New Year's is the biggest holiday in Japan. Erin and I decided to try our hand at some New Year's traditions. These included:
1. Not cooking on New Year's Eve. An awesome tradition, but one that makes the delica (deli) section of every grocery extremely crowded.
2. Eating Mochi and other Japanese sweets. Chewy!
3. Watching Kouhaku, the four hour long "song battle" between various Japanese bands after dinner on New Year's Eve. Full of enka and insane costumes.
4. Ringing a bell at a Buddhist Temple. As we were walking back from a friend's apartment where we watched Kouhaku, we heard bells all around us from the flock of temples on my street. The biggest one had red candles placed in the snow just inside its gates. One of the women working at the temple invited us in (in English!) and told us to try ringing the bell. Each temple will have its bells rung 108 times, once for each sin that Buddhists believe holds the spirit back from enlightenment. People in the neighborhood can ring the bell while the priests watch and count.
5. Visiting a Shinto Shrine at midnight. This is big thing. Many families will go to shrines at midnight to pray, use sacred smoke (usually by wafting it over a body part for healing or a possesion for safety), or buy charms. I saw several groups of young boys who were doing a shrine marathon through the snow--they were running all over Komatsu from shrine to shrine, getting the name of the shrine stamped on a white cloth. Erin and I were at Tenmangu, a shrine known for its charms that help students pass exams.
6. Giving thanks and buying good luck charms for the next year. On the recommendation of my vice principal, we visited another shrine later on New Year's Day. Oyama Jinja is in Kanazawa, and is one of most popular places to visit for New Year's the city. Even late in the day, it was full of people. Buying charms was a particular hassle, as there were no real lines; rather, old women just snuck in and elbowed everyone else aside.
7. New Year's Shopping. Most department stores have "Happy Bags," grab bags of goods at a really reduced price. This goes for small stores like Lush, and also for home goods stores--I saw one Happy Bag that contained a bicycle, a space heater, and an electric blanket. Stores are packed and the good bags go quickly.
More pictures here.
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