I apologize once again for the small number of posts, but this will be the last one for the blog, at least for now - I may well one day visit Kansai Gaidai again. With that being said, here is perhaps the final Kansai Gaidai story!
The last few weeks of classes at Kansai Gaidai are a very hectic period of time for students, as several tests emerge and final paper deadlines are coming up. The tests usually seem to exist with multiple variations on the single test that must be completed such as split reading and writing for Reading and Writing Japanese, etc. All of this adds to a feeling of confusion and panic, combined with a desire to do something - anything major - to have a memorable experience in Japan, both due to the short period remaining and a natural desire to procrastinate inherent in many students.
There are surprisingly many events that take place toward the end of the semester, such as various festivals and even some conventions, but the most surprising of all was the manner in which Hirakata-shi is decorated for Christmas. Many towns, even small towns, partake in the Christmas celebration by hanging lit displays from various light poles, putting Christmas lights on trees in parks, and so on - In Hirakata-shi, things seemed to be exactly the same! It was somewhat difficult to get a good picture of the lights, since my camera kept trying to adjust too well to the lighting and blurring them out, but they were beautiful.
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| An interesting light display on a bridge in Hirakata-shi, atop a Tanabata-based decoration. |
Grocery stores and other locations also had decorations up in the center or front areas of the store, with special deals on seasonal products such as certain types of cider, Christmas cakes, and so on. Top World was one store where these special deals could be found, and it seemed reminiscent of the special aisles found in stores such as Wal-Mart, though perhaps a bit more aesthetically pleasing for the viewer.
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| A selection of specialty goods in Top World, a nearby supermarket. |
While Christmas cakes have been mentioned, I find it also important to mention a very special event that was hosted by the Resident Assistants in Seminar House II, the dormitory-style area in which I have been living for the entirety of this semester. The RAs provided all of the necessary materials, including pre-prepared cake bases, for crafting a fully-decorated Christmas cake from the ground up, with plenty of toppings and other edible decorations that might not be considered normal, yet were definitely interesting to work with. It was very fun to attend the event! My group went with a simple yet satisfying aesthetics of cake decoration, and some people decided to go all-out in various crazy yet amazing ways.
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| One of the more strange - and interesting - Christmas cake designs. |
Another interesting fact, something that I learned during my study here in Japan, is the fact that KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken - is a Japanese tradition for Christmas time. Beginning in 1974 with a campaign called "Kentucky for Christmas," often speculated to be the result of foreigners who were living in Japan and could not find a turkey for their Christmas dinner. Turkey is very scarcely found in Japan, usually very expensive and ordered from places such as local Costco locations, so this seems to ring true in at least one regard. People often order KFC months in advance of their Christmas celebration to avoid lines that last for multiple hours on the day itself. I was not able to get any photographs of promotions for this year, but it seemed very interesting.
Finally, the last part begins - I will be leaving tomorrow (December 18th in Japan) from Kansai International Airport and stopping at multiple locations along the way during my return to America. It will be a very interesting, perhaps occasionally dangerous, journey - However, I have faith that I can make it just fine. I will be making it back on the same day due to time zone differences, but it will be very late. Everyone, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
This marks the end of this post, the possibly-final Kansai Gaidai Story!
