Merry Christmas!

Apparently, the Japanese get started on holiday marketing even earlier than we do. I was told that maybe the store owners don't really know the significance of Christmas, but put the decorations on display simply because they are pretty and appealing. Sounds like America. ;)

This week was tiring. I got a lot of negative feedback from students (which is good...I ask for their advice so I can improve), so I've been self-conscious. Also, it has been cold and rainy. I've been feeling sick, and my mind is moving slowly. Come Wednesday, I just wanted to sleep after my busiest day of the week. A few weeks ago, I had told the chaplain I was interested in volunteer work in Osaka, and he told me that his brother-in-law works at a feeding center for the homeless on Wednesday nights, and invited me to go. Last week I simply never reported or investigated, so this week I knew I should at least show up to his office to arrange to go in the near future. However, when I opened the door, his face lit up and he said, "Ah! So you want to go tonight? Meet me here at 7." Don't you just hate when your manipulative plans are ruined by happy people?

Well, I was mad. I just wanted to sleep! My feet and nose and eyes and ears and throat hurt. But I showed up at 7. And I am really glad I did. I had an amazing time, as amazing as it can be while examining poverty in your neighborhood. The center is no bigger than a lounge in Minor (and much narrower). We crammed 10 or so bodies around a table, and got started making about 300 rice balls. One man said I was a very good rice ball maker, and would make a good Japanese mom anytime. Impossible, technically, but I appreciated the compliment. :) After an hour of dipping my hands in water, rubbing salt over them, and picking up steaming rice balls to pack tightly, my hands were raw but I was having fun (It was sort of like making snowballs, but a little more rice and a little less snow). We then packaged them up with a hard boiled egg and laid out some fleeces. After a tea break and some political discussions (I just ate pears and kept my mouth shut, obviously), we were ready to go.

We each took a discrete bag of food and a few jackets and went out around 9pm. Shops close around this time, so the homeless materialize from wherever they trekked during the day to set up camp on the sidewalks. Some had tents, some had tarps draped over a bike or a dumpster, some had cardboard boxes, and some simply curled up on the ground. I only saw one woman the entire night, but no one really had an explanation for me. Maybe, though, they were sleeping elsewhere. As we walked, the chaplain brought to my attention that many stores - though closed by 9 - still had a lamp on in the doorway or window. I had never really seen a red light district with my own eyes...

The food ran out far too soon, and I felt horrible as we approached a very populated area with only a few items left. The manner in which they are distributed is something we should imitate: you must get down to eye level with whomever you approach and say, "Dozo, konbanwa, daijobi desuka?" Mostly, no one replies. But occasionally, a man will light up and engage in a short conversation. One man told me "thank you" in English and seemed mighty proud of himself. :) Point being, the crew was very careful not to treat this like charity, but to instead approach each individual, ask how they are, and offer a treat. I know in general the Japanese way seems overly concerned with face-saving, but maybe in this case it is needed. We avoid eye contact. When we do help, we walk over and throw a quarter in a cup and walk away, proud. This group's method was so discrete, so sensitive. I felt like I was simply walking around and handing out treats to anyone I saw, not hunting out homeless to bring salvation.

At the end of the night, I felt bad because we hardly brushed the tip of the iceberg. The chaplain says that our area is the most concentrated in Japan because the government has programs here to help - like temp job placement or allowances - but because Osaka's economy is not very good right now, there aren't many jobs available. He said the homeless also find safety here. That's something you'd never hear in America. Anyway...I didn't really conclude anything about the economy or social system of Japan from that one experience, but I did conclude that I like the attitude that accompanies volunteering here. They didn't seem proud - like me - but simply like they were doing their job, doing what they were responsible for...Though I did catch one boy smiling an awful lot after handing out a few coats to especially cold men...how dare he! ;)