Treats and Tricks! Ch2

# Chapter 2 - Traditions Old and New

### Megumi

    "The atmosphere is quite lovely tonight. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather. There's barely a cloud in the sky."

    "It's still surprising to see so many people out celebrating the holiday."

    "It's Tokyo. People will take any excuse you give 'em to get out and party. Hey! Wait up!"

    Ms. Inagawa stumbled slightly as she tottered after Ms. Junko and I. Tonight's activities require a certain amount of respect and decorum, and so I insisted they dress properly to accompany me. Ms. Junko impressively finds no impediment from her lovely navy blue kimono - a pleasant surprise, though just barely a surprise given her obvious good manners - while Ms. Inagawa, despite all my advice, still appears to find them somehow quite vexing.

    "I agreed to come with you when you asked! The least you could do is slow down!"

    A fair point, I concede. We slowed our pace so that Ms. Inagawa could catch up to us, taking in the sights on our walk. Nearly every shop front was decorated for the imported holiday, black and orange crepe paper, gourds of all types, and plastic skeletons nearly ubiquitous everywhere we look. It hardly feels like we're in Japan at all, though I suppose in fifty years all this will seem as traditional as the seifuku we wear to school or the cartoons we watch for entertainment. Japan is nothing if not practical, and we have a lovely habit of adapting the best ideas we encounter into something we can proudly call our own. This holiday is likely no different, which is why it feels important to give it significance beyond just an excuse to revel in the streets.

    "Where are we going anyway, Megumi? You never were very clear on that."

    "Well as my mother explains it, Halloween is a night where the spirits of the dead may return to the world of the living to cause mischief. I've always felt then that it's only appropriate to placate the departed so they know that not everyone fears them. They should know that there are those who still respect and honor them, don't you think?"

    "I guess visiting a cemetery is pretty Halloweeny. Who're we visiting? I thought your family all lived in Kyoto."

    "They have for quite some time, Ms. Inagawa. As is our little tradition my mother will be conveying my respects this year to my ancestors. There are quite a few small graveyards nearby though, so I had planned for us to find a site in need of a little attention so we could make a kind gesture toward the departed. After all, not all those who have passed on have family remaining who can honor and care for them. That doesn't make them any less worthy of remembrance."

    "That's really sweet. I think that's a lovely idea."

    "Yeah, but what if we do have family in the area…? Couldn't they get offended if we don't, you know, think of them first?"

    "A very interesting thought, Ms. Inagawa. I hadn't considered that. Ms. Junko, thoughts?"

    "My dad makes sure the family site is kept pristine so I've never had to worry about that when I visit. But if Eimi has family nearby, I think it makes sense. You and I can pay our respects to the rest while she tends to them, assuming that's what you meant." Ms. Junko posed the question to Ms. Inagawa rather directly.

    "Well it's not like I planned to do it or anything! But if we're going to get dragged to some creepy old graves anyway, my family aren't very far away, and some of 'em probably aren't the kind of ghosts I'd want to piss off by ignoring them…"

    "That sounds fine to me. I'm sure they'll appreciate you thinking of them."

    "Then it's decided. Ms. Inagawa, where exactly shall we head?"

    "We'll probably want to take the subway… I'm not sure I can walk all the way there in this getup…"

    Eimi took on an unusually somber appearance as she led us to the proper station, growing quiet on our ride there. How curious to find that she has a side to her like this. Eimi Inagawa, in a dazzling blue kimono, her hair pulled up in a traditional bun and braid, quietly sitting and anticipating an imminent visit to her ancestors' final resting place. It's not surprising in the least to discover that Ms. Junko takes to this sort of occasion with poise and grace. Despite her often quiet demeanor, the marks of a proper upbringing are quite clear if you know what to look for. But to see Ms. Inagawa displaying this sort of serious side gives me hope that we may one day come to understand one another more fully, and there are few things I could hope for more than to find a truly kindred spirit among my best friends.

    At the proper station we departed the subway and followed Eimi as she led us through a fairly quiet, modest residential street until we reached a small shrine in the middle of a city block. How curious. She's often boasted of her family's wealth and status, to the extent that I'm mildly surprised she didn't lead us to the cemetery in Aoyama or Yanaka. A small, slightly overgrown plot of land behind a local shrine is hardly the sort of place I would have expected the Inagawa family to choose as their eternal resting place. She led us through a small trail at the back of the lot - difficult to see through the autumn leaves covering the ground - and stopped once we reached a carefully tended patch surrounded by tall trees which hid a polished black gravestone. Immediately Eimi knelt respectfully and addressed the stone politely.

