new year festivities in sensoji temple : January 1 2024

happy new year hiveans!
now that the new year has come and i am here in japan, might as well show you guys around on what usually happens in japan.
first and foremost, there is no fireworks... usually.
well i only know of one place where they probably have firework shows and that is in odaiba, the reclaimed area beside tokyo bay.
all the other places have none of those.

and they do not make much noise either.
in some asian countries, people usually make noise to ward off bad spirits, well not here in japan.
in some places where they have new year's countdown, people in unison counts down and have the usual new year's greeting.
cheer for a bit, and then back to solemnity.

where the usual homes are solemn, the temples get busy.
people visit the temples on new years to pray and ask for blessings.
large bells are usually rung hundreds of times before the clock struck 12 midnight.
it is believed that the sounds of this ringing bell purifies hearts.
this act of visiting temples during the new year season is called hatsumoude.

sensoji temple - 浅草寺 (asakusa, taito-ku)

just look at all these people lining up to go inside the main temple.
major temples usually draws more crowds, minor temples have less crowd.
people come to get their blessings and draw their fortune through omikuji.
omikuji slots are extra many on this day.
of course i drew mine, i'll have some normal luck (kichi) it says.

the temple gates still looks good though, that is definitely a two or three storey height structure.
i arrived around 6pm and people have not subsided yet.
of course, foreign travelers are in the mix.
aside from japanese, i could hear different languages spoken while walking through the crowd.

and the temple staff already knew that this will happen, they have prepared well for the new year.
staff members and guards are everywhere, assisting and guiding people.
cordons were in place to keep people from mixing up and causing more chaos.
only the people who goes inside the main temple are allowed in certain areas, more like a one way street.

usually, people visit multiple temples, specifically those associated with the 7 lucky gods namely, Daikokuten, Ebisu, Bishamonten, Fukurokuju, Hotei, Jurojin, and Benzaiten.
each of these gods have different fields of expertise, and can grant wishes of one particular kind.
temples usually enshrine one of these gods only; thus, people go to multiple shrines for each of the gods.
and our dear sensoji here has Daikokuten, the god in charge of wealth, abundance of crops and the like.
i guess i came to the right place then.

and where there are crowds, there are food.
the center portion is designated for the temple goers, and the side flanks are for the hungry.
food stalls must be in the hundreds, i checked each one of them.
and you are only allowed to eat and drink on the sides where the food stalls are, no food and drink is allowed in the middle part going inside the main temple.

you will surely be happy if you are into japanese street food; everything seems to be here.
just choose which food you would like to try, walk some more and buy again.
okonomiyaki, takoyaki, takisoba, gyoza, boiled potatoes, sausages, innards stew, everything.
you won't get hungry for sure, they also tastes good too, i bet.

barbecues and salted grilled fish is also in the menu.
salted fish is quite commonly eaten in new year, i saw lots of stalls selling them.
usually, they don't sell this in normal days.

in asakusa area, people in hatsumoude mode usually goes to 9 temples.
why 9?
well, two of the seven gods had two temples dedicated to them in asakusa.
hmmm, i'll go home for now.

wishing you all a prosperous new year!
BULAHANG BAG-ONG TUIG SA INYONG TANAN!