Halloween

Oct. 31
Halloween is superficially celebrated in Japan. One will find all kinds of commercial Halloween themes abounding, yet the ultimate spirit is lacking. Still, as an English school, we are required to highlight cross cultural themes and so I am in the midst of teaching Halloween curriculum every day for a month.
Every working day is Halloween and I dress up in a pseudo witches costume and try to convery the scary fun of Halloween. My colleague has the best costume for Japan. It is an inflatable sumo wresteler. He e-mailed me this picture after the first of Halloween curriculum, upon which he decided to go out drinking after work in his costume. He was drunk when he asked an elderly woman to take the picture.



It is a nice break from the different levels of curriculum I must usually deal with in my day to day work life. Now we are all playing the cemetary game, pin the face on the pumpkin, and my version of pumpkin 'go fish'. It's a pity we are not allowed to give the kids some candies. Against company policy, it is. So I do my best, but all the while missing Halloween done the real way back home.

Giant pumpkin at the local supermarket 'COOP'