Greeting the New Year the Traditional Way, at a Temple or a Shrine Can Be a FROSTY EXPERIENCE- Make sure to Bundle Up!- or stay home and watch tv like most Japanese!
According to the old Japanese calendar, the last day of each month is called MISOKA (晦日). The last day of the year is OH-MISOKA (大晦日), with the preｆix OH (大） meaning big , great or grand. The expression JOYA (除夜） is used for the evening of the last day of the year. Directly translated this means the evening of removal (of the year). Traditionally, by OHMISOKA, Japanese families should have completed their preparations for welcoming their ancestral spirits and the Toshigami-Sama (God of the New Year), by cleaning their houses, setting up proper New Year’s Decorations, pounding mochi rice cakes, and making (or buying) all the other appropriate New Year’s dishes.
Until 1873, when the Meiji government decided to adopt the western calendar (and the western clock!) the new year began at SUNSET, and not at midnight! Thus, in the old days, the JOYA NO KANE (end of the year bells) were sounded in the evening, and families would greet the Gods just after sundown as well.
I wish this were still the case today! The way O-Shogatsu is celebrated at midnight these days makes staying up to hear the bells and visiting a shrine before and after midnight (futsuka-mohde, 二日詣 , a two day shrine visit) a CHILLING experience (despite global warming!) Thankfully, most temples and shrines get a bon-fire going and give out hot amazake.
Don’t worry. Even if you dont care to brave tonight’s cold and make it to Hatsumode (first shrine visit), you have plenty of time. It can be done any day within MATSU NO UCHI (the first seven days of the year). And to tell the truth, the jam packed hatumodes at the large shrines that we have today, really only date from the Meiji Period (maybe that is why Meiji Shrine is the most popular spot for it with more than 3,000,000 worshipers!) The real traditional way to go about it would be visiting your UJIGAMI-SAMA, the local guardian shrine of your area (you can ask your neighbors (if they are locals) where it is. If you are Japanese, or were born in Japan, it would be best to pay a visit to your UBUSUNA-GAMI (the guardian shrine of the place you were born.
Last year on the morning of New Year`s Day, after partaking of some traditional O-Sechi dishes (not very tasty, but bursting with symbolic significance and keeps for 3 days), I headed off to one of Tsukuba’s most popular HATSUMODE spots – Ichinoya Shrine. When I got there, I was surprised to find that despite the bitter cold there was a very long line leading to the main hall where the money is offered and prayers are made (after ringing the bell, bowing, clapping twice, and then bowing again). Of course, people were also purchasing DARUMA dolls (for making a wish), HAMAYA (arrow-shaped amulets) and drawing their fortunes. Those not satisfied by what their OMIKUJI (fortune) said tied them around trees or their branches within the shrines precincts. Also, behind the shrine, many were disposing of last year’s darumas and other religious or seasonal decorations, as these objects should not be thrown in the trash.
If you’d like to experience some real holiday energy, I would recommend visiting one (or two) of the more popular HATSUMODE spots (Asakusa’s Senso-Ji is very convenient by TX) over the holiday.
Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, Narita-San, in Narita and Kashima Jingu (the most important Shrine in Ibaraki) in Kashima, would also be interesting.
I have written in detail about O-Sechi, New Year`s Dishes :
I HAVE written about a very obscure, but interesting belief associated with O-shogatsu ( and mice!):
And finally, I offer you an original song asking: Where does all the time go? Enjoy:
http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/34546
And for tonight, if you are interested in hearing the Joya no Kane with the comforts of the warm indoors, Mr. Mamoru Shimizu has written to inform us that there is a small bell inside the Eko-In Temple in Ninomiya, just near Doho Park. Read the comment to the post on Joya no Kane for more details.
But if you are not up to facing the frost, or if you`ve got little kids, you can just spent new Year`s Eve as most Japanese do- watching TV! The most popular show to watch is NHK`s KOHAKU UTA GASEN which features the music of this past years most popular performers in several genres ( which makes large portions of the show boring for certain age groups- i.e. the enka for young people, or hip hop for older folks, as well as some old favorites.
While watching it is common practice to chain-peel mikan oranges.
No matter what you choose to do tonight- enjoy
and
Have a Happy New Year !
