New Year`s for the Japanese is a big holiday. In many ways it is comparable to Thanksgiving. Families come together to celebrate, everyone gets work off, pig out, laze about, and afterward, go shopping at all the sales. Some people like to try and see the first sunrise of the new year. The week after New Year`s is a big celebration. Many events take place all over Japan.
On the first day of the new year, Sachi, her brother Yoshiki, and I went to the shrine to pray for the coming year and have our fortunes told. On the way to the event, many booths are selling delicious grilled foods. You can buy sausage, takoyaki (kind of like round pancakes with octopus inside), yakitori (grilled chicken), and many others. The line was long, but it went by quickly and everyone seemed to be in good spirits.
What everyone is lined up to do, is make a request to the gods. First, one rings the bell so the gods can hear you, then you toss in a coin offering to the shrine, then you clap your hands twice, bow slightly, and make a wish.
This angry dude is called an "oni." He is a demon who protects certain corners. There are directions which are not "good," for lack of a better word. If you build a corner in that direction, it allows entrance to evil spirits. That`s what the oni is for.
At the shrine, I bought my fortune. Sachi told me I got the best one. I felt, even before I came here, that incredible things were to come this year. Maybe fortune is simply strong will manifested. The stick I pulled from the random pile was simply drawn to me.
It was terribly cold that day, so we stopped at Mr. Donuts. I have never tasted a better donut in my life. The sounds I made as I chewed could have been misinterpreted as Mr. Donuts and me being much more than friends. The coffee was great, too. The place was packed, but they ran out of their famous "Pon de Ringu." Oh, well. Now I have an excuse to come back. Sachi told me, "No one hates Mr. Donuts. No one."
Looks like my little brother gets a sneak-peek at his gift. Baikin man is the arch-nemesis of An-Pan Man. The hero, An-Pan Man is made out of bread, so naturally, Baikin man, an evil bacteria, would be his enemy. I have always loved a good bad guy.
And as if this day wasn`t already incredible, we decided to visit Himeji Castle, which is just a short bike ride away from Sachi`s home.
That is most people's perspective of me.
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