New Year in Tokyo

Happy New Year!

Here I am, in my room in Tokyo, and it's 2010! In a week it will be exactly two years since I first arrived in Japan at the beginning of 2008. And my life is quite different now! A lot changes in two years. But I suppose the years when you first leave home and fly halfway around the world to start a new life for seven months, and then start University, would be a quite life-changing time.

2009 has also been a big year for me, probably not as big as 2008, but it's seen me finish my first year of University in Britain and return to Japan. So I wanted to give the noughties the best send off I could.

I arranged for six of us to go to Kichijoji (吉祥寺), which is probably the biggest centre in Western Tokyo, and is only 10 minutes by train from my guesthouse. I had asked a couple of Japanese friends if there would be Shrines or temples there that had things going on for New Year (お正月, oshougatsu) and they all said that even small places would be doing something.

There was the option to go to Meiji Shrine (明治神宮) in Harajuku, but I knew that it would be ridiculously crowded, being the biggest Shrine in Tokyo. Apparently it's busy on both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, as people go to pray for good fortune in the coming year.

I took the train to Musashi Sakai to meet Matt. The trains were all so quiet! Tokyo as a whole does get quieter around New Year, when lots of people leave the city to visit their families in the countryside.


I waited for Matt at the ticket gate, as I was there my Mum rang me to wish me a Happy New Year, which was very nice. Matt and I got on the train, which stopped for a while at Mitaka where it waited for a Special Rapid (特快) train to pass. As we were stopped, Rob stepped into our carriage, at the door where we were standing! What a coincidence!

So we carried on together to Kichijoji and met Katy and her friend Nola at the station. We then checked an area map and found a small collection of Shrines and temples about ten minutes walk from the station. Kichijoji was very quiet, but it was only 9pm, so it wasn't going to be very busy yet. I imagined lots of people were going to be watching Kohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦), a very popular music contest programme broadcast on NHK every New Year's Eve. This time Susan Boyle, a finalist in Britain's Got Talent, which for some reason is very popular in Japan, performed one of her songs live. I saw some of the programme before leaving the house, and it looked like a lot of fun for New Year, but I wanted to do something more traditional.

We followed the festively lit streets to the Shrines.

We found one Shrine that was open to public, but there was no one there! I was expecting a crowd of people eating and keeping warm. (It was the coldest night of the season so far last night, reaching -2C, which is typical!)

We prayed for good luck in the coming year by throwing coins into the box and clapping twice, and then bowing to finish.

We wandered around the Shrine area for a little bit.


I was really worried that the evening was going to be a bust, because there weren't enough people to get a proper celebratory atmosphere going.

But we walked back to the station to meet Kaz, and then got some food and drinks and went to the park. It was very cold, but I think that made the evening feel more authentic, as it hadn't really felt like Christmas as it was still over 5C!

This illumination was outside Kichijoji station.

We stayed in the park for an hour or so, and Katy, Rob and I did Soul Run to keep warm. After getting sufficiently cold, we walked back to the Shrine for midnight. The Shrine we went to was busier, but still very quiet. Kaz asked one of the security guards and he told us that they weren't going to ring the New Year bell there, but they would at the Buddhist temple next door.

We walked round and joined the queue for the temple, and the atmosphere became increasingly energetic.


They opened the gate at 11.45pm and everyone poured in, most people lining up to ring the bell. We did the same.

As people, starting with the monks, began to ring the bell at 11.50pm, some of us left the queue to see it closer up. I was taking this video, when halfway through lots of people cheered. I thought it was because someone important had just rung the bell, but then we realised that it was midnight! It was 2010!



We all cheered too, albeit a couple of seconds late, but it was New Year!

We joined the others in the line and continued to wait for our turn to ring the bell.

It was about 12.30am when we got to the front of the line and all got to ring the bell and pray for good luck in 2010. Unfortunately, half of us didn't know we had to stand on the left side of the hammer that you swing to hit the bell, so we ended up looking like typical foreigners, doing it the wrong way! But never mind, we'll know for next time.

After the temple, we walked around for a bit and found a restaurant where we could eat soba noodles, as is traditional at New Year. We left at about 2am and headed for the station. Over New Year lots of main JR train lines run all through the night so we didn't have to worry about missing the last train.

When we got to the station, we saw that the illumination had changed from 2009 to 2010!

And that was New Year the traditional Japanese way! It was definitely one I'll never forget, saying goodbye to the noughties, and saying hello to the teens with style. Let's hope that 2010 is a successful year!

My Trip: Nara

On Saturday 19th it was Nara!

Nara (奈良) is a small city south of Kyoto, and it's full of temples and shrines. It's a former capital of Japan and I think it's perfect to do as a daytrip from Kyoto.

It has a grand total of eight World Heritage Sites, and the largest concentration of these is in Nara Park (奈良公園), which is just 15 minutes walk from Kintetsu Nara station (近鉄奈良駅), but a bit further from JR Nara station (ＪＲ奈良駅).

The other sites are further away and more spread out. If you want to visit these too, it's probably better to stay overnight in Nara rather than just do a daytrip, otherwise you'll end up exhausting yourself.

But Nara Park was sufficient for me. It's a really nice place to wander around, finding old temples and getting harrassed by deer.

