The pumpkins I saw today were small, but still full size pumpkins. The price tag was unfortunately not surprising - ¥3758 ($34).
While orange pumpkins decorate all sorts of packaging this time of year, the real thing is still a rarity. Halloween is just different here. It is still forming in Japan and it is just super different. Just a couple years ago, Halloween was limited to Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan. Each year it gets more and more popular.
This year as part of a community of moms, I am seeing more American standards of Halloween. Trick-or-treating still isn't a concept here, but there are more costumes and parties. You just need to know the right people with the right information.
We still won't be getting a pumpkin this year. I just can't pay that much for a pumpkin. I can deal with the fact that Halloween is different here because I am well away I don't currently live in the US. It's just hard emotionally because I feel like I'm missing those special holidays with my son. There are really only 10 Halloweens with parents and kids. After those 10, kids want to hang out with friends, not parents. They want store bought scary costumes, not homemade cute ones. My sadness stems from feeling like I'm missing a special thing with my child that I thought I would have. It is an adjustment, a trade. I'm giving him access to his Japanese culture, but neglecting American culture.
Finding a balance is an ongoing challenge. We often focus on his language development, making sure he has support and encouragement for both English and Japanese. But we don't always pay attention to culture. The longer I live here, the more I should be focusing on it. In the US, we made sure to celebrate Japanese holidays. In Japan, I should be putting more effort into American holidays - sharing the joy of traditions that I grew up with.
So, maybe we won't carve a pumpkin this year. But I do have something special in store for him.
No comments:
Post a Comment