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Ending the Year With Buckwheat Noodles- A Deeper Look at Toshikoshi Soba (年越しそば)- again
After sunset on December 31st, families all across Japan will be sitting down to eat buckwheat noodles, which for the occassion are called TOSHIKOSHI SOBA ( literally, passing-from-one-year-to-the-next-soba).
This custom became widespread among the merchant class sometime during the Edo Period ( 1600-1868) . It was obviously a convient FAST FOOD, for the busiest time of the year, and this might be a major reason why this custom has remained so universal in Japan ( though there are some regions where other Toshikoshi dishes are eaten, and I might add that buckwheat allergies are not rare, and obviously families with sufferers would opt for something else).
However, just as with everything else that has become a staple of tradition in Japan, there is a symbolic significance in eating these noodles on New Year`s Eve. In fact there is more than one!
First, noodles are long and represent long life.
Second, buckwheat noodles break easilly, representing a clean break with the old year.
Third, buckwheat noodles are thought be usefull in cleaning out the digestive system, and thus give the body a good end of the year cleansing.
Fourth, in the Edo Period Japanese goldsmiths used buckwheat dough-balls to gather up gold dust from the floor or table ( which was then separated in water). Buckwheat therefore became a symbol for attracting gold ( wealth).
We can thus see that it is NOT only because they are convenient and delicious that eating soba on New Years Eve has become such a popular tradition!
It is also important to note that in the Edo Period, that is before the Japanese adopted the Western-Style calendar, eating toshikoshi soba actually took place as one year changed into the next. This is because according to the traditional Japanese calendar, one day ends and the begins at SUNSET. Thus, the New Year would ring in the evening- just about dinner time. In fact, the last sunset of the year also used to come quite a bit later, because according to the old calendar New Year`s was celebrated sometime in February ( as Chinese New Year still is).
You can find soba on sale at any supermarket or even convenience store for tonight. Of course, getting your noodles from a good soba restaurant is even a better idea, as they will probably be more delicious. I will pick up mine at ICHII, in Konda, Tsukuba.
I have written more on SOBA here:
(Also remember that buckwheat noodles are presented to neighbors when moving into a new house or apartment. One reason for this is that the word SOBA also means NEXT TO. Another, is the fact that noodles are long and slim- a way of saying, we are now close to each other, but lets not be THAT close!
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Watching the First Sunrise of the Year ( HATSU HINODE, 初日の出) From the Seashore or High Up on a Mountain
Hatsu Hi no De ( the First Sunrise of the Year) as seen from near the top of Mt. Tsukuba
It probably should come as no surprise, that here in The Land of the Rising Sun, a land in which a myriad gods and natural phenomena are looked upon and treated with religious reverence, it is considered highly auspicious to greet the first day of the new year by WATCHING THE SUN RISE. The most outstanding of the heavenly bodies, the sun is connected with what is probably Japan`s most famous deity- AMATERASU - the sun goddess and divine ancestor of the Imperial family (according to myth). So it seems only natural that along with listening to the bells at a Buddhist temple, a visit to a Shinto shrine and the acquisition of a new amulet and/or lucky objects ( ENGI MONO) on New Year`s Eve that many Japanese ( and anyone else livlng in Japan) would wake up ( or stay up all night) for watching ( and perhaps saying a prayer to) the first rising sun of the year- which is called HATSU HI NO DE (初日の出) in Japanese.
Of course this can be done from anywhere, but you might find that many of your Japanese friends or acquaintances will tell you how they are planning to do this by driving out to the coast, or going up a mountain ( to possibly see the reflection of the sun in the clouds- a phenomenon called GO RAIKO in Japanese). This IS more than a bit surprising because doing so involves plenty of bitter cold, lack of sleep, and for many- LONG JOURNEYS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I guess this just shows you how important the tradition of watching the HATSU HI NO DE still is in contemporary Japan.
For those living in Ibaraki, there are two especially tempting possibilities for greeting the first sunrise of the year. One is driving out to the coast, near the Kashima Grand Shrine or further south at a place called Inu Bosaki ( located in Chiba Prefecture). This easternmost part of Honshu Island is the where the sunrise can be seen EARLIEST in the main islands of Japan ( and this is ONE of the reasons why the spots on which the Kashima and Kattori Grand Shrines stand are considered sacred.
