Beginning of Golden Week in Japan

Today marks the first day of Golden Week here in Japan. Basically, a bunch of national holidays happen to fall within the same week making it the longest time off of work for many people. Government and corporate jobs offer paid time off, and families will travel to visit other parts of the country. 

Today is "Showa Day," and no, it's not about taking showers! This day honors Emperor Showa, who ruled Japan during World War II and is a symbol of unity to the japanese.  WWII ended without extended bloodshed thanks to Showa's decision making the unified spirit of the japanese people.

To celebrate the season of blooming Cherry Blossom trees, I went to a Hanami festival today. As soon as I arrived, a japanese man handed me a beer! I brought some cookies with me, and the whole group of us shared our food and enjoyed the beautiful day. There was also entertainment: a few singers, a pessimistic clown, and... well I got drunk and stopped paying attention haha. 

It still blows me away to see how thankful and kind-spirited the japanese are. It's interesting to notice the physical, mental, and spiritual nature of these people compared to what I'm used to back at home. If I were to generalize from my experiences, I'd say that Americans certainly express a greater degree of freedom (and complexity) of thought/speech compared to the Japanese, and it definitely shows in social interaction. 

Japanese is a complex language to be sure, but one can cling to the (sometimes limited) social norms and live a simple life of friendly, silly, and endearing interactions. And while the culture still feels foreign to me, there is a beautiful harmony that arises from the natural unity of these people. Seriously, if you need help with something, the japanese devote all human faculties to getting the job done.

To compare, Americans quickly become emotional about, well anything (personal issues, television shows, sports, even pets). We have no reservations in expressing ourselves about any issue in a heated, and sometimes hilarious, fervor. Our social norms make it alright to stand out and "be yourself," and a lot of the time it's very entertaining to see different ways of expression (joking, singing, yelling). 

Well, that's enough of sociology for now. Big day tomorrow seeing the Oga Aquarium and doing who-knows-what. I will say, I've got a little homesickness in my time here... but not enough to leave just yet!