Photo/Illutration Visitors enjoy a Christmas market in Yokohama's Naka Ward. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Children speak straight from the heart.

As I flipped through a collection of poems by Japanese first-grade students, titled “Ichinen Ichikumi Sensei Ano Ne 2” (Sensei, you know what? 2: Words by first-graders in Class 1-1), I couldn’t help but to chuckle at one boy’s poem: “What I like best are/ Winter break, spring break/ Summer break and skipping school break."

Depending on the region, many elementary and junior high schools begin their winter holidays on Dec. 24 or 25. When I was a child, the long summer break was certainly a delight, but winter vacation—tightly packed with seasonal festivities—held a different kind of thrill.

In The Asahi Shimbun’s “Ano Ne” ("Um, you know …") column, which gathers the musings of children, one submission stood out.

Three-year-old Mahiro Koshikawa had visited a Shinto shrine for “hatsumode,” the traditional first shrine or temple visit of the new year. As she made her wish to the gods in a loud, clear voice, she declared, "I hope Santa comes again!"

As the Christmas that children so eagerly await draws near, a nearby shop was decorated with red English holly berries. In the deep indigo dusk, the store’s lights glowed like soft orange halos, casting warmth against the chill of the evening.

Inside, a parent clasped their child’s hand.

Perhaps it’s the ordinariness of the scene that stirs something in me—it reminds me of the town where I grew up. The end of the year, after all, may be when adults quietly reconnect with their inner child.

The poetry collection mentioned earlier also included this piece:
My dad “Says he wants to be a kid/ one more time/ He said, “It must be nice—kids only have to study/ But … adults can study too, right?”

That one really got me. Not settling for the present, but seeking a new version of oneself—perhaps that’s what “studying” is really for.

How did we adults appear this past year in the unblinking eyes of children, who see through all pretense? The thought of asking them is … a little daunting.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 24

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.