New Year

Firstly let me apologise for not having posted for a while. This is mainly due to the fact that I have found it difficult to log into my Blogger account. So I'd better make the most of it while I can!

Anyway, Happy New Year to all of you. I hope your celebrations went well and that you had a good time. In this post I'd like to explain a little about my New Year experiences here in Japan.

Firstly, as you may know, New Year is a big festival in this country, likened to say, Christmas in the UK. Families get together at New Year, and that was the case with Shiori's family and drink and eat.

On New Year's day, many people go to a temple, but we didn't do that until the 3rd, because of the crowds. We did however travel to the resting places of her grandmother, and tidied the grave. I don't know if grave is the right word, because Japanese people don't bury the dead. Maybe a shrine or altar is better, but Shiori, her Dad, brother and me helped to clean it, before they put fresh flowers on it, lit candles and said a prayer.

We travelled to Zentsuji temple, where, despite being two days after New Year, many people had gathered. Shikoku is famous in Japan for an 88 temple pilgrimage, and Zentsuji is considered the home of the priest who begun this tradition or sect of Buddihism. It's a pretty specatular place in a quiet, peaceful way.

Food on New Years day, is usually specially prepared (and apparently expensive) bento (lunch boxes). With the food, Shiori had made before, plus the bento there was plenty to eat. I even ate Shark's fin....