? They used to give us a thrill as teens pillaging through the housing areas.
No one has mentioned the hauntings. I can not get over how much Halloween has turned into a Japanese Holiday as well. It's a mad house trying to get into the gate as hundreds of Japanese children and families come on base to go trick or treating. We came across many "Sorry out of Candy" signs. We went around 6:00PM. As we walked by one house, Mike grumbled, "Who out of candy at 6:30!" Little did he know the resident was just biking back home and exclaimed, "10 bags buddy. 10 big bags!" We couldn't believe it. By 6:30 this poor guy was out of candy!! Halloween for base residents must require a trip to Costco!
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Great photos!! Negishi streets were also alive last night with loads of trick or treaters! We had so many spidermen this year!! I was a little disappointed that I didn't get more trick or treaters, but I live on a street with many empty houses, so maybe my street looked a little too dark and scary, but hey, at least I didn't run out of candy like the poor folks on Yokosuka base! Glad you guys had a great Halloween experience!
Hey guys, WONDERFUL shots! I'm so happy that you included that definition of "scary" as well, I never knew that one. How wild that the two words sound so similar to our ears!
Glad you had a wonderful Halloween. Rich is right on the money with you, Mike....this is one of his most memorable holidays too!
Leah had a great time trick or treating with Josh. I LOVED his costume. so cute and squeezable.
I am with you Mike on loving this holiday. I was go glad Leah was born so close to Halloween so Ihave an excuse to have a party!
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