The first visit of the year to the local shrine or temple is always quite busy.
New Years is probably the most important holiday in Japan. It is celebrated in a similar way as X-Mas is in the West, with almost everywhere closing down and people traveling to spend time with their family for a few days.
After New Years, the fun begins. Within the first three days, nearly everyone in the country will visit their nearby shrine or temple in an event called hatsumode (初詣). There they will make their first prayer of the year asking for good luck for the coming year, they will also often buy omikuji (御神籤) which is a strip of paper with a fortune on it, and omamori (御守) which is a kind of good luck amulet that they will then carry with them for the rest of the year. My son, for example, has his omamori for this year tied to his school backpack.
This photo was taken at Osu Kannon, which is a popular temple in Nagoya. Man, those are some long lines, eh? Normally I go to hatsumode with my family at a local shrine that isn't busy at all. I only traveled here to photo the chaos.
Don't miss the other great photos in the Beautiful Japan photo series!
#1–10 — Beautiful Japan, Collection #1
#11–20 — Beautiful Japan, Collection #2
#21 — Traditional Japanese Gate and Garden
#22 — Daruma-san Korokoro
#23 — Weeping Temple
#24 — Ready for Liftoff
#25 — Pounding the Taiko Drum
#26 — Good Luck Cranes
#27 — Red Leaves at Castle
#28 — Reflections
#29 — In the Heat of the Night
#30 — Lost in Thought
#31 — Now For My Close-Up
Thank you for reading. :)
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I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.
 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. |