Due to a new rule instituted about three years ago, most one day holidays that were traditionally celebrated on a fixed date are moved to a close Monday to create a three-day weekend. We had a day off from school, which so far I've spent just relaxing and catching up on miscellaneous work around the house. (and going grocery shopping in about ten minutes!) Since I could sleep in this morning, I went with some people from church to a very large indoor sports/entertainment/video arcade complex and stayed until rather late. It was really interesting to see some subtle (and not so subtle) cultural differences in the entertainment, and it was also just plain fun. I played a couple of rhythm video games, and either watched or played video games that I don't think you'll ever see in the US: in one you're a bus driver traveling through Tokyo trying to maneuver the streets, and in another you stand on a treadmill holding a "leash" while looking at an oversized display screen. You see images of a dog that you are "walking" and at times you have to walk on the treadmill and pull the leash to direct his movement, or even sprint on the treadmill so you and your pet can escape angry birds that attack! Later in the evening we raced miniature electric motorcycles on an indoor track-very fun!
The "day of the sea", Umi no Hi, has been a national holiday since 1996. The purpose of this holiday is to heighten the Japanese citizens' awareness of the importance of the sea for the Japanese nation. On that day, the national aquariums organize special events, all economic and cultural activities related to the sea are highlighted and competitions and water sports shows take place. Historically, the 20th of July corresponds to the anniversary date of the Meiji emperor's arrival in the Yokohama port, back from a voyage in the north of Japan in 1876.
Here are the long-overdue videos of the virtual tour of my house:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auEGCx4_wec
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sIIC5IVHWY
More later...
