Happy Halloween!

After spending the day teaching Halloween lessons I spent the evening celebrating with my village. I taught my elementary students traditions and how to say the names and act like various Halloween characters. We acted like princess, witches, zombies, bats and more! It was hilarious to watch a classroom full of children running around roaring like monsters!

In the evening I dressed up as Catwoman and went to the community center in my village to join in their Halloween activities. Apparently, Catwoman is not famous in Japan- at all. But, most people guessed Batman, and I was fine with that- same comic at least!

The community center organized a Trick or Treat outing for the kids in our village. 50 children attended to participate, so we split into two teams, and followed two different routes. Over twenty houses agreed beforehand to make and hand out goodie bags to the children who trick or treated that night. Before we left the center, we taught the kids how to say trick or treat, on their first try they produced `To-riiiku or to-riii-to!` The lady in charge was not satisfied, and asked me to teach them the English pronunciation. I obliged, and after only three tries the students sounded just like a pack of American kids! (Of course, this change in pronunciation did not last the entire night)

So at 7:30 off I went with my pack of children dressed in pumpkin hats, capes, etc! The costumes were not very elaborate, mostly just a hat or cape or devil horns or something from the 100 yen shop, but the kids were still adorable and had so much fun! We walked around to each house or store that set up for us, and took turns walking into the genkan (entrance of a Japanese home, usually you remove your shoes just inside the door and then step up to enter the house), saying `Trick or Treat!` and receiving mounds of delicious sweets and snacks!

It was really a wonderful little outing, and a great example of what a sweet, tight knit community my village is. Everyone (from young moms to grandmas and grandpas, and even the village policeman) handing out candy looked so happy and excited to be handing out treats to the kids.

Halloween is not a well known holiday in Japan, especially among older people. Many people have asked me in the last week to explain what kind of event Halloween is. But many of the children know it or have at least heard of Halloween. The image of Halloween is just dressing in costume and trick or treating, that is the extent of it. The Japanese adopted this holiday from America, and even at the 100 yen shop many of the little items and decorations look just like those you might buy in America.

This house had great decorations, complete with cobwebs and a Halloween tree!

Even the local cop handed out treats!