Yoi Otoshi Wo!

This is (Obviously) my first New Year here in Japan. It is also Maia's first New Year in Japan as well (All previous years she had gone back to the States to see her family during this time, but at $1300 a ticket, it's simply too expensive for us teachers to get back home).

So, Maia and I decide we really want to go and join in on the festivities.

First, it should be noted that New Years in Japan and China is a very different experience than in Western cultures. New Years is a very important holiday, one where a number of traditions are carried out (Like, for instance, cleaning the house... but I digress).

New Years is very much a sacred and revered holiday. They don't count down the last seconds of 2006, they don't drink Champaign and kiss each other while blowing through those wierd kazoo things. It's very religious.

So, Maia finds out from one of her students' mothers, that Kashiwa city (In the next prefecture over), has the best New Years celebration, and they have a bell (Which will toll in the New Year). So, at about 8 we head out (We want to stop by and check on the cat at Maia's apartment first)... We had heard the parking lot at the temple had only 40 spaces, so we wanted to get there a little early so we could find a parking space... if we couldn't, well... it could be ugly (They are really strict about parking here... you are at a major disadvantage if you have a car... most people ride the trains... which we would have done except the last train was at midnight... )

We finally get to Kashiwa (We get lost first and end up on a quaint one-MyCar-wide road which, luckily, was very deserted... because there was no passing room and I'd have to back out to let another car go), and we finally find the Temple.

It's open, but there is no one there. There are 3 cars in the parking lot...

Okay, so it's 10:30, maybe people will be coming later.

We wait for a while, then go to the temple and look around... it's a lovely temple, and they look as if they are setting up for evening activities, so it's the right place... but it's almost 11... where is everyone?

We go back to the car and wait. at 11:20, everyone and their uncle starts showing up. The parking lot begins to fill, and there are people walking and riding their bikes to the temple.

Maia and I go on in.

We look about and notice that the bell tower is lit up, and people are standing in line already (Not many people, but a few). We go and stand in line.

We chat with a grandpa and his grandson (Probably 5 years old) who are standing in line behind us, and Grandpa explains what will happen to the kid. Everyone will go up and get to strike the bell once, he explains, and it will go "GOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGG". The boy repeats this: "GOOONNNNNGGGGG!" With a big grin. This goes on for a while, Maia and I talk to each other in Japanese about how cute the kid is. And we wait in the cold Kashiwa night.

About 10 till midnight, two Buddhist priests walk up to the tower, they say a prayer, and then the main priest strikes the bell four times. The bell is loud and wonderful sounding, a pure tone, deep and resonating. It hums after being struck in a pulsating vibration which goes on for a long time (In fact, they time the strikes of the bell so that it never stops humming). The priest then allows the acolyte to strike the bell once. The priest then turns to the first person in line, and motions him to come up to the bell.

He strikes it once, and then bows and the next person is up.

Maia and I are only about 10 people back, so in no time we are up.

The bell only tolls 108 times (That's a mystical number, very lucky), so I let Maia ring the bell (Rather than both of us taking up 2 rings of the bell).

She rings the bell as well…

“GGGGOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!! MMMMmmmmMMMMmmmmmMMMMMmmmmMMMMMmmmm”

What an impressive sound.

Then she steps down and up comes grandpa and the kid go up there…

“GGGGOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!! MMMMmmmmMMMMmmmmmMMMMMmmmmMMMMMmmmm”

Then he steps down as well.

All the way down he is “Gooonnnnnggggg”ing with every step. It’s hideously adorable.

Then Maia and I go back to the bon-fire and join all the folks there. Next to us are a batch of high school boys who are trying to find a way to put 5yen into the coin-thing (It’s a place where you put donations). Traditionally, you put either a 5 yen or a 50 yen piece into the bin because they are the two Japanese coins that have a hole in them (Thus they are circular, a “Maru” which is very lucky in Japanese mythology). The boys manage to find 5 one yen pieces and they are about to go put them in and I hand them a 5 yen piece (I brought a lot of spares, I planned ahead), and I said to them: “Circles, they have to be circles”. The kid smiles and thanks me and then he goes and puts the 5 yen piece in.

Then we returned home, a long drive in the middle of the night, but it was all so worth it.

----GGGGOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!