High In The Sky
I have a framed picture sitting on my office desk. It stands between two other framed pictures of various family members. In this middle frame is a picture of a young Japanese couple that I lived with for a month in Japan. They spoiled me rotten, something I’ll never forget. They live in a country steeped in traditions and opened their doors to show me their world amongst those traditions. It was one of the best times of my life.
A friend of mine who currently resides in Japan mentioned the Full Moon Harvest the other day. It’s a celebration in Japan of the full moon, which provides the rabbit in the moon. I had never heard of such a thing until I was in Japan one night seven years ago this month.
My host family took me to a neighboring town to enjoy a night out seeing some local places as I was preparing to leave their home and country later that week. We went to a local art museum, a pottery show, and upscale Tea Shoppe, and also did some gambling. They taught me to play Pachinko, a game that is a mix of slot machine and pin ball. I didn’t quite understand it all, but basically I put a quarter into a machine in hopes that it would land in the right spot so I could earn “credit.” My host parents played often and were quite good at this game. While there are your typical prizes you could exchange your credits for, there were also a few odd items. One particular item was laundry soap. This is what my host parents stocked up on that night. Seven bottles of it to be exact.
The night out was topped off with a great dinner of Japanese food from a hole-in-the-wall place we found in a back alley. It was some of the best food I had eaten the entire length of my stay there. After dinner as my host parents and I walked back to the town center my host father pointed out the rabbit in the moon. Having drunk quite a bit my host father was unable to walk straight but he enabled himself to stand still for a moment and teach me something small. Something I think of nearly every night if the moon is visible. Pointing to the sky that night I saw my first rabbit in the moon.
On a full moon night you can see this rabbit clearly. It's the same rabbit I've seen in five countries now. If you’re with me sometime I will show you. It’s not hard to find if you know what you’re looking for. It's kind of funny for me to think back on it. How one night seven years ago has stuck with me to this day. There hanging in the sky was this rabbit frozen in time. Much like my memories of Japan.
I'm ready to go back and see Japan again. I miss is daily.
A friend of mine who currently resides in Japan mentioned the Full Moon Harvest the other day. It’s a celebration in Japan of the full moon, which provides the rabbit in the moon. I had never heard of such a thing until I was in Japan one night seven years ago this month.
My host family took me to a neighboring town to enjoy a night out seeing some local places as I was preparing to leave their home and country later that week. We went to a local art museum, a pottery show, and upscale Tea Shoppe, and also did some gambling. They taught me to play Pachinko, a game that is a mix of slot machine and pin ball. I didn’t quite understand it all, but basically I put a quarter into a machine in hopes that it would land in the right spot so I could earn “credit.” My host parents played often and were quite good at this game. While there are your typical prizes you could exchange your credits for, there were also a few odd items. One particular item was laundry soap. This is what my host parents stocked up on that night. Seven bottles of it to be exact.
The night out was topped off with a great dinner of Japanese food from a hole-in-the-wall place we found in a back alley. It was some of the best food I had eaten the entire length of my stay there. After dinner as my host parents and I walked back to the town center my host father pointed out the rabbit in the moon. Having drunk quite a bit my host father was unable to walk straight but he enabled himself to stand still for a moment and teach me something small. Something I think of nearly every night if the moon is visible. Pointing to the sky that night I saw my first rabbit in the moon.
On a full moon night you can see this rabbit clearly. It's the same rabbit I've seen in five countries now. If you’re with me sometime I will show you. It’s not hard to find if you know what you’re looking for. It's kind of funny for me to think back on it. How one night seven years ago has stuck with me to this day. There hanging in the sky was this rabbit frozen in time. Much like my memories of Japan.
I'm ready to go back and see Japan again. I miss is daily.
posted by Mr. T at 8:53 AM
5 Comments:
I look forward to you showing me the rabbit. By the way, how much do I have to drink to see it?
I hope you do decide to come. I think you would really enjoy it, especially since you would get to see me~! :P
Wow, I can't believe it's been seven years! I miss it, too.
I'm up for rabbit sightings...as long as they're accompanied by sake, kimonos, edamame, chopsticks and "Lost in Translation". Now that's a good time.
That's so weird. I was watching the Travel Channel last weekend and they were talking about Pachinko parlors.
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