Blogtober 31: we made it!!

The end of blogtober! It’s definitely been a challenge to update every day, but I’ve really enjoyed it. There were some things that I really wanted to write about but was never sure if I could/if anyone would actually be interested in reading about them, and this month has pushed me to just get on with writing without worrying so much about others’ opinions. While I definitely won’t be blogging every single day again for a while(? maybe?) I do want to keep up with the blogging! But since I’ve been really pushed for time this month it’s largely been “blog OR read/comment” and I feel bad about largely just ploughing on with the writing instead of reading/responding to friends’ content. Next month’s priority will be catching up!

And now, just to round things off nicely, a meme in which I was tagged by two people! The first tag was by Baby Boomer Super Saver, and the second by Crispy Confessions – thank you both so much for thinking of me! 💖💕 I wasn’t originally going to do this because Halloween isn’t really something I think about, but having a small child has changed that a little bit, so here we go.

Rules

• Thank the blogger who tagged you and link their post
• Put the rules after an introduction, then answer the 13 questions
• Tag 13 more bloggers to participate in the game
• Use these same Halloween questions, or create new ones of your own

1– What’s your favourite thing about October or Halloween?

I mentioned here about being really fond of Autumn these days, but my favourite thing is definitely the weather. It’s in the low 20s every day (bobbing around just under 70F) with low humidity and regularly clear skies, so you can wear a few layers and be perfectly content. Beautiful.

2– How much do you spend on Halloween?

When I first saw these questions, I thought “None! It’s an American holiday and it’s even less of an event in Japan than it is in England!” BUT… this year I had to try very hard not to buy all manner of cheap Halloween tat from the ¥100 stores and largely succeeded, although we do have some bits and pieces now that will get reused next year. I’d say I spent over ¥500 but less than ¥1000.

3– What do you think the average person spends on Halloween goodies & does it match what you spend?

I’m pretty sure the average Japanese person spends next to nothing on Halloween. Young people are admittedly more likely to go for costumes and parties, so parents of small children and university students might bring the average up from ¥0 but it’s still infinitely lower than I imagine the US average to be!

4– Does social media influence how much you decorate for Halloween, causing you to spend more?

It certainly influences how much I want to decorate, but decoration has never once happened, so we’re safe there!

5– Do you buy or create your Halloween costumes and what was your favourite costume so far?

Oh, buy, no question. I’ve only really dressed up for work events at this time of year, but four years ago two of my close friends and I dressed as Disney princesses (the “pre-princess” versions) and went out in Osaka where we got drunk (or at least, I did) and had about three million people ask to take our photographs. More than the costume, going out and making memories with my friends was the best part.

6– Share a trick you have played on someone at Halloween.

I’m not the sort of person to play tricks.

7– Do you have a favourite Halloween treat?

I’m not really into candies like that, but I do want to make something pumpkin-y for my baby next year!

8– What is something you can do with a pumpkin once Halloween is over?

Give it to the dog so he can play with it?

9– Do you consider pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?

Both! I’ve only eaten kabocha squash which is not actually pumpkin, but in Japan the two words are used interchangeably and while you can find kabocha easily in stores, pumpkin is a little more challenging to locate. Kabocha is more commonly used in savoury dishes but at this time of year sweet kabocha desserts are everywhere 😋

10– What is the scariest food you’ve ever eaten?

The only time I’ve really felt like “Is this really okay…?” was probably the first time my husband prepared sashimi for us at home by himself. It was fine! But I did feel a little nervous 😅

11– Do you have a favourite Halloween drink?

Halloween drinks exist?!

12– People usually spend money on Halloween, but have you ever made money related to this holiday?

Only in the sense that people paid to come to parties at which I was working on Halloween, but that’s making money for The Man and not for myself, so no!

13– Have you ever read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or another frightening book?

I have! Frankenstein didn’t scare me at all, I just felt sorry for the poor tortured monster. Now for actually scary, I read Stephen Mallatratt’s stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black while I was alone at home aged 16, and just as I got to an intense moment in the script there was a power cut. I broke out in a cold sweat and spent several minutes on the phone listening to the speaking clock just so that I could hear another human voice and not feel alone…! 😅

Since blogtober and Halloween have both come to an end now I won’t be tagging anyone else, but if you fancy doing this, by all means go ahead! 🎃👻