Happy New Year and 2010 from Tokyo!!!
December 31st 2009
To celebrate, we first visited Sensoji Temple in Asakusa (the one with the giant, red lantern) to make our last prayer of 2009. We threw in a 5Yen coin, as that amount is considered lucky.
After the final karaoke of the year, we headed to Daimon, south-East Tokyo and back to Zozoji Temple for the New Year festivities.
23.30: The monks of the temple sang an indistinguishable chant and rang a small bell to close the past year.
23.59: Over the loudspeakers, a woman's voice announced the countdown.
00.00: Tokyo Tower lit up with the numbers 2010 and thousands of balloons were released. Each balloon carried a single wish up into the clear sky. Naturally, the balloons are made of a biodegradeable rice paper.
00.00 - 01.48: Selected members of the public assisted the monks in swinging a hewn log at the large bell beside the main temple once each minute. Each of the 108 bell reverburations are said eliminate our past wrong doings and ill-fortune and cleanse our minds for the next year.
The temperature was dropping and despite my many layers, of clothing I soon couldn't feel my limbs!So we took advantage of the all-night trains (the only time each year) and headed to Shinjuku to a smoky Izakaya (Japanese pub).
It is a Japanese tradition to eat Soba noodles (pictured) and mochi, a rice paste cake.
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January 1st 2010
Hikarigaoka hosted a traditional Chinese New Year dance:
"Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!"
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