the road leading to the shrine
takoyaki (octopus balls) stall
yaki ika (pan fried squid) stall
the shrine at midnight
litting the candles
getting blessings from the incense sticks' smoke
mikujiyup. those are practically what you will see during new year in Japan, if you happen to visit a popular shrine.
It was an eye opener for me, as you don't usually see so many people out on the streets at 12am in Japan, and in all places, a shrine. There were the old ones and the young ones, the funky ones and the family type ones, and some with pets! And I would never have expected it to be like any other festivals in Japan with stalls selling sweets and snacks and overpriced food.
It was quite fun doing what the Japanese was doing. (or at least what I think they were doing too :p) We threw our 5 yens, made a little prayer, and then moved on to the incense sticks area to put the smoke onto our faces for a year of blessing, and then did our mikujis.
My mikuji wasn't a bad one, nor was it a very good one. It says to stay in low profile, always be patient, always consult those on top, avoid competing with others, and good things would naturally happen to me. Would it really? well, I hope so! :p
It had been yet another tiring night, reaching home at 5 in the morning. Nevertheless, interesting! :) I vowed that it would have been my first and my last time visiting a shrine during new year. But, now, I guess not. :p
Conclusion from the past week:
Overall, it had been a great week! It had been a week full of first-times. My first christmas-dinner-kind-of-dinner, my first ski trip, my first time to a shrine in New Year. It had been mentally fulfilling, though physically half-dead. :p
Once again, Happy New Year! May the year ahead be filled with many surprises and of course, happiness! :)
It was an eye opener for me, as you don't usually see so many people out on the streets at 12am in Japan, and in all places, a shrine. There were the old ones and the young ones, the funky ones and the family type ones, and some with pets! And I would never have expected it to be like any other festivals in Japan with stalls selling sweets and snacks and overpriced food.
It was quite fun doing what the Japanese was doing. (or at least what I think they were doing too :p) We threw our 5 yens, made a little prayer, and then moved on to the incense sticks area to put the smoke onto our faces for a year of blessing, and then did our mikujis.
My mikuji wasn't a bad one, nor was it a very good one. It says to stay in low profile, always be patient, always consult those on top, avoid competing with others, and good things would naturally happen to me. Would it really? well, I hope so! :p
It had been yet another tiring night, reaching home at 5 in the morning. Nevertheless, interesting! :) I vowed that it would have been my first and my last time visiting a shrine during new year. But, now, I guess not. :p
Conclusion from the past week:
Overall, it had been a great week! It had been a week full of first-times. My first christmas-dinner-kind-of-dinner, my first ski trip, my first time to a shrine in New Year. It had been mentally fulfilling, though physically half-dead. :p
Once again, Happy New Year! May the year ahead be filled with many surprises and of course, happiness! :)
5 comments:
Hehehe... after experiencing so many 'first-times', hope that you will turn into a little lady instead of a small girl soon :P
Thanks for the record of all the activities we have had together, though. That saved me a lot of troubles remembering them :P At least I can refer back if I have ever forgotten what I have done this winter :P
Happy new year to the world!
Happy New Year! (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu)
Went to a shrine in Fucchu near Tokyo, but did not like the sweet sake. (maybe not American taste)
koyi: don't understand how can I turn into a small girl instead. :p
genkidata: akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! :) I was supposed to be at a shrine which served sweet sake too. but things didn't really go well, so eventually we turned up in this one instead. :p but anyway, it was fun! ;)
Ooopppsss... sorry... perhaps I was too sleepy at the time I wrote that... I meant "turn into a little lady FROM a small girl" actually...
Well, I am still sleepy now, though... :P
koyi: haha. I see I see. :)
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