Because watching Hatsu Hi no De from the coast of southern Ibaraki and Northern Chiba is so popular, you have to book an ocean view room ( or any room at all, for that matter) at seaside hotels in that area a YEAR in advance.
The other, tempting idea ( especially for Tsukubans), is watching the sun rise from the top of Mt Tsukuba. This is because you will not only be able to see the sunrise ( and possibly a GORAIKO), but also at the same time ( weather permitting) to have a look at another of Japan`s most auspicious symbols ( and thus a great way to start the new year- Mt Fuji.
Since it is such a good place for enjoying the Hatsu Hi No De, both the cable car and ropeway to the top of Mt Tsukuba will start running at 4:30 AM on January 1st.
Sunrise will be at around 6:45.
There are only TWO things ( besides the terrible cold) you should consider before making a commitment to going up to watch the sunrise from Mt Tsukuba-
1) It might be cloudy! The forecast this year calls for cloudy weather on the morning of the first- but who knows?- They CAN be wrong!
and
2) Transportation. Bus service from Tsukuba Center does not begin until 7:00 AM. That means you can either stay up all night ( after having visited the Mt Tsukuba Shrine at midnight)- or drive up hoping there wont be TOO MUCH traffic.
If you do decide to see HATSU HINODE- I wish you GOOD LUCK. Most probably I will NOT see you atop the mountain at 6:45. I TRULY need my beauty sleep!
Hatsu hinode and Hatsu Fuji ( the first sunrise and first view of Mt. Fuji of the new Year)- a woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Waiting for the Sun Stones ( 日待供養塔)
I would also like to point out to those of you interested in the Tsukuba Area that because of the popularity around here of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism and in former days of SHUGENDO-a syncretism of Buddhism, Taoism, and Shintoism, there were ceremonies held in which people waited for the sun to rise. This is because the main deity connected with these sects- the DAINICHI NYORAI- is also associated with the sun.
There are several old sacred stones which can be found within the precincts of Tsukuba City which commemorate these WAITING FOR THE SUN ceremonies. These particular types of stones are called HIMACHI KUYO-TO, and two of those found in Tsukuba are the oldest such stones in all of Japan.
I have written about these sacred stones here:
http://www.alientimes.org/Main/TsukubasVenerableHimachiStones
and about the cablecar and ropeway up to the top of Mt Tsukuba,here:
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Daikon Radish Rolls- a traditional New Year`s Treat from the foot of Mt. Tsukuba
Slices of daikon radish drying in the sun ( Hojo, Tsukuba 2011)
On winter mornings, the first thing I do when I build up the resolve to jump out from under my warm and snuggly covers and into the frosty air of my unheated house, is rush down the stairs- shivering all way- and lug open the big old heavy wooden gate at the entrance-way, letting sunlight flood through the glass doors.
Standing in this warmth, I then gaze at the scene outdoors ( as I thaw out), something which is often as (heart)warming as the sun itself- large gray herons, dazzlingly blue kingfishers, elegant egrets and the occassional bird of prey- all taking advantage of the small creatures which live in the little river ( actually an old irrigation canal) which runs in front of the house.
On one such morning in mid-December, I noticed something ELSE as I stood by the front door- at the edge of the neighbors` property three baskets full of something which was apparently left to dry in the sun. It was in fact quite dazzling with sun reflecting softly off them.
Without hesitation I slid open the glass doors and headed towards the baskets for a closer look- they were thin slices of daikon radish!
My neighbors, who always seem to be busy from the crack of dawn- doing garden work, washing the car, burning refuse- were right where they usually were- around the house. So I could quickly find out what they were making.
It was the first step in the process of making a special dish for New Year`s- onr that has been handed down for generations by my neighbor`s family ( from the wife`s side).
My neighbor told me she was making a special New Year`s dish- dried out radish seasoned with YUZU
Born and raised in the next village ( a little closer to Mt. Tsukuba)- KANGORI 、Mrs. Shirai has been making this dish ( one for which she does not know the name!) every December since her coming over to Hojo after her marriage nearly fifty years ago.
Here is how she does it.
Slice daikon radish into thin circles the sun for 5-7 days ( dont leave out on cloudy days).
