Holi"daze"

Why yes, I realize it has been a very long time since my last post. I have a good excuse though! I have a new job and with the holidays, it's been very busy around here.

First item of business: Thanksgiving
I think it is important to bring up that Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Japan... yes, I've had people ask me if it was before. (Christmas is also not a big hit over here. Buddhists aren't really into The Virgin Birth.)
Anyways, on base, Thanksgiving is a really special time for everyone. Because most of us are far away from family, we get together with our friends, eat, and watch football (at weird hours).
I really enjoyed Thanksgiving this year. Our friends, Will and Kari, brought us into their home like family- that's something really special about the military, your friends become pseudo-family.

December to Remember
December was awesome because I started my job as a Child Program Assistant at the Child Development Center on base... basically that means I teach preschool children 3-5 years old. The job has been a great learning experience for me and I really enjoy my coworkers and the children.
Christmas was amazing. Finally Jay and I were together for Christmas! We went to a Christmas Eve service on base, opened presents Christmas morning, and had brunch with friends.
It was very interesting to see the Japanese take on Christmas. Because of the influence of Disney and American popular culture, some western traditions become part of the Japanese tradition. Small Christmas trees and Christmas lights are sold in the Seiyu (Japanese WalMart) and Starbucks has special holiday drinks.

Party!
I have never been and never will be an authority on parties but 'tis the season... over the past month I've been to a Christmas party, New Years night out, 3 birthday parties (2 for 5 year olds), a baby shower, and a couple random nights out on the town.
I must preface this with "I'm not much of a drinker, but if I were, I would be in Heaven in Tokyo."
If you like to drink at all (or even just eat), there is a bar for you in Tokyo. Every bar is a different culture and I think I have learned the most about Japan in my nights on the town. To give you an idea, let me list a few.
County Clare's (Tachicawa City): Run by Irish ex-pat Nick, it is a homey Irish pub with fish 'n chips, super spicy buffalo wings, and a wide variety of beer.
Big Echo: This is a franchised bar found throughout Tokyo where you rent a private room for 2 hours with up to 9 friends. You are provided with as many drinks as you want and have your own private karaoke. This is ideal if you have a lot of money to spend.
Pub Hub and/or Sherlock Holmes (Hachioji City): Great if you like English pubs, darts, or liter beers.
Apple Martini (Hachioji City): This is my personal favorite. They play western music, serve a wide variety of food and drink, perform magic tricks, juggle liquor bottles, and put on little "shows" at the bar. We counted down to the New Year there and it was a blast.
We have also been to TGIFridays and Hard Rock Cafe in Tokyo... they are pretty much the same.

Anyways, I think my main point in discussing this was that Japan is very diverse and that is reflected in the bars and restaurants here in Tokyo. We will continue to try new things and keep you posted and hopefully, you will come to Japan soon and enjoy the diversity and culture here!