The New Year's Post
It's still New Year's vacation time around here, and damn cold, so I've been particularly lazy the last few days. But I did manage to get out for a little ringing in of 2006. Nothing spectacular, I wanted to try a more traditional Japanese New Year. So I bugged a friend to take me around Kyoto for the night. Thanks to the train companies for runnning all night at least once a year, I would have had nowhere to stay otherwise.
It was really different to see Kyoto in the dark like that. The temples usually shut down by 6pm, so night visits are pretty uncommon. But for New Year's they were open all night. They were also packed. The whole city was filled to the brim. It was like a giant nightclub; everyone dressed their best, crammed into a few narrow paths, drinking and taking pictures. Not to forget the obligatory yatai stands marking the festival grounds and selling all kinds of deliciousness. Too bad I had dinner before going, because I love that yatai food.
The Japanese burn little ropes on New Year's called hinawa. The tradition is to get the rope and start it burning at the temples, then take it home and use it to start the first fire of the year. I don't think many people do that now, since most houses don't use open fireplaces for heating and it might be a little dangerous to bring burning ropes on the train or in a car. But they do light the ropes and carry them around all night, kinda like glow sticks.
We took the usual route up to the temples and trough the big park that connects a few of them. We had some snacks and drinks, took some pictures, watched the end of the Akebono-Bobby fight (Bobby won) and checked out some of temples' New Year's offerings. Shionin (I think that's the name) has the biggest bell in Japan, which they ring 108 times on New Year's Eve. 108 is something like the number of Buddhist sutras or forms of suffering or something; it's a Buddhist thing anyway. Good show though, they really ring that bell!
We ended up getting stuck in the crowd when midnight came, there was no space to move. I heard a slight countdown, starting at 5, but my clock was fast so I was into the new year already. We broke out of the crowd and I got a nice bowl of soba, the one thing you have to eat for New Year's. After the noodles, we walked around a bit more and went home, since it would take forever to get out of the city. I ended up home around 3:30 and went right to sleep. Happy New Year.
It's still New Year's vacation time around here, and damn cold, so I've been particularly lazy the last few days. But I did manage to get out for a little ringing in of 2006. Nothing spectacular, I wanted to try a more traditional Japanese New Year. So I bugged a friend to take me around Kyoto for the night. Thanks to the train companies for runnning all night at least once a year, I would have had nowhere to stay otherwise.
It was really different to see Kyoto in the dark like that. The temples usually shut down by 6pm, so night visits are pretty uncommon. But for New Year's they were open all night. They were also packed. The whole city was filled to the brim. It was like a giant nightclub; everyone dressed their best, crammed into a few narrow paths, drinking and taking pictures. Not to forget the obligatory yatai stands marking the festival grounds and selling all kinds of deliciousness. Too bad I had dinner before going, because I love that yatai food.
The Japanese burn little ropes on New Year's called hinawa. The tradition is to get the rope and start it burning at the temples, then take it home and use it to start the first fire of the year. I don't think many people do that now, since most houses don't use open fireplaces for heating and it might be a little dangerous to bring burning ropes on the train or in a car. But they do light the ropes and carry them around all night, kinda like glow sticks.
We took the usual route up to the temples and trough the big park that connects a few of them. We had some snacks and drinks, took some pictures, watched the end of the Akebono-Bobby fight (Bobby won) and checked out some of temples' New Year's offerings. Shionin (I think that's the name) has the biggest bell in Japan, which they ring 108 times on New Year's Eve. 108 is something like the number of Buddhist sutras or forms of suffering or something; it's a Buddhist thing anyway. Good show though, they really ring that bell!
We ended up getting stuck in the crowd when midnight came, there was no space to move. I heard a slight countdown, starting at 5, but my clock was fast so I was into the new year already. We broke out of the crowd and I got a nice bowl of soba, the one thing you have to eat for New Year's. After the noodles, we walked around a bit more and went home, since it would take forever to get out of the city. I ended up home around 3:30 and went right to sleep. Happy New Year.
posted by Nick at 8:59 PM
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