2024.1.1.

Happy New Year 2024!!

After midnight I went to the nearby shrine for the first visit.

I received red and white rice cakes and a small cup of sake,  I saw  the charm for the first time so that I bought it.

After coming home I went there again to return the amulets of the last year to burn.

I took a bath and went to bed, and got up early to see the sun rise.  

It seemed to have rained before I went to the shrine, but it was fine all day long.

I saw the beautiful sunrise and sunset.

I published the 111th ebook.

I got new year's cards early morning, and I prepared the ones I did not and I went to the post office to post.

 After that I went to the Kainan jinja shrine. It was so crowded. I bought the charm I saw on the Town news.

There was lion dragon dance performance and I attended.

I happened to see my friend.

After coming home I cooked Ozoni by the rice cakes I got at the shrine.

I watched three movies on TV.

It was a nice New Year Day for me.

But there were big earthquakes in Hokuriku.

2022.1.1

明けましておめでとうございます！

Happy New Year!

How was your new year?

I went to the nearby shrine around 1:30 am, and  got three sets of red and white rice cakes.

Last year when I visited there just after becoming the new year, there was a long line therefore I went there about one hour later.

After that I took a bath and went to bed.

I got up early to see the first sunrise.

It was so beautiful and Mt. Fuji looked so beatiful too.

I got New year's cards and I went to the post office to send mine.

Free promotion of my 30th ebook has started. I hope you enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PFSS164

I made my album of December.

2021.1.1

A new year has begun.

I got up early to see the first sunrise, hatsuhinode (初日の出). It was beautiful. I saw the moon over the Mt. Fuji.

After coming home, I tried the New Year's magic, and watched a TV program about Izumo and Takachiho where are very famous for gods' place.

I ate ozoni (お雑煮), which is a typical new year's foods in Japan. It is a soup dish with rice cake, vegetable, and meat.

I enjoyed reading New Year's Cards, nengajo (年賀状).

I went to the nearby shrine for the first visit, hatsumode (初詣). I decided to visit another shrine to get the red stamp called goshuin(御朱印).

I visited my parents' graveyard.

After coming back I enjoyed special sweets I bought in Izumo.

I tried to creat the barrier with crystal balls and terahertz balls finally.

It was a nice new year's day.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

2015.1.1

Happy New Year 2015!

It was cloudy, snowy and cold.  It's very rare to have snow on the New Year's Day (ganjitsu: 元日) here.  Snow is yuki (雪) in Japanese.  At first it was kona yuki (粉雪), powder snow, and it became botan yuki (牡丹雪), large flakes, later but it did not pile. 

I cooked o zoni (お雑煮), rice cake soup this morning and ate o sechi ryori (お節料理) which I received yesterday.  They were rather gorgeous.  There were three boxes piled, and there were so many different dishes inside (See the attached picture with menu).   O zoni and  o sechi ryori are typical Japanese New Year dishes.


After that I went to the nearby shrine for the first visit of this year called hatsumode (初詣). 

 

Then I went to Yokohama to attend the Kimono Style Miya's New Year event.  About 15 people joined.  I met two of my friends there.  Some of them have stayed there overnight since yesterday.
We ate o zoni and o sechi ryori.  O zoni there was Nagoya style, which is rather simple.  And I changed to the new kimono and we went to Iseyama kotai jingu (伊勢山皇大神宮) shrine for the first visit.  There were so many people visiting there, and it took a long time to arrive at the main building.  There were many food stalls along the street for both sides, and many people were eating something here and there. 

At the shrine they offered sacred sake called o miki (お神酒) and they gave us the drinking dish called sakazuki (盃).  We felt very lucky.  Most of them tried to draw the fortune telling called o mikuji (お御籤) for 200 yen, but I did not because I have made up mind not to draw it since I got the big fortune (daikichi: 大吉) at the Sengen jinja (浅間神社) shrine at the top of the Mt. Fuji in the summer of 1984.  The o mikuji of Iseyama kotai jingu looked very cute and there was a charm inside.  So those who drew also felt lucky.

After that we went back to the kimono shop again and ate some foods and went out to the restaurant to have sweets.  There they also offered o miki.  There were 11 of us, and two of them ordered pancakes.  And it took about 40 minutes to be served.  I don't know why it takes such a long time.  I don't care much about pancakes, but they make me miss IHOP in Delray Beach and the cafe in San Francisco though I forgot the name.
There was a drawing called fukubiki (福引), fortune drawing.  And to my fortunate I got a roll of Tsumugi (紬).  I chose very unique design of Yuki tsumugi (結城紬).  How generous they are!

After coming home, I checked the new year's cards called nengajo (年賀状).  I like to read something added by hand.  I really appreciate those who sent me new year's cards or Christmas cards because that means they spared some time for me and thinking of me.   I am glad to have such friends.

I had a very nice New Year's Day.

I hope you also had a good start of the new year!



O sechi ryori




Menu

Mt. Fuji this morning from my house

At Iseyama kotai jingu

Back style






Front

2014.1.1

A Happy New Year 2014!!

It was fine but very windy today.  In the morning we could not see Mt. Fuji but in the evening we could see it somehow.

January 1 is ganjitsu (元日), and its morning is called gantan (元旦).

There is a saying ichinen no kei wa gantan ni ari (一年の計は元旦にあり), "New Year's Day is the key of the year."  We should plan of the year in the morning of January 1.
What kind of plans have you made for this year?
I hope to do something that contributes to the world peace.

On January 1 we usually eat osechi ryori (お節料理) and ozoni (お雑煮), typical Japanese new year's dishes.

The pleasure of January 1 is to receive new year's cards called nengajo (年賀状).  There are some people that have contact only once a year of this occasion, but I am glad to have many friends with whom I exchange nengajo every year.

Another event of January 1 is to visit the shrine called hatsumode (初詣) to thank last year's good health and happiness and wish this year's fortunate.

For European and American people Christmas must be one of the most important times of the year, for Japanese New Year's Day is one of the most important times of the year.  I hope you will have a chance to experience Japanese New Year someday.

2013.1.1

あけましておめでとうございます。（akemashite omedeto gozaimasu)
Happy New Year!!
!Feliz Ano Nuevo!

In the morning of the New Year's Day is called gantan (元旦), and New Year's Day is called ganjitsu (元日).  Gan (元) means beginning. 
It was a beautiful day.   Every New Year's Day I try to take pictures of Mt. Fuji and  so did today   Here are two of them, morning and evening.  I hope you enjoy.
I cooked ozoni (お雑煮) and ate osechiryori (おせち料理) in the morning.  These are special dishes for the new year.  What do you eat in your country for the new year?

My favorite thing of New Year's Day is to receive New Year's Cards (年賀状：nengajo).  When I was young, there was another favorite thing, that is otoshidama (お年玉), new year's monetary gift which is given by adults.

Today I got a sad news from the USA.  My most respectable woman, Ms. Beate Sirota Gordon passed away on December 30, 2012 at the age of 89 in New York.  She tried hard to write Women's Civil Right into the new constitution of Japan after World War II.  I visited her last October to hand my first essay.  She welcomed me at her apartment.  She looked smaller and weaker than I saw her before.  She said she was sad losing her beloved husband Joseph in the previous month. 

May her soul rest in peace with him. 　ご冥福をお祈りします。(gomeifuku wo oinori shimasu.)