Happy New Year

All,

A very happy new year to those of you reading this. I don`t see enough of you in person... but would like to extend my best wishes for the coming year. Surely it will have to get better right???

Some interesting things about Japan. New Years eve is a very spiritual holiday, almost a relgious event like Christmas is over in the West. People go to shrines, get rid of their old spiritual items and recieve a blessing from the priests. Its a pretty interestin thing, and a very busy time for all the shrines in Japan. NHK (the national TV channel) shows plenty of shrines at midntight each year. No countdown... just people waiting in line to either ring a bell or get a blessing.

Kiyomi and I howerver, spent the night with our friends at James and Nori`s house. It was good fun, and would have to say with a lot of wine being drank. I was pretty good, won`t comment on everyone out there. You know who you are ;)

The line up and events go on LONG into the night (maybe all night?) and even the next day. This is the major temple near my house at lunchtime on the 1st.... still lined up out the front and around the block!



Kiyomi and I popped into the shrine (a pretty big on in Shinagawa) and threw our Omamori and Hamaya (looks like an arrow) in a big pit to burn away.



As you can see by the size of the pit... we`re one of hundreds (maybe thousands??) at this temple to get rid of their stuff.

The weather was FANTASTIC today, so we then headed out Jonan Jima and had a bit of a walk around. It was so clear you could see many of the mountains that surround the Kanto plain in the distance. Beautiful! Took a few pictures of the place, and some of the planes that were flying over our heads (as it is very close to Haneda - the major domestic airport in Tokyo).






That was our day... a great start to the year. All the best to everyone out there.
Happy New Year.