Current mood:

enthralled

A Happy New Year to Everyone!


Seeing as I'm probably the first timezone-wise, "Guten Rutsch!" if you're of the superstitious kind (and understand German).:)




I for my part spent the New Year in Asakusa, my favoritestestest place in Tôkyô, dutifully absolving my hatsumôde at the Sensôji (Sensô (buddhist) temple), the biggest temple in Tôkyô (I guess).
The line of people was crazy. Absolutely insane! But it was soooo worth standing out in the cold, especially since it has been my dream for years to do that exactly, to listen to the 108 strokes of the gong at midnight at this exact temple!
Well, when I finally arrived in proximity of the temple area, it was almost 1 o'clock, but I heard the last strokes and I'm perfectly happy with that. I was also quite impressed by the organization to keep the line working, there were police and security everywhere, and the people were surprisingly very civilized and walking slowly without pushing each other at all. The only moment were it got a bit "dangerous" was in the inside of the temple, where everybody tried to throw their coins in the giant boxes for offerings, one part pushed forwards, one part tried to leave in the opposite direction, and one other part just stayed in place in order to pray for a few seconds. My hair got caught by one who pushed forwards - and one other who pushed in the other direction. AAOOUUUUUCH!!! That much for the joy of having long and wavy hair that gets caught everywhere...;>_>

On the way out, I had a wonderful surprise. I had expected most of the part of going to the temple etc. due to my classes at university, but no one actually ever mentionned what a party there was behind the temple... Food stands everywhere as far as you could see, proposing all kind of japanese food you could ever dream of. And some more that I had never even seen before. And an atmosphere like I rarely had at any local fair in Europe before. That's Japan for you - have I ever mentionned just how much I enjoy being here?
I bought my obligatory omikuji (the first one I ever bought, actually), which promised me "regular fortune" and basically everything I'd ever be able to wish for, in the vaguest way possible. (And now I know I will surely succeed at my studies, find a new job if I search for one, find the person I've been supersekritly always been waiting for, I will be able to go on a trip... you name it. And no, this is totally a happy and believing smile on my face, not an evil and mocking snickering, not at all!xD)
Except for that, I resisted the urge to buy a corncob for 500 Yen and have the juice all over my face, but I just couldn't not have imagawayaki with cheese as well as one with ham and mayo. OmNomNomNom!

Unfortunately, the only pictures I took were done with my phone, hence the even worse than usual quality. Not that it did help that they were taken around midnight, hence in the middle of the night, of course... So, no pictures, sorry for that.


Anyway, I wish you a Happy Year of the Ox, have a nice party and lots and lots of fireworks! (The only thing I was missing here, despite my icon. But oh well, we had some pretty street decorations lighting up at midnight, not quite a firework but still nice.) And I'm finally heading to bed now, I have to set my alarm clock for 8 to give my family a surprise midnight call after all :D


P.S. I came home at not quite three in the morning, and there was already some poor guy on a motorcycle delivering the first load of New Year's greeting cards. Could you ever imagine that in Europe? I know I can't.