Sorry for the delay in getting this update out, but I've been sick for the past 10 days and have had no energy to do any postings. It's just a bad cold but the combination of the cold temps and no real over the counter medicine has prolonged this thing. But I'm slowly getting better. I've started back at school on the 7th and my lovely fellow teachers have been so kind to me and have let me go home early when I'm done teaching...so onward to my New Year's Eve story...
My winter break was pretty low-key. After Christmas, I pretty much stayed inside and slept a lot. On the 30th, I ventured into town to meet up with Su for some lunch and shopping. I bought a few things- a new pair of shoes of course!! But they were really cheap, not all that spectacular though. Just a pair of red Keds, but they'll be good walking shoes.
I had planned on staying in Mito for New Year's and going to a countdown party at Bubble. But Su was heading down to Tokyo to meet up with her friend Mayumi (who lives in Toks), and Laurie was going down with her. After much arm twisting- note: barely a touch of the arm- I decided to go with. I mean, how many people can say they spent New Year's Eve in Tokyo? Well, you know, besides the other millions of people that were there!!
So, Laurie, Su & I took the express train down to Ueno in the late morning and headed to Okachimachi and our hotel. Su booked us rooms at a business hotel- it was cheap, small and clean!! it was so nice to not be in a capsule or hostel for once! After dropping off our bags, we headed out to Shinjuku to meet up with Mayumi. The four of us went to lunch at a curry restaurant that Su & Mayumi had been dying to go to. It apparently was started by some freedom fighter from India...I didn't really understand the connection...but it was really nice. I'm not a HUGE fan of curry- it's too spicy for me. But this was really tasty-spicy, but yummy. And the best bit: Mayumi treated us!! So so unnecessary, but such a sweet gesture.
After lunch, Su & Mayumi headed out to visit a grave site of a friend/ relative. Having no connection, Laurie & I decided to split off and go to Shibuya. I was dying to get some new magazines and books from the english language section at Tower Records. We spent over an hour (maybe two hours!) there. It was wonderful to be in the company of so many books!! And Laurie was, also, lovely company. He's an artist and very much into graphic novels/ comics. Which if you know me, you know I'm not all that into comics. Anyway, Laurie was nice enough to take the time to kind of give me a very brief tour of the world of graphic novels. He even got me interested in a book about comic books. So much so, I bought it. I recommended The Great Gatsby. Which, I have to say I'm a little sad that he hadn't read it yet!!! It's The Great Gatsby!! That disappointment aside, it was really interesting and stimulating to talk to someone about books and different genres.
BTW- I finished the book, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, and it was FANTASTIC!!!
After we got all our purchases, we headed out to hit some more shops. Unfortunately, it was pretty late in the afternoon and the shops were closing for the New year holiday already- bummer!!! But Starbucks was open, and we had some coffee and a very relaxing conversation. The Starbucks overlooks Shibuya Crossing, which is the busiest crossing in the world! Of course, I had to take some pics. And then, I got yelled at by the little Japanese barista!! And by "yelled at", I mean she politely said, in a very timid voice, "no pictures please" Aw Japan!!
Laurie & I headed back to Okachimachi, met up with Su, and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening's festivities. I was so excited to put on my party dress- I don't get too many opportunities to get all that dressed up. Laurie was off to meet up with some other friends for the evening, and Su & I headed to Asakusa to meet up with Mayumi.
We had a very quick and cheap dinner at a typical Japanese fast food joint. I had a beef bowl and miso soup. Perfect warm fortification for the cold night to come. Mayumi showed up and we headed over to Senso-ji, the temple in Asakusa. It is one of the oldest and most popular ones in Tokyo. At this point I should point out that poor Mayumi was sick and had lost her voice!! What a trooper for coming out.
New Year's is a big deal in Japan but not in the "drink champagne, kiss everyone, and party" kind of way I'm used to. New Year's is when everyone goes to their local temple for the first prayer of the new year. But unlike some somber event, it's more like a street party. There are stalls selling new year's goods such as arrows, wreaths, and paddles that are used in a game played on new year's day. Also, there are food stalls with fried, stuffed mochi balls, soba noodles, fish on sticks, and of course, beer and warm sake. After walking around for a bit, we stopped to get our fortunes. Here is the translated version of my fortune:
Regular Fortune: Thousands of soldiers obey you without failure to the order and dignity of the General. All soldiers even to the far distant countries will be the same by your order. To get win or to loose are unknown while they attack the enemy's castle. Show why the great honor (indifferent) in defeating the enemy, it is not worth while so much to the people. *Your request will be granted. *The patient will get well.* The lost article will be found soon. *The guest you wait for will come soon. *Building a new house and removal are both fine. *It is good to start a trip. *Marriage and employment are all well.
So, there you have it!! Although, I'd like to point out that..um...I've been sick for the first 10 days of the year!!
Su & Mayumi did not fair so well with their fortunes!! Our fortunes gained, we proceeded to get some snacks and beer. Then we got in line....a huge line....why?....because everyone else was in line! Basically we were in line to get into the temple to say a prayer at midnight. So we waited....in the cold (about 20 degrees)...on cold stones...in my party dress!!! It was pretty funny because there we were: a Catholic, an atheist and a Hindu in line to pray at the Buddhist temple!!!! {sounds like the opener of a bad joke}
But it was fun. Waiting with everyone else. It was a once-in-a lifetime experience for me. Senso-ji is the most popular place to go on new year's eve. But after a while the cold- and the beer- got to me and I had to go to the bathroom! By now there were masses of people crowded in behind us, and I was afraid that if I left the line I wouldn't be able to find my way back. But I had to....I took the chance. As I left the line, I wasn't sure how I was going to get through the mass of people. You know what would be great- a big, huge sumo wrestler to push the people out of my way!!! Impossible????
Nope, sure enough, as I walked through the people a huge sumo wrestler got in front of my (behind his handler) and the seas parted!!! Ha!! I've been waiting for the past 22 months to meet a sumo wrestler and I finally do...on my way to the public restroom!!! I'm pretty sure he was one of the famous ones too because people were taking pictures of him. But....all I could think of was...please, dude, hurray up!!
By the time I started to make my way back to Su & Mayumi, the line was massive. I was a little afraid, but I just started pushing through and pulled the old standby "I'm a foreigner, I don't know what's going on" look!! I made my way to the girls about 10 minutes to midnight. At midnight, cheers rippled through the masses and everyone took pictures, etc. Then a bell started to rung. Temples ring a bell 108 times at midnight to represent the 108 curses that man is plagued by. Su had wanted to hear the bell and the 108 gongs, but it soon became apparent that the monk was ringing the bell once per minute. Do the math...we would have been there for almost 2 hours to hear all the curses!! No thanks!!
Now we were in the next group to go into the temple area, after about 2.5 hours standing in line we were almost there!! And so of course, we got out of line and left!!! Haha!! Mayumi was feeling poor, Su & I were cold, we had rung in the new year, and gotten our fortunes and snacks- that's all we wanted to do.
It was so exciting to be in this atmosphere and experience such a traditional Japanese way of celebrating the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year. I felt lucky to be there...
but now it was time to party!!
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