Takahatafudo: Where New Year’s Begins

How to be a Native - Step Eight

New Year’s = Temple Trip

New Year’s is THE BIG EVENT in Japan.  Celebrations last about three days.  If you really want to be like the natives you will hop aboard a train and go to a temple.  For me, that temple was in Takahatafudo (高幡不動) in Hino (日野市).  This particular temple is considered a high ranking temple for the Tokyo area.  

Takahatafudo and the New Year's crowd.

Even if you’re not into Buddhism, the experience of unity and excitement the Japanese express during their time at the temple are well worth seeing.  It almost has a festival feel to it what with the booths of food and good luck charms for the New Year (and the crowds).

A food booth during New Year's.  Image from Pacific Islander's blog.

Before you get some of those charms though you must burn your old ones at the fires they have set up (called otakiage お 焚き上げ).   

A "fire pot"for burning old charms.  Image from yumemakura's website.

Those types of charms are usually wooden plaques called ema (絵馬).   

A ema (wooden plaque) charm.  Image from The Japan Chronicles blog.

 Some ways to get good luck are drinking and washing your hands from the water there, pouring water on statues or breathing in incense from areas set up outside.  

A place to wash hands, drink from or leave money for good luck.  Image from satori leilain japan's blog.

 Another way to get good luck (because that’s what the New Year’s celebrations are all about) is to throw some money offering into a box, clap your hands twice and ring the bell which hangs above your head in front of one of the main buildings.  This bell ringing gets the gods’ attention while you make your prayers/ wishes to them.  

These are the types of bells you ring to summon the gods.  Image from Travel Japan Blog.

A type of fortune is the omikuji (おみくじ), a piece of paper that one picks from a box (after paying) and either contains a good fortune or a bad one.   

An omikuji before it's opened.  Image from csuntokiwa09's blog.

 If you get a bad one, don’t despair!  Simply tie it to the “wall” or whatever is set up for that and then you can avoid that bad fortune.  

Bad fortunes are tied to a tree at Takahatafudo.

 There are many other aspects to New Year’s in Japan, which I will cover in my next post.  As for next year, it will be the year of the snake (my year coincidently) so be prepared to see pictures of snakes wherever you go. 

Image from cutcaster.

If you want to properly greet someone on New Year’s Day then just say, “Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!” (あけましておめでとうございます.)   Yes, I know it looks like a mouthful but with practice you’ll be fine.  You can listen to the correct pronunciation here.