New Year in Japan 日本での新年

I returned to Japan for New Year holiday and was involved in traffic trouble from the very first day of my arrival. Snow.

新年を迎えるために日本へ帰り、到着最初の日から移動にはトラブルがついて回った。雪のせいで。

I still clearly remember how I was shocked when I saw people celebrating New Year day at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, broken sparkling wine / vodka bottles, rocket fireworks, noises of crackers and messy streets. It was in 2002. And now I know that it is as same as in any other European city.

未だにとてもショックだったことを記憶している。２００２年にベルリンのブランデンブルグ門で迎えた年越し。通りに散乱した割れたシャンパンのビン、ロケット花火、クラッカーの騒音。それがヨーロッパでは当たり前なのだ。

I always do the same when I am in my hometown on New Year's eve;
I would go to the nearby temple (which my house actually belong to) about 15 minutes before 24:00 on Jan.1 and hit brass bell there to eliminate egos inside which is told that every people has at least 108 due to Buddhism. How to wait or prepare for the New Year's day is slightly different in Japan from that in Europe. In Japan people used to get one more year on January 1. So there are two ways to count our age due to birthday and New Year's day and there are still some events that are combined with old age counting rule due to New Year's day. Compared with European way to celebrate the New Year's day, Japanese one seems to be rather spiritual. People would clean up their houses, office, streets or actually everywhere so much as they can with an idea that they should not take their dirty with to the new year. Then some would sit at Kotatsu (table with infrared heater on the back of the table plate) at home and listen to the "Jyoya no Kane", this 108 gongs to clean "inside".

実家で年越しをするときにいつもすることがある。
近所の寺に年越し１５分前くらいに行って除夜の鐘をつく。仏教において１０８あるといわれる人間の煩悩を掃き清めるため。新年を迎える姿勢は、日本とヨーロッパでは若干の違いがある。日本では古くは新年を迎えることにひとつ年をとっていた。新年と誕生日とで年を数える２通りの方法があった。今でも昔の新年をベースにした数え年でもって行われる行事がある。ヨーロッパの年越しと比べると日本の年越しはむしろ精神的な行事だ。みんな家や仕事場、通りをいつにもまして綺麗に掃除し、汚れを新年に持ち込まないようにする。そしてコタツに座って除夜の鐘を聞きながら心を掃き清める。



Recently however, they started to launch fireworks at 24:00, which I find very sad. It looks very gorgious abut blows the holy and spiritual atomosphare completely off. I wish that more people would revaluate the traditional way of celebrating New Year in Japan.

しかし最近では新年とともに花火を打ち上げる習慣が広まりつつある。それが残念でならない。もちろん花火は豪華に華やかに見えるが、厳かな気分はきれいに吹き飛んでしまう。日本でももっとたくさんの人が昔からの年越しを再評価してほしいと願っている。

Then during new year holiday, from Jan 1 to 3, they would visit shrine for "Hatsu-moude" (first visit) to pray or wish for their health or success in the new year. Shrine represents Shinto and not Buddhism. At some big shrines in Japan they are expecting more than 3 million visitors during those three days!
"My" shrine is just a local small one, only local people would come for the Hatsu-moude. I used to play baseball there when I was child. People in charge would make fire to burn Hamaya, arrow to protect ourselves from bad which was bought the year before　(always new one for the new year), and also make us warm during our visit. They serving Otoso, too, sake but is treated as holy drink in this case for visitors.

１月１日から３日の新年のお休みの間、日本人は神社へ初詣に出かける。家族の健康や仕事の成功を祈願して。神社は仏教ではなく神道を体現するもの。大きな神社では３が日の間に３００万人以上もの参拝者を迎える。
"マイ"神社は田舎の小さな神社。子供のころよく野球をしていたところで、地元の人しか来ない。担当の人が火をおこし、おとそを振舞う。