New Year's in Japan

January 4, 2013

Today is the first day back to work from new year's vacation. Well actually our first day back is on a Friday, which is my half day that I only work until 11:30, so technically I'm just here for a few hours and then it's the weekend again!

Over the break I did a huge overhaul on my apartment, which was not only much needed, but also a Japanese New Year's tradition. I was told by a co-worker that it doesn't feel right bringing in the new year without doing some major cleaning on your home. This cleaning is done to rid your house of bad energy by cleaning out the literal filth that it has accumulated over the past year. Anyway I forgot how roomy my apartment is when there isn't stuff laying all over the floor, and I feel completely refreshed and ready for the new year. I even cleaned all of my horse stuff, and washed my kotatsu blankets!

---New Roadside Station in Wadaura---

Whale Sculpture

At the beginning of break, I finally got a chance to stop out at the new roadside station in Wada, Wadaura WA・O! (That exclamation point is actually in the title of the building). I was honestly surprised because it is a lot smaller than I expected! I would say it's probably a fourth of the size of the Biwa Club in Tomiura. The lay out has a small souvenir and local produce shop on the left portion of the building, a tourist information center in the main entrance hall, and a dining area on the right side.

Inside the souvenir/produce shop area.

This roadside station is geared towards whale products, but there was a ton of other local produce like fresh vegetables, eggs, jam, and even bakery. I purchased some eggs that if I had seen in the U.S. I would have only been able to assume were injected with some sort of hormones due to their massive size. But since they're from the roadside station I know that they're local, fresh, and free of mutant-creating super viruses. I also bought some bakery which was sugary and delicious. Too bad Wada is a bit of a drive for me, or I'd be there all the time buying the bakery.

Apparently Chiba also has peanut shaped mascots(?) Their names are P-man and P-nyatsu lmfao ("nyan" is the Japanese version of "meow." Take note of the kitty ears)

The dining area was really nice, and honestly reminded me of one of those up-scale sushi restaurants in the U.S. There was seating for probably about 50+ people and the walls had big glass windows where you could see all around the outside of the building. They were even playing some smooth jazz in the background! It was nice. In the dining area they were selling soft-serve ice cream. I'm not sure if the flavors will change seasonally like they do at the roadside station in Miyoshi, but when I was there they were offering vanilla made with locally produced cream, strawberry with chunks of local strawberries, and honey cream. I tried the honey cream one because that sounded the craziest to me. It was pretty good, but I wish the honey flavor had been a little stronger. It wasn't very different from eating the vanilla one in my opinion. I'd really like to try the strawberry one if I have the chance to go back.

---New Year's Celebrations---

On New Year's Eve I met up with a few friends, got some kaiten-zushi (sushi that you take off of a conveyor belt that rotates through the restaurant), and headed over to Narita san temple. I went to Narita for new year's last year as well so I knew what to expect, and we decided to head over early.

In front of the temple before the crowd arrived, and blurry as hell.

Narita san is actually the second most popular place in Japan to spend new year's so it was insanely crowded. At one point I tried to make my way to the restroom through the sea of people and had to give up, because the whole area from in front of the temple all the way down the temple steps was completely jam packed with people. But luckily, since we had arrived early we were about the third row from the front, and once the clock struck midnight we were able to make our five yen donation (five yen is lucky because there's a hole in the center so it forms a circle), pray, and head over to the line for pulling fortunes almost immediately. At one point I almost got sucked back into the crowd, but by grabbing on to a friend I was able to make it out safely. 

Inside the crowd

So as for pulling fortunes or mikuji, this can be done any time throughout the year when you visit a temple or shrine with a 100 yen donation, but of course everyone wants to get their fortune on the first day of the new year, right?

Tied up fortunes

There's actually a really interesting way of choosing your fortune too. There are these big wooden drawers full of fortunes, and every fortune type has a number. When you go to pull yours, you are given a small tube with a hole at the top. You shake the tube, flip it over, and a small plastic stick will come out of the hole. Once it does, you show the stick to the person behind the counter, who then checks the number that is written on the stick and retrieves your fortune from the allotted drawer. If you get a good fortune you're supposed to keep it, and if you get a bad one you're supposed to fold up the paper and tie it up at the temple to leave your bad luck behind. Usually there is some sort of stand with thin ropes or wires where you can tie up your fortunes, but you can also tie them on to tree branches as well.

My fortune

In the end, my fortune was only slightly better than last year. While last year I had one level of luck worse than normal, this year I pulled a fortune with medium-level luck! In my frenzy to read it all amidst the crowd before tying it up at the temple, I can't remember everything that was written, and unfortunately the photo I took of it is too blurry. But, the gist of it was that I need to be more cautious around my superiors at work, I need to actually make a decision when it comes to relationships, it is a good year for moving houses, and I will endure prolonged periods of sickness. So here's to another average new year!

A cluster of Po, strategizing.

This year, as was last, I was incredibly impressed by the effort of the local policemen. There were literally troops of police officers guarding the temple, making announcements, and securing people in their various roped off sections.

After returning home at around 3 a.m. we attempted to wake up to see the sunrise on the beach, but as it was incredibly cold, and I was tired from driving four hours already to Narita and back, we gave up on it this year.

The rest of vacation I spent trapped under my kotatsu eating Christmas cookies that my mom mailed to me. It was lovely.

GIANT REESES