When sufficiently sunned, soak in water for a few hours and thoroughly rinse out.
Sprinkle a little sugar and vinegar on the radish slices .
Dice a little pickled ginger, and mix with a few slivers of yuzu rind.
Wrap the ginger and yuzu in a slice or two of radish
Cool in the fridge.
You`ll be surprised by how juicy and ZESTY these radish rolls are- made with the most commonly available of the traditional winter products of this area- radish, yuzu, and ginger.
The radish slices were out every sunny day for about a week
The slices are then wrapped around a bit of pickled ginger and yuzu rind
Unrolling it to reveal its contents
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Ringing Out the Old Year, Ringing In The New- Joya no Kane (除夜の鐘) – Japan`s New Year Bells (again)
When it comes to praying for health, safety and prosperity, the Japanese do not put all their chips on one hand in terms of religious tradition. This is most evident and interesting in the week or ten day period beginning with Christmas Eve, on which many (non-Christian) Japanese attend midnight masses, or other church services, or pray for family well-being, success and spiritual growth at a family Christmas dinner.
By a couple of days later, hardly a sign of Christmas will remain, as houses are cleaned, and traditional decorations are set up in preparation for the arrival, on New Year’s Eve, of ancestral spirits and the God of the New Year (Toshigami-Sama). On the night of the 31st, many Japanese will go to a Buddhist temple to hear the JOYA NO KANE, which is the temple bell tolling 108 times (symbolizing the 108 worldly desires). The bell is rung 107 times before midnight, and 1 time after the New Year has begun. The custom of ringing a bell 108 times first began in Sung Dynasty China (420-479) and crossed over to Japan with the arrival of Zen Buddhism (brought over by some of the many Chinese refugees fleeing the Mongol invasions) in the Kamakura Period (1192-1398). At that time, the Japanese Zen Temples would ring the bells every day, but later this came to be practiced only on O-Misoka (New Year’s Eve). Now, this custom is only found in Japan.
Many in Tsukuba ( where the Shingon Sect is so common) will also attend another type of Buddhist ritual which has its roots in ancient Indian Vedic practices. It is called the Goma-Taki fire ritual (for Hindus it is called Homa) and it was introduced to Japan by the great monk Kukai more than 1000 years ago. It is believed that this mysterious fire can bring long life, world peace, etc. (Click here for more info on Goma Taki in Tsukuba.)
Also, beginning on New Year’s Eve and continuing for the next few days, most Japanese will pay a visit to a native Shinto Shrine for Hatsu-Mode (first visit to a shrine), where they pray, buy new amulets, write wishes on votive tablets, draw their fortune etc.
Others ( or the same people!), will be making their rounds to visit shrines and temples associated with the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichi Fukujin), a grouping which consists of mostly Chinese and Indian deities ( I will write an article focusing on this topic within the next couple of days).
Another interesting custom which came from China but can be found only in Japan today is the drinking of O-TOSO (お屠蘇), rice wine with medicinal herbs thought to bring health and long life. If you would like to have some, just go to your local pharmacy and ask for some O-Toso-san. This is like a little herbal tea bag which you can soak in your sake. For more on TOSO see this Wikipedia article.
As you can see, the Japanese do not rely merely on their homegrown gods or traditions when it comes to guaranteeing their health, safety and success. This can make the O-Shogatsu period, with its dazzlingly high concentration of traditional customs (of various origin) extremely interesting for foreign visitors and residents. Tonight most shrines and temples will be having events and even small neighborhood shrines might be serving hot AMAZAKE (a thick, sweet non-alcoholic beverage). The bigger the shrine, the more the excitement!
There is SO MUCH MORE I’d like to write about, but I have New Year’s preparations of my own to finish- mainly cleaning!. If you need any recommendations for good temples or shrines to visit, let me know! For Joya no Kane, you could try FUMON-JI, a Shingon Temple near mount Tsukuba, or Kakuo-Ji, a Zen Temple near the Hanamuro Intersection .
I will probably be heading out to the Gangyu-Ji Temple (願牛寺) in Ishige ( part of Joso City) where just last week ( Dec. 25th 2011) a new bell was consecrated- the first time this temple has had a bell since its last one was melted down for armamaments during WWll. If you`d like to join me, let me know.
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