Christmas is over for another year. I actually had a really nice Christmas. Quiet and of course a bit different to what I am used to, but nice all the same. Shumpei ended up having to work on Christmas day but we spent the whole weekend together. On saturday we went to see the new James Bond movie (probably not new in Australia or anywhere else in the world but new to here), then out to meet some friends for dinner and drinks. Sunday, christmas eve, was the day we did most of our celebrating. Christmas eve here is like the biggest date day/night of the year. We got up early and went iceskating and then on to Meiji Jingu Shrine to write ema (wooden plaques that people write wishes and prayers on…we wrote ours for next year and hopefully before or just after new years the shinto gods will read them and our wishes will come true) We then walked around the grounds and out the back way towards Shinjuku. I had booked us in to have an early christmas dinner at a place in Roppongi and by the time we got there we were starving but it was well worth the wait with all the good christmas favourites including ham, turkey, stuffing, roast vegtables, beef, potato salad, many other salads, smoked salamon, dessert and much more. It was really fantastic to sit and chat over a bottle of wine and stuff ourselves silly with christmas food. Shun had only ever eaten roast chicken for christmas but he has now been converted to real christmas food. After dinner we walked through Roppongi Hills looking at the shops and then into the gardens and around outside where there was a lot of illumination and christmas lights happening. We even heard some opera style carols (weird huh?). Above is what our tiny little tree looked like.
By the time we got home we were exhausted from our whole day out walking around, iceskating and eating too much food. Shun did have Christmas morning off so we got up opened our presents and I made ham and cheese croissants for breakfast as well as champagne and orange juice(For about 10 years we ate christmas breakfast with our neighbours every morning before going off for family lunches and dinners and we always had smoked salmon or ham and cheese croissants….Shumpei asked if this was an Australian tradition but I had to tell him it was just our family I think…). We both got really spoilt. From each other and from my parents, friends and my brother and his gf. I love presents. I loved watching Shun open his presents too.
Christmas day for me, once Shun had gone to work, was spent watching the whole last season of Will & Grace while making earrings from beads my mum sent me. It was great actually, nice and relaxing after our busy Christmas eve.
Shumpei and I have to make our own traditions…I come from a place where Christmas is the biggest day of the year where as here in Japan it is not even a public holiday. Present giving, while it happens in Japan, it is usually only one gift and sometimes the males only give to the females and not vice versa but one of the best things about christmas is giving to other people and watching them open up their presents and watching their reactions. Christmas in australia is a time for family where as it is New Years here that is family time. We are learning about each others customs still despite having now known each other two years. This was our first christmas together in the same country and I think it turned out pretty well. I enjoyed having an international christmas…and I know Shumpei did too.
I hope everyone else had a fantastic christmas. I am just getting around to all the other blogs now.
Oh and D`Jen, this is for you. Shumpei has a playstation 3. I know how to turn it on…but at the moment we only have one game which is a robot game and I just do not understand it. I thought you would like to hear that we have one though…I know how much you like game thingies….Hope you are enjoying your wii.
Oh and the cake picture…I made it. Can you beleive it?? I made it a couple of weeks ago in a cooking class with Suzy. It was really nice and not very difficult. If I had an oven I would make it again!!!
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
Merry Christmas Sweetheart! Sounds like you and Shumpei made a really nice Christmas together. Happy New Year!
You made that cake? That’s amazing, you did a brilliant job!!
I’m glad you enjoyed your international Christmas. I was a bit worried for you, I know Christmas can be a lonely time for people away from home but yours sounds very nice. We used to always have a very pleasant Christmas breakfast with friends and then go off and do the rest of the day with family.
A lot of Asian cultures have Christmas Eve as their big going out night and NYE as a family night, I do find other cultures so interesting.
Way excited that you had an awesome day!
Sounds like you had a great day!
The cake looks lovely and you scored one up on me – we didn’t even put up our tree this year – I was going to go out and buy a new one but never got around to it…
Plus now you kinda get double the fun if New Years is another biggie =o)
Again – it made me miss Japan! Sounds like you had a great time. Have a great new year too x
Your Christmas sounds beautiful!! It’s much more exciting than anything I could muster up! I’m so glad it turned out to be a fun time for you and Shun.
Iceskating is so fun, I haven’t been in years.
I am with you on the PS3. My brother has every console, like honestly, and the Wii is the only one I can work by myself. I love games but some of the consoles are so hard to work it’s not worth the effort. Wii’s are VERY girl friendly
Sounds like you had a great time, and enjoyed yourself, which is completely the point. Merry Christmas!
You made me long for Tokyo with the mention of the Meiji Shrine, the wooden plaques and Roppongi!
I’m so impressed with the cake, I thought you bought it from a French patisserie! There is a place in Roppongi Hills which makes stunning cakes and desserts. Oh how I miss Japan!
Sounds like a good time was had
As for the cake, it’s amazing! It really does look like something from a professional.
Sar- Thanks. I hope you have a lovely new year too. Will you be going to Kei`s folks place?? Or spending it with friends?
You understand what it is like to have to make your own christmas fun here in Tokyo, and I looked at your site and it seems you had a great time too!!! Have a good one!
Adam- I did make the cake yes. With help from the cooking school lady but yep, I did it myself. Then Shumpei and I ate it. I like other cultures as well. I am not overly religious so it is good to experience other ways of life for example traditional shinto new years.
Enny- Thanks mate. I sort of cheated. The tree came out of a box and then I plugged it in. We also had some tinsel around our room and fairy lights on the window. I really liked the fairy lights personally and when we move I want to put them on a window permanantly so that I can turn them on when we have guests over. A lot of apartments tend to only have one window though or one glass door…but we will see.
New years here is a biggie…but not drinking biggie like Australia. I will probably drink with shumpei`s dad…and be the only one that does. Shun doesn`t drink much…and his mum doesn`t much either. And shun`s brother wife is allergic to alcohol…can you imagine??
Audrey- Thanks. I missed Australia when I spoke to my parents on christmas day and they had eaten yummy seafood on christmas eve and everything. So it goes both ways I guess. I have already told my father he has to reinact christmas eve food festivities when we are there in May. Hope you have a great new year.
Jen- I love iceskating (the three times I have done it) But I have really bad ankles so I can usually go around once then have to rest then do it again…which is abit of a pain. My left foot is buggered from years of stress fractures, torn ligements and bad sprains that it can not support itself properly. But I love it still. I am getting used to the PS3 (I am getting up with the terminology…hehe) but I want to get a more fun, girly game. Even car racing beats robots.
Marika- I did, and thanks. Hope you have a lovely New Year.
ChickyBabe- I love Meiji Jingu (And Asakusa and the temples there also) because they are in Tokyo. Roppongi I like on occasions…I used to work there so I guess I got over seeing foreigners everywhere. I wish I was rich and could afford to shop at Roppongi Hills though…so much pretty stuff. The lights there were beautiful too. You will be back to Japan, don`t you worry.
Boysenberry- If you look closely at the cake you will see flaws…hehe. Despite them though it did taste nice. I have the recipe so I could make it again, but I do not have all the tools…lol…I don`t even have a mixer actually….or a cake tin (Or an oven for that matter) but I will make it again next year hopefully if I have all of the above! Happy New Year!