浅草の大晦日２００８ New Year's Eve in Asakusa 2008

面白い。。。　日本の大晦日がイギリスの大晦日にすごく違う！気持ちが静かで安全だ。良いよ！
昨晩友だちと（ヨシコ）浅草の浅草寺に行った。楽しかった！浅草に１６時着いて晩御飯を食べた。１９時３０分だ。どうしよう？０時浅草寺を計画した。まず、明治神宮に行った。開けましておめでとうございます！！！

Very interesting! New Year's Eve in Japan is totally different to New Year's Eve in Britain! The feeling is quieter and safer, that's good!

New Year's Eve is traditionally spent with family - probably about 1% of the population go out. Of course, it probably depends on where you go for New Year - from what I understand near Tokyo Tower or Shibuya Crossing is much more similar to a Western New Year, but I got to celebrate a more traditional Japanese New Year which was great! We got to Asakusa at about 4pm - after eating, we thought what to do? We (my friend Yoshiko and I) had planned to celebrate New Year at Sensouji (Sensoji Temple). More pictures at the side (coming).

First, we went to Meiji Jingu Shrine/Park. It was very busy, and had a nice atmosphere. Some people were buying good luck charms for things that they thought important eg health, safe driving, wealth, lucky in love etc... I wanted to know if these charms had an expiry date on them - did they run out at the end of the year? I don' t think Yoshiko knew, but I don't think she was willing to risk it either - better to buy these things at the start of a new year...

Later we ate soba, a traditional meal on New Year's Eve. Soba noodles are made of buckwheat, and dipped in a soy flavoured sauce. Delicious! It being New Year's Eve however, it was very crowded, and we were seated next to an elderly couple who were completely trashed, and insisted on giving Yoshiko instructions on how to convey Japanese culture to a foreigner who couldn't possibly understand... I've never seen anyone put away noodles so fast so that we could leave! Unfortunately, because by this stage they were so slurred, I couldn't catch what they were saying very well, it was difficult to help...! Very funny actually!

Many coffee shops closed early, but we found somewhere to have a hot drink and relax until 11 when we went to Sensouji. Already the queues were huge, and the police were closing off roads. We ended up queuing just inside Kaminarimon ( Thunder Gate) at 11pm. Amazing the queue had started so early. Again I was struck by the fact that there seem to be two national hobbies in Japan - shopping and queueing...)

For the first 20minutes we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would probably celebrate New Year in a queue just outside Kaminarimon. Then the queue moved a bit. By the time it reached midnight, we were actually probably only about 100m from the temple itself. It was difficult to tell when it was actually New Year, because apart from a guy next to us counting down (was his watch accurate?!) and it got a bit noisier, very little happened... Whilst I always found it rather strange in Britain to wish a complete stranger a Happy New Year, it had become normal! But then we quickly moved towards the temple to make New Year prayers.

The police were preventing people from moving too quickly, the placards all say 'Slowly Please' amongst other things, and the loud speakers were giving all sorts of cautionary advice including to be careful when praying... It is traditional to toss some money into the large offertory box, but because it's crowded at New Year, they were warning that people might toss the money from a long way... Beware of low-flying coins was the message...

After tossing our offertory money and making our wish/praying we went to buy an 'Omikuji", a fortune ticket. Of course, had I got a bad luck fortune I would have been very British and said that it was all superstition... However, I was lucky and got a 'Best Fortune' slip, which of course spills over to all my family and friends, so I'm quite ready to want to believe it!!! Yoshiko got a good fortune slip. At this time again you queue for ages, actually not so bad by this time. It was absolutely freezing at this time of night, and for the last half hour I had been shivering violently from the cold with my teeth chattering! I was prepared and wearing about four layers, but even so...! When you get to the front you put your money in the slot, pick up the tin can of sticks and shake it to get your fortune ticket. As I say, mine was Best Fortune!!! Read the number (in kanji), open the drawer with that number, and take your fortune. (If you get a bad fortune, you tie it on a tree anyway, which is supposed to expel the bad feeling from your life... And then you buy a new one?!) Anyway, I got mine first time around and it reflects on all my family and friends which has got to be good!

Happy New Year Everyone!