Candle Night

Candle night is a Japan wide movement started about 10 years ago which asks people on the night before the summer and winter solstices to turn off the lights for a couple hours and do something by candle night. The english slogan for the event is "Turn off out the lights, slow down." A more litteral translation would be "Turn of out the lights, and have a slow night."

The events central mission to get people to turn off their lights for a couple hours is all the more poignent given the Earthquake and continuing energy supply issues, and the corresponding conservation initiatives.

There were gatherings all over Tokyo, and Japan to pass candle night. I went to one held at the Zojoji temple, which is within walking distance of Roppongi. The Zojoji temple is one of the oldest and largest Buddhist temples in Japan. The organization itself was founded in 1393, and established in its current location in 1598. It was the primary temple of the Tokugawa family Shoguns (I think that's enough historical terms for a good 2-3hours on Wikipedia).

There was music, food, beer. The mood wasn't festive, but it wasn't overly solemn either. The main performers played on top of the temple steps. The temple with Tokyo Tower looming in the background made for an incredible scene. The Tokyo Tower is just a bit taller then the Eifel Tower to give you a sense of the scale. It had been raining most of the day and the entire city was covered in a light mist. The brightly lit tower seemed to color the entire sky orange. I wish I had a better camera, along with the necessary knowledge and skills to put it to good use.

Just before 8pm, after one of the acts finished performing, the two announcers came out said a few words in Japanese then led everyone in a countdown. At the time I didn't know to what.

"roku, go, yo, san, ni, ichi" Then the entire Tokyo tower went dark along with the entire sky.

After the tower was extinguished, a woman came out and on top of the candlelit steps read a poem. I couldn't understand what was said but it was clearly the most emotional part of the night.

For the most part Tokyo doesn't feel like a place that just experienced a major shock and tragedy. The energy saving initiatives are a constant reminder of the earthquake and ongoing efforts at the Fukushima plant. Even at my office the lights in many of the hallways and foyers are turned off. Only two of the four elevators are in use and employees are encouraged to use the stairs. Despite these reminders people seem to have adapted, and no one ever seems to mention them. The only time any of the 3/11 events are brought up is in a kind of matter of fact way like "oh because of everything that happened you're probably going to get a better deal on rent."

I'm sure a big part of it is the expat bubble I live insulates me from the Japanese media that might address the events. This was my first experience at a place where there was some collective recognition and reflection on the tragedy.

I haven't felt comfortable enough with any Japanese yet to try bringing up the topic. Although I'm curious to hear their stories and how things have changed. Hopefully once I've been here a bit longer I'll have some more fully formed thoughts on everything.