TOU-ji day!!!

Today I reminded all my students that it is TOUji day - winter solstice, the day with the least amount of sunlight. I'll say! It was freeeeezing...but my toes are lovely and toasty, thank you. My student presented me with thermal socks as a Christmas present - I was more than delighted. Call it ecstatic...and all over a few pairs of socks. ^_^ Not just ANY socks, but Mizuho thermal dry socks...oh, I'm feelin' the loving! In Japan it's not common practice to give and get Christmas presents (from people other than family) but this particular student is very much in-tune with Western practices. Her son-in-law is an American and he lives with her daughter in Seattle, Washington. (pic to the left: azuki beans)

Many students had forgotten or didn't realize it was TOUji and some weren't sure of how to celebrate it. I was surprised at that. I realized that it is in fact the foreigners who sometimes know a country the best - they are really curious and often ask around to get more than one answer. So if you're not sure about some cultural practice, tradition in your home country, why don't you consult the experts next time? (pic is a bowl of yuzu)

So you ask, what exactly is touji? Is it a holiday, festival, or spiritual day? It's kind of a tradition to prepare one's body for the long winter. The yuzu (Japanese citron) bath will hopefully give your body more energy and endurance to last through those cold-to-the-marrow days. In addition to the vitalizing yuzu bath, one should eat pumpkin which has been simmered with red azuki beans. (yes the same ones that go in an-pan...read the previous post) It's said that pumpkin contains a great deal of vitamins, beta carotene and other magic wonders to fend off nasty viruses of all sorts. (pic to the left: Japanese pumpkin, sweeter and softer in texture than its American cousin)

Two more classes and I am off to my yuzu bath...ahh, the mere thought of it makes me gurgle and drool. Speaking of which, when was the last time you took a bath? Not a quick one, I mean a good one-hour soaking. Here in Japan they do it regularly - the whole family uses the same tub water. Wait...before you think it's that gross...first, they wash up outside of the tub so by the time they enter the water, they're already clean to the core. The soaking part is just to relax and refresh one's tired body. Here it seems the regular bathing tradition is rather indiscriminate. If my memory serves me correctly, back in North America the bath tradition is usually reserved for women/children and some couples.