Comments on: Shinjuku Halloween Protest 2009 http://www.crazygaijin.com/japan/japanese-news/shinjuku-halloween-protest-2009b/ Guide to All Things Japanese Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:49:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: PPP http://www.crazygaijin.com/japan/japanese-news/shinjuku-halloween-protest-2009b/comment-page-1/#comment-51 PPP Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:36:50 +0000 http://www.crazygaijin.com/?p=266#comment-51 Oh god.... I can't believe this. I don't wanna think that I'm from same country as them. Theirs postcard was SUPER rude. I understand people have diffrent oppnions but that's not good at all. Oh god…. I can’t believe this. I don’t wanna think that I’m from same country as them. Theirs postcard was SUPER rude. I understand people have diffrent oppnions but that’s not good at all.

]]> By: Hoofin http://www.crazygaijin.com/japan/japanese-news/shinjuku-halloween-protest-2009b/comment-page-1/#comment-50 Hoofin Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:11:04 +0000 http://www.crazygaijin.com/?p=266#comment-50 With regard to "Protestants", I first thought their misunderstanding goes back to the Jesuits and Will Adams. Before the Tokugawa shut out overt foreign influence in the 1600's. But on this wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween , I learned that in Protestant Christian history, October 31 has been celebrated as "Reformation Day". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_Day Since the Lutherans were closely affiliated with the Reformed Dutch, and the Dutch were the ones doing the trading through Dejima Island in the Shogunate, it's not too far a leap that the Dutch described October 31 as a Protestant holiday to the people here years ago. Then, as it turns out, October 31 is popularized in other circles in Europe as a festive holiday of ghosts and ghouls. Maybe the Protestants picked it as a day to honor reform in Christianity, as opposed to the high jinks of other Christian religious sects? Hmmm . . . Anyway, it's not a stretch to conclude that insular or xenophobic Japanese (not really knowing a damn thing about western culture), confused the Reformation churches' holiday with the Pagan/Christian festival of other denominations of Christianity. That is not a far leap at all. And so you see the protester's sign saying that the Protestants should knock this Halloween sh*t off because this is Japan. With regard to “Protestants”, I first thought their misunderstanding goes back to the Jesuits and Will Adams. Before the Tokugawa shut out overt foreign influence in the 1600′s.

But on this wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween , I learned that in Protestant Christian history, October 31 has been celebrated as “Reformation Day”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation_Day

Since the Lutherans were closely affiliated with the Reformed Dutch, and the Dutch were the ones doing the trading through Dejima Island in the Shogunate, it’s not too far a leap that the Dutch described October 31 as a Protestant holiday to the people here years ago.

Then, as it turns out, October 31 is popularized in other circles in Europe as a festive holiday of ghosts and ghouls. Maybe the Protestants picked it as a day to honor reform in Christianity, as opposed to the high jinks of other Christian religious sects? Hmmm . . .

Anyway, it’s not a stretch to conclude that insular or xenophobic Japanese (not really knowing a damn thing about western culture), confused the Reformation churches’ holiday with the Pagan/Christian festival of other denominations of Christianity.

That is not a far leap at all.

And so you see the protester’s sign saying that the Protestants should knock this Halloween sh*t off because this is Japan.

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