わたしの日本りょこう２０１１part 2

It was almost midnight and the beginning of the 2011, but the weather wasn't looking too good.  Even after our night at Newark International airport