In the last few years, Christmas has gotten quite samey for me. Just the same damn thing year in, year out: Visit family, the same family recipe meal, exchanging presents we really don't need and won't ever use... the routine has gotten downright depressing, honestly. So this year, I wanted to break the cycle by whatever means necessary, and go to quite the lengths to get that. Thankfully, the stars aligned and allowed for me to escape the drudgery through a trip to Japan. Seeing a foreign country go through similar, yet different motions during the buildup to Christmas is an idea that has definitely interested me for a few years now, and a very cheap last-minute trip has afforded me the opportunity to have a wonderful time.
The first days of my vacation were spent just about as you'd expect, just with a more festive flavor because of the time of the year. Seeing sights, eating the local cuisine, et cetera. However, as Christmas Eve approached, I decided to leave the inner city hotel I was staying at behind, for I had a plan. With the holidays being such a busy time in any sort of city, I thought that I would go a different route this year and traveled to a rural Japanese village, and I am now staying at a homely little inn that's run by a kind retired couple. And while just staying at my room or maybe visiting the local park would surely give me enough of the peace and quiet I desire, there is another, even better option.
On the outskirts of the village, there is a forest with a hiking trail that leads up to a small temple ground, which I will be visiting. There shouldn't be a soul out there, especially now at night with the snow falling, making it perfect for my purposes. And with that in mind, I pack some food and drink into my backpack and set off along the trail. The scenery is downright gorgeous as I walk through the forest—the silence of the countryside adds wonderfully to the softly falling snow, blanketing the ground in a calming white. It's such a difference to what I'm used to, and it feels so nice to just take everything slow and easy in a relaxing atmosphere. After about half an hour of wandering through this winter wonderland, I eventually spot that the path is starting to become less snow-covered, as someone seems to have been cleaning up here. I must be getting close.
Sure enough, after another minute, I start spotting lit lanterns that show me the way, and following them leads me to the temple grounds. Approaching them, I'm struck by just how well kept this place is. There's just a light dusting of snow on the grounds as well as the roof of the temple building itself, the lanterns are all lit, and everything else gives the impression that somebody takes great care to keep everything clean. The impression I had from what others have told me of the temple was that there would be nobody here, but looking around, I suddenly spot someone. A person dressed in the red and white attire of a shrine maiden with white hair, and upon closer inspection, the person appears to be male.
Stepping closer, the man turns and faces me with a smile. "Ah, hail and well met, traveler! Hath thou come here to pray, or to stay?" he asks me with a friendly wave.
Why is his phrasing so... oddly antiquated? While that question does bug me, I figure it to be rude to ask and instead just reply. "Hello there. I'm here to stay for a while. My name is Jake, and I've come from far away to visit this place because it's so nice and quiet here." I explain. "Are you an attendant here?"
The man's expression turns somewhat mocking with a knowing smile. "Thou could say that. Mayest thou excuse mine... affectations, mine ears hath not heard much of thine modern tongue yet, despite mine best efforts. Yet be that as it may, to answer thine question, I hath attended to mine temple and its surrounding wonderments for what I believe thine kind call 'millennia'." he explains, and just as those words fully sink in and questions start bubbling up inside of me, I suddenly realize that his appearance has changed slightly—fox ears have appeared on his head, and a long, bushy tail now hangs behind him. "Pleasured to make thine acquaintance, Jake. As for mine appellation, 'Masaru' shall suffice. Mine kind be what thine call 'yokai', or 'demon' or 'spirit' in thine particular tongue, or at least I believe that be accurate enough for thine purposes." he adds.
At this point, I've come to realize that this is a thing that's happening now, and I might as well just roll with it. "Alright, nice to meet you, Masaru."
With a quick gesture, he motions for me to follow him. "Come, mortal. Join me in mine humble abode, as it would be far from me to hath thou weather the cold when I hath warmth to share."
While I have a general idea of what the inside of such a temple would look like, I am completely floored at what I see when he leads me into this one. The room is lavishly decorated with all sort of festive gear, a fully decked Christmas tree stands in the corner, and the center has a large table filled to the brim with different foods, with the highlight being a massive cake right in the middle. "I must admit, thine mortal festivals hath been a certain... fascination of mine in recent decades. This 'Christmas' in particular hath caught mine eye. Come, take thine seat and help thyself, there be plenty food and drink for a whole family." he says, pointing me towards a chair.
Timidly, but somewhat calmed by his general friendly disposition, I sit down and take a nearby piece of pastry, taking a bite before placing it on the plate in front of me. My chewing might be a bit apprehensive to start with, but rapidly gets more intense as I realize that this food tastes downright delicious. In fact, I've never tasted anything this good before! After munching on some assorted pieces of baked goods for a while, I eventually feel comfortable enough to start some small talk. "So, um, Masaru, if you don't mind me asking, why did you invite me here? I mean, looks like you're some sort of fox god or something with magic powers and I'm just some plain tourist. I can't imagine I have anything that you're interested in." I ask.
But he just smiles at me. "Ah, but that be where thou art wrong, Jake. Mine temple art quite isolated, and so visitors art rare indeed. Thou art the first Westerner to visit here in decades, and the first ever since I hath become interested in Christmas. So the only thing I might ask of thou art that thou tell me of thine traditions. What is Christmas like in thine realm? I must admit to be quite curious indeed." he then asks in return.
Telling a fox god, or spirit or demon or whatever, about my experiences with Christmas while eating delectable food wasn't exactly the way I thought things would go for these holidays, but it's a welcome surprise none the less, and so I begin to tell him stories.