Happy Halloween!

The last day of October.  Really? So far, this is the strangest year ever.  

Halloween isn't a big holiday in Japan, but in recent years it has been catching on and becoming Japan's version of it. I haven't heard anything about it this year, but I'd guess it's not going to be the big celebration in Tokyo because of the pandemic.  From what I've read in the US news, trick or treating has been cancelled there too. 

I have good memories of Halloween as a child. We roamed the streets in our costumes, without adult supervision, and collected big bags of candy and treats. At school there were parties in the classroom with cupcakes made by someone's mother. At the girl scout meeting, we bobbed for apples and ate more cupcakes and sweets. Were those the "good ole days"?  Too much sugar!

Happy Halloween!

No More Yakuza Halloween

Halloween is not a Japanese holiday, but in recent years it has started to catch on. In Tokyo, there have been some celebrations that at times have gotten a little out of hand.  The 100 yen shops sell a variety of decorations and costume items.  And, at the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi Yakuza headquarters there has been trick or treating since 2013.  (Yakuza is the Japanese mafia/criminal organization).  Yamaguchi-gumi members call to the children to come in and get candy and to wish them Happy Halloween.

Costumed children thought it was great - free candy! Hyogo Prefecture (where Kobe is located) didn't agree.  Last week the prefectural assembly of Hyogo voted unanimously to revise the Organized Crime Law to make it illegal for a criminal organization to give gifts (money or otherwise, including snacks) to minors, to invite them onto the grounds of their facilities, or to correspond with them. The new law goes into effect October 26th, with punishment for repeat offenders facing up to six months in jail or fines of up to 500,000 yen.  Kanagawa Prefecture has a similar law. 

What do you think, were the yakuza members trying to be nice guys, handing out candy to children, or were they trying to recruit future members?

Trick or Treat Blog Hop - the Letter O

Happy Halloween!  Jo at Serendipidous Stitching  has organized this blog hop.  Each blog participant will post a halloween stitched piece and give one letter of the puzzle.  If you hop around all the blogs and collect all the letters, you will find out what the Mystery Phrase is.  Go to Serendipidous Stitching and leave a comment with the phrase for a chance to win a prize!  My letter in this phrase is  

To find out the next letter in this phrase go to Gwen at Guava Gems.  

And now, for my stitched Halloween pieces:  

Come back tomorrow for my Monday Morning Star Count (on Tuesday!)

Festival from America

Ted and his outdoor life students held the university’s first ever Halloween Festival. Some art students and a few English speaking friends from the community were also invited.  Being from the US, we just take Halloween for granted – we grew up begging for candy door to door (also known as trick or treating) and understand costumes and scary stuff like ghosts and witches, but this was new for most of the students.

The students were so excited! Everyone brought food to share and almost everyone wore costumes. Most of the students came up with great costumes – I didn’t even know who some of them were under make up and masks until they told me.  Ted wore a bear head with a ski race bib over black clothes and was a tsuki no waguma, which is a Japanese bear (kind of a play on words – tsuki for ski). I wore an Indian sari (with several big safety pins because I wasn’t sure it wouldn’t come undone and fall off.) My so called costume wasn’t so good, but it was easy.

Ted worked really hard and it was a grand success.  The students are already making plans for next year and want it to be a party for the whole university.