Hatsumode (はつもうで): Gosha Jinja (五社神社) & Kamoe Kannon (鴨江観音)

Last year and the year before I spent my winter holiday in Japan and experienced the many traditions that come with celebrating New Year in Japan. One that I particularly like is “hatsumode” (はつもうで), which is the first shrine visit of the year. Actually, some people prefer to go to temples, and I decided to … Continue reading →

Challenge for 2011: Post A Week

I was browsing WordPress.com just now when I came across this interesting blog post: Challenge for 2011: Want to blog more often?. To be honest, I already blog quite a lot, I think, but I do like a challenge – especially a blog related one! The post suggests either signing up to WordPress’ “Post A … Continue reading →

Atsuta Jingu and Ise Jingu

I decided to start the year in style – Japanese style!  On January 1st, my mum and I went to Atsuta Jingu, and on January 2nd we went to Ise Jingu.  These shrines are, I believe, two of the biggest and most important shrines in the Shinto religion.  Of course, that means that both shrines … Continue reading →

A Very Japanese New Year…

あけましておめでとうございます！ Happy New Year! I had the pleasure of spending my New Year’s Eve doing very typical Japanese things, with my mum, my friends and their family, in Anjo.  New Year (Oshogatsu) is a big deal in Japan, probably the biggest festival, so it was totally awesome to do it properly! First, a feast was … Continue reading →

A Kansai adventure… Foxes, deer, and grilled sparrows – oh my!

あけましておめでとうございます！  Happy New Year! I’ve just spent a week staying at the Palace Side Hotel in Kyoto with my mum.  When I went to Kyoto for the first time, almost three years ago, I stayed at K’s House for four nights, and thought that was more than enough.  Both are places I would recommend for … Continue reading →

Shogatsu – New Year in Japan

はやいね？ Yes, I know my New Year post is a little early, but I may not be able to blog for a bit, so I thought I’d write this one now. So, you’ve heard all about Christmas in Japan, and how it’s a bit of a non-event as far as actual events go (although commercially … Continue reading →

Christmas and New Year in Japan…

明けましておめでとうございます｡ (Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu. Or, Happy New Year!) Christmas, from what I can gather, is more of an imported holiday in Japan than anything traditional. My friends have told me that they generally celebrate on Christmas Eve, and that it’s more of a couples thing than a family thing. In fact, Christmas is not even … Continue reading →