How to spend New Year Day

Despite having had lots of things to do at the end of 2007, I have no exciting plan for the New Year holidays. Just one plan was already decided - that I go to a shrine close to my house and pray for good in 2008 . This is a routine event – “Hatsu-mode” in Japanese - not only for my family but for every Japanese family. So my mother and I went out for “Hatsu-mode” on midday Jan.1st.

On “Hatsu-mode”, we must queue up to pray wherever we go, like this.


Although the weather forecast said this New Year holidays would be freezing Tokyo has been fine and not so cold during the last couple of days. In addition, we went there earlier than other people so the queue was relatively short and we only had to stand for about 20 min.


I prayed for 2008’s good and our healthy life (not only my family but also my friends) to the gods. Basically the shrine I went seems to worship 5 gods. I suppose 3 of them are a family(a husband, his wife and their son) but I’m afraid I don’t know the rest of them. Anyway these 5 gods will look after me, my family and my friends all this year.