New Years Eve

Tonight we are having a small party - Ian and his wife and maybe a couple of more people. We will eat, drink, and enjoy ourselves until around midnight. Then we will walk to a Buddhist temple and make an offering. Then we will go to the large Shinto shrine which is just a little further away. We will stand in line until we can get to the front of the altar where we will ring some bells, clap our hands, and make an small monetary offering. Then as we move away we will receive a small cup of Japanese sake. After that we move off to the side and buy our fortune for the year, as well as a good luck charm for our wallets and for the car. It will be very late by the time we get to bed. I will try to take some pictures tonight and post them tomorrow or the next day.

Today I discovered that there is a Buddhist pilgrimage in this area. It is not as organized or as commercial or as old as the Henro Pilgrimage. It is called the Oushuu 33 Kannon and the temples are all in this prefecture or the ones immediately to the north and south. I would probably not walk the whole way. There does not seem to be such a tradition. What I would do is take a series of day trips by train and visit the temples one at a time. I would be able to spend more time at each temple, taking photos and drawing, as well as exploring a bit. I will gather some more information and keep you posted on my plans.