New Years in Nara

I returned from Okinawa on December 31st with a few hours to spare before needing to meet some friends in Nara to celebrate New Years.

It was going to be a tradional Japanese New Year for us. Why spend it any other way!!!

Here in Japan, New Years and Christmas is kinda switched from how it is in the West. Their Christmas time is when they hang out with friends and have parties and then New Years is spent with family.

So at New Years they usually go to either the Shrine or Temple with their families. Here they burn their old good luck charms, receive a new fortune for the year, throw money into this thing and pray for good fortune, and then buy a good luck charm that will last them for the year.

So me, and Gillian and Mike, and Gillians two friends who were visiting from Korea (they're teaching as well) went to the huge Shrine and Temple in Nara. At Kasuga Shrine, there were probably like 500 people there...and we waited in line for a while. They were letting people into the Shrine in large groups. We got there and threw in a few yen, and then just walked around. Basically were just there and didn't actually do anything. It was a cool experience to just see how it all unfolded however. Gillian has this journal where she gets it signed at each of the Shrines or Temples she goes to, by the head Monk. It's a pretty cool souvenir I think.

Then we walked over to Todaiji Temple. Todaiji is a famous famous Temple in Japan, and it holds the largest Buddah statue in the whole country. I'd never been yet, which is pretty crazy seeing as I work in Nara. Anyway, when we got there the line-up was monstrous so we just canned it and stood by the fire to warm up. Man it was cold. I'll tell you about Todaiji when I go there.

So that was about it. Mike and I celebrated with Chai Lattes which was fun because it was his first.

Happy New Year!!