I got up quite early, which meant that I was a bit tired for the whole day, and it was hot too, around 35C, which didn't help my energy levels!

I walked to Kyoto station and took the Kintetsu Nara line (近鉄奈良線) . I bought a Limited Express (特急) train ticket for Y1,100. Those tickets are reserved automatically so you're guaranteed a seat if the train isn't already full.

I was in this double-decker car. I've seen lots of these around but never been inside one. I was on the top level so I like to think that I had a good view.



The train was very direct, making only one stop at Yamato-Saidaiji station, and arriving within 35 minutes. I got to Nara at 11.05, just in time for the heat of the day! I walked up the road from the station and it was obvious where the Park was. I found some shade and put some sun cream on (yes, it was that hot) and then made my way to the first sight on my list.

On the way, I passed this woman who made the mistake of feeding the deer being attacked by hordes of hungry animals. You can buy deer food at numerous stalls all over the place.

Heralded as the star attraction of Nara, my first stop was Todai-ji (東大寺). This ancient Buddhist temple boasts the largest wooden building in the world, and the largest Buddha statue in Japan.

The first thing you see as you approach is the impressive wooden Nandai-mon (南大門).

Inside the gate, on either side, are fearsome carvings of Nio guardians, protecting the temple from evil spirits.

Through the gate, you then see this great building. This is the largest wooden building in the world, but it's only two-thirds of its original size.

This is the home of Japan's largest Great Buddha (大仏, dai butsu). The Kamakura Buddha is the second biggest.

This Buddha's head is a slightly different colour to its body, as a result of many fires and earthquakes in the past decapitating it on numerous occassions.

The route round the hall takes you behind the Buddha. There is a hole in the bottom of a pillar here, which, if you can squeeze through, guarantees you enlightenment.




Looking at the size of the hole, I'm happy to stay in this world thanks.

After the cool interior of Todai-ji's main hall, the sun was a bit of a shock. I started walking up the hill, but midday was a little too intense so I stopped for lunch in a restaurant.

Having recovered a bit, I made my way to Nigatsu-do (二月堂) and Sangatsu-do (三月堂), which are both a walk up the hill from Todai-ji. From them, there's a nice view of Nara Park and the city behind.

There was an artist painting a lovely view of the temples and the Park. If I'd had time, I'd have loved to sit and watch him finish it.

I followed the recommended route in the Lonely Planet Japan guide down the hill, pass lots of deer, to Kasuga Taisha (春日大社).

Kasuga Taisha is famous for the hundreds of lanterns that line it's pathways and halls.

This tree was huge! You can see the sign that accompanied it below the photo.

As you leave the Shrine, you can see loads and loads of lanterns along the road that leads through the cool shady wood.



After that, I headed out to the slightly far-away temple of Shin-Yakushi-ji (新薬師寺). It took a while to find it, following the path through the forest and out of the main city area, but it gave me time to think about things and reflect on what I'd seen so far.

After the temple, I looked at a map and found the right road back to Todai-ji. Admittedly, I did get a little lost and had to ask for directions, but it's all part of it!

Back in the Todai-ji area, I searched for Isui-en Garden (依水園), which was recommended in the guidebook. But when I say 'searched', I mean searched. It took me absolutely ages to find it, and I asked about five different people. And maybe it was because of that, or the heat, or my tired legs, but when I finally got there, it wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. It was a nice Japanese garden, but no different from others I'd visited.

That's the art museum, Neiraku Bijutsukan (寧楽美術館), which is within the garden grounds. I didn't go in though because I was getting too tired!

After Isui-en, I walked back towards Nara Station and made my last stop of the trip to Nara, Kofuku-ji (興福寺). It's meant to have two famous pagodas, but try as I might, I could only see one.

There was also an interesting building past the pagoda, which is worth a look if you have time. But, if you're on a tight schedule, don't bother with Kofuku-ji, go to the more impressive sights.

I caught the 16.30 train back to Kyoto, so it was one of the earliest finishes to a day I'd had on my trip. I arrived back at Kyoto station after listening to the Gwen Stefani album (I'd forgotten about all the Japan references that made a lot more sense after living there!)

I took a couple of photos and videos of Kyoto station and Kyoto Tower opposite the main entrance.

I went back to my hotel and then headed out again to find dinner at about 5.30. I found an okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) restaurant and decided to try Kansai-style savoury pancakes. After I ordered, they lit a fire under my table and brought the ingredients to the metal section in front of me. They cooked it all there, so I could watch it brown and sizzle away.

The finished pancake!

The meal was delicious, but the icing on the ... pancake, was the waitress' laugh. I'm not exaggerating at all, she actually laughed exactly like Patty and Selma from The Simpsons. It even ended with a throaty cough and spluttering.

On the way back to the hotel, I passed a restaurant called Iimura where my family and I ate dinner one night in April, and also a random giant teddy bear that was sitting on a chair outside a chair, that my brother couldn't help hugging.

Later on, after a bath in the ryokan, I took advantage of the free internet in the hotel's annex. I checked my emails and Facebook, and updated my friends and family of my movements.

As you can imagine, it was as hot and humid as ever outside, but with the help of air con, I slept very well.