Shogatsu...HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 from Japan

KUMPAI...Cheers to 2009...The Year of the COW.
It is now New Years Day here in Japan and it is about 8:30 am and I just got back from watching the first sun rise of 2009.
Yesterday we took the train northwest of Tokyo and climbed Mt Takao. It was a long,uphill hike with lots of slopes, and many a staircase which led up to the different temples and shrines along the way. It was a very interesting and colorful hike, with all the New Years arrows, door decorations, amulets, stacked rice cake balls with oranges, etc...on the alters and for sale at each of the locations.
At the summit we looked across the valley and beyond the different hues of blue mountains and had a great view of the snow covered dome of Mt. Fuji. Beautiful!!! We sat there on a stone wall and had a little snack lunch while basking in the warm sunshine and then we made our way down a more scenic trail. We enjoyed walking through the woods on a very moist and narrow path alongside a babbling brook.
At the bottom of the MT and near the train station we watched some men rolling out dough to make soba noodles which are the New Years traditional food. We then made our way back home on the train where we had our own homemade soba noodles for long life, along with some pot stickers and shrimp/veggie tempura paddies. It was quite tasty actually.
After dinner we went to the neighborhood Buddha temple which we just found the other day on a walk around Yamate-cho. I knew there was one in that general direction, but I could never tell which little alleyway or staircase lead to it.
We watched and kept warm by the very BIG, hot and smoky bonfire where the Japanese burn their last years new years decorations, old wood plaques from the graveyards... while listening to some chanting and prayers from the monks before the ceremony began to ring the big bell 108 times to wipe away ones sins of the past year.
There were many people lined up to take there shot at ringing the bell and others lined up to drop some coins and say a prayer, buy an aumulet, arrow, decorated door spray, 2009 New Years COW Decoration of some sort.
It was a very interesting to see all the different generations gathered in one place and to see how they each celebrated this evening according to the times. The older folks were much more sedate, and conservatively dressed with a few women in kimonos and right next to her was a young gal in fishnet stockings, black boots, mini skirt and she and her friends were drinking,very talkative, taking pics and having a good ole time...
We then made our way up and down the bluff and then across the snowflake bridge over the canal and into Chinatown. Sadly we got there right after the dragon and lion parade ended. We were in front of the shrine as the parade guys with their sparkly pants and papermache lion heads were returning to their storage area. Darn ...to hard to be 3 places at the same time. We did hear lots of fireworks though and one bowl some young kid lit off right in the middle of the road about 10 feet from us, made me feel like I went deaf for a moment..it was so LOUD and it left my ears ringing for about 15 minutes after.
We walked through the very busy streets and then made our way over to the Shinto Shrine of my friends from the school and watched as a samller crowd paid their respects at the alter, kept wartm around avery controlled small bonfire in old barrels. It was watched over by about 25 men all decked out in their blue Yokohama fire dept jackets. So interesting to see them all there with the small contained barrel of embers and then to think of the HUGE one at the temple and one little garden hose laying on the ground in case of and emergency.
The cute little ladies of the shrine were serving some of that hot sweet rice milk and so we enjoyed a small taste before coming back home for our other flavored mochi cremes.
We decided to stop by Laser Rush and see Leo and Pauline who we ran into earlier on the train back from the MT. We had one drink at their pub to ring out 2008 and in 2009. We then slowly made our way up the last set of stairs for the year. WOW..I have never climbed so many stairs in one day and I was very glad to take a nice hot shower before going to bed for a few hours of sleep.
I was in bed at 2:30am or so and then up a few hours later to go and watch the first sunrise of the New Year. Kalen and CJ decided to watch it from home, but Mike and I ventured out into the cold and very crisp morning air and over to Harbor View Park to see the sunrise. We were not alone as many gather for this very special Japanese New Years Day Tradition. I took many a photo from different angles and view points as the sun in a bakl of golden light rose up from the horizon and above the tree tops. Then as I walked home Icaught another glimpse of a very statly snow covered Mt Fuji-san in the Yokohama sklyine. WOW what a beautiful start to a New Year in Japan. I am so looking forward to what this new year will bring and can't wait to find out what adventures are in store for CJ and I as we continue our life here in Asia.
Cheers to 2009...Kumpai
My New Years resolution is to learn more Japanese and to take advantage of new opportunites and times here with CJ