New Year Celebration in Japan 日本の年越し

I had not been to Japan for 4 years for the New Year. Every year I was tired to hear fireworks with count down, messy street with litters and broken bottles on the New Year's day. This is the same in whole Europe.

正月を日本で過ごすのは4年振りだった。カウントダウンに合わせた花火に、新年早々通りに散乱する紙屑や割れたボトルには少しうんざりしていたところだった。こればっかりは、ヨーロッパのどこに行っても同じ。

For my French and Hungarian lesson, in last December, I wrote in the language how we prepare for the New Year in Japan. I let my teachers correct my text, but maybe they did not understand what I wanted to write; I know it is very hard, if they do not have similar idea in their culture.

フランス語とハンガリー語の先生に昨年12月、日本での年越しのためにどういうことを日本人がするのかを書いて添削してもらった。でも多分何を書いていたのか分かってもらえていないと思う。無理もない、自分たちの文化に似たようなものがなければ想像はできない。

In Europe, devil is always bad and the God is always good. In Japan this is not so easy; Oni, Japanese devil or demon is not always evil or bad. There are lots of Gods who did something very bad. There are demons work with human beings, or gods to eat human beings. The God in Europe is rather to admire and worship, in Japan to have fear and thankfulness at the same time. Buddha is rather treated similar to European God.

ヨーロッパでは悪魔は常に悪いもので、神様は良いもの。日本ではそれほど単純じゃない。日本の鬼はいつも悪者と言うわけではない。いろんな悪いことをする神様もいる。人と一緒に畑で働く鬼から、人を食べる神様までいる。ヨーロッパの神様は崇拝の対象で、日本の神様は畏れるものだったり感謝するもの。むしろこの意味では仏様がヨーロッパの神様に近い。

Churches in Europe and temples in Japan have a similar role in our life. But there is nothing like Japanese shrine which is the symbol of Shinto. This can also enshrine soul of (evil) gods to avoid their souls wandering in our world which will cause disaster. To visit shrine does not necessarily mean we worship the enshrined god. Therefore there are grave stones in temples, but not in shrine. Shrines only enshrine souls. We would pray for health, good harvest or success in business. Shrine is the place to keep souls, we have to purify our hands in the entrance, then mouth.

ヨーロッパの教会と日本のお寺とは同じような役割をしている。でも神社のようなものはヨーロッパにはない。神社は（悪い）神様の霊を鎮魂し、その霊が現世を彷徨い、災いをもたらすことを防ぐものだ。 だから神社に参ることは必ずしも祭られた神様を敬い崇拝するわけではない。祈るのは家内安全、豊作や事業の成功などだ。霊に関わる場所だから、神社の入り口では手を水で清め、口をすすいで体を清める。

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。