We did have a celebration with all the people that lived in Orange House (my guest house) on the Emperor's Birthday...the 23rd of December. We exchanged gifts in a secret Santa format and had a pot luck. It was an interesting arrangement of food...tofu, soup, nachos, pasta salad, and some other interesting Japanese cuisine...but it was good fun getting together with everyone for X-mas. It was really funny all the girls got excited about painting their face. I don't know if it a cultural thing or they just wanted to 
have some fun but it was a good time nonetheless.Christmas Eve was a little different as well but still good fun. We went out to a place called Tin's Hall where a guy that lives in Orange House was playing. He is Indonesian and was really great to listen too. They guys behind the bar came up and played a few Christmas songs that were hilarious...very Japanese. Afterward the Scottish couple wanted to sing some Christmas songs so where else but Karaoke. We went in and found every Christmas song possible and spent a few hours belting out the classics. I loved that they had the Nat King Cole song that was played ever year at the Bean household going up...chestnuts roasting on and open fire, jack frost nipping at your nose, although its been said, many times many ways, Merry Christmas to you...classic.
Tomorrow I continue my travels and am really excited to get on the road again. I fly to Busan in South Korea. I will be crashing on some guys couch for the first weekend because my friend who lives there is busy. I intend on staying in Busan for a couple weeks and checking out all over the the southern region of the country before heading north to Seoul. I am really excited to see a new place and looking forward to not spending an arm and a leg on things.
My time in Japan has been truly great. I am really glad I spent so much time in this country and had a chance to experience the people first hand. they are truly some of the nicest people I have ever met and very polite in all aspects of life. On one hand I am sad not to stay and work but on the other ready for the new adventures that lay ahead. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. It will be nice to spend New Year's with a close friend and will tell you all about Busan in a bit.
Thought I would share a few videos I took. The first one is on the Emperor's birthday along the street I lived on Abeno Road. It was a big band from a school that was doing Christmas carols. The second was taken in a bar on Christmas Eve. I went out with a bunch of people from my guesthouse to watch a guy perform. While he was on break the two guys from behind the bar...one got on drums and the other sang (not well) a few X-mas carols.