    "Hi Grandma. These are my friends Megumi and Junko. I thought you might like to meet them, since it's… Well you never really celebrated Halloween, but it's a lot of fun. It's… been awhile since I've been able to come see you…" Ms. Junko gently elbowed me in the arm. In my interest to observe what was happening I had forgotten my manners, and being reminded of such I quickly bowed in reverence. "Hey, do you mind if I do this alone? It's kind of weird with you guys watchin'..."

    "Of course. We'll be back in the main yard whenever you're done. Take your time." Ms. Junko spoke for us, grabbing my arm and leading me away. I understand the need for privacy at times such as this but you must admit, such a touching sight can be difficult to walk away from. Back in the main yard the state of the cemetery was almost heartbreaking. I understand it's autumn, but the cemeteries near us in Kyoto are swept regularly by locals purely out of respect for our shared heritage. Yet without a broom or rake there is precious little we can do except offer our prayers and tokens of our respect.

    "Ms. Junko, will you help me pay our respects to each of the families?" I retrieved a pair of small paper bags from within my purse and offered one to her. She laughed briefly before stifling the reaction, taking the bright orange bag from me. "I understand it's an unusual fusion of traditions, but as we're creating new ones it felt appropriate to honor both the nature of the holiday and our own beliefs."

    "It's a wonderful idea. I guess I'll start at the corner over there, and we'll meet back in the middle?"

    It was, in a way, a lot like trick or treating but in reverse. At each gravestone I wiped away the fallen leaves, read the family name, recited a short prayer for the departed, and gently placed one of the brightly colored rice candies as an offering so they knew we meant them no harm, just in case the veil between worlds truly was lifted for this single night. On the other side of the cemetery Ms. Junko did the same. It wasn't much, but for at least one small handful of local families this should be a very uneventful Halloween as these spirits rest peacefully. We had gotten about two thirds of the way through our self-appointed duties before Ms. Inagawa returned from her solitude, attempting to use the fading sunlight and a fake smile to hide the redness in her eyes. If we had been alone I may have attempted the sort of reaction some of our friends would undoubtedly have, offering her a consolatory hug or even forcing it on her unprovoked as they are liable to do at any moment. But since tonight we're a threesome such thoughts were put out of my mind.

    "Would you like to help us? We'll let you make the offering." I held out the half-empty bag of rice candies, which Eimi took with only a mild look of confusion. Junko joined us - Ms. Junko is remarkably astute at judging when to join a situation as well as when to leave it - and we guided Eimi through our new tradition as we finished our duty. Her spirits seemed to lift as we wound our way to the middle of the cemetery, a colorful treat left behind at each plot to brighten the dull browns and grays that were otherwise the only hues occupying the yard. Finally we finished our task and it was time to depart. Except, as we discovered, for one final thing.

    "Hold on! I forgot something!" Eimi ran off back down the trail, returning a minute later conspicuously without the paper bag she had been holding. "Grandma… Well, she loved rice candy… So…"

    Junko and I exchanged a brief glance and seemed to be thinking the same thing: that there's a time and a place for our friends' flagrant displays of affection, and that this was exactly one such time and place where it would be the proper thing to do. Ensnaring Eimi in a large double-hug she didn't even fight it as we had both expected, instead just meekly saying three words.

    "Thanks, you guys…"

    "You're welcome, Ms. Inagawa."

    "I know what it's like, so anytime you feel like you need company I'd be happy to come with you."

    "Okay. Thanks. But get off of me… Geeze, this is a cemetery, not a date…"

    Mutually embarrassed, we let her go. Perhaps spontaneous hugs are something best left to our less self-conscious friends after all.

    "Is anyone else hungry? I really want something sweet now." Ms. Junko inquired on our way out of the cemetery.

    "I don't normally eat this late at night." Which is true, but neither of the others seemed to appreciate my discipline. "Though I suppose it is a special occasion, and we do pass our favorite bakery on the way to our dormitory. I could be persuaded to split something."

    "I could eat, but I'm not splitting anything with you. You always steal all the best bites! They do this triple chocolate cake thing at Halloween that's supposed to be delicious though, so I wouldn't mind trying that. But can I change out of this thing first? And seriously! Wait up!"

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