On December 16, Filipinos start with the "Simbang Gabi" or Midnight Mass, which is a 9-day novena usually held before dawn leading up to Christmas day. Coincidentally, our Episode 16 features Christmas in Japan. I call this episode "A Glimpse of Christmas in Japan," and to me, all these Christmas decors, at least at major urban centers, make me feel just a little bit closer to home. I guess, these bring the outside world into Japan, for locals or residents who cannot otherwise experience Christmas as it really is, for example in the Philippines, in the US, and so on. As usual, I "filmed" in Atsugi and in Tokyo (Shinjuku, to be more exact).
Part of the video include glimpses as well of Yokohama, where we held our Christmas party (lunch buffet actually, which we ended with a round of applause, a Japanese custom for ending parties).
As a present for you all, the last part of the video is somewhat a how-to on making a Santa Claus origami. Origami as most of you know is the Japanese art of folding paper.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!
(This is the low-resolution version of the video. High-def version will be coming soon. Also, the Japan! Japan! Video Blog will be back after mid-January. See you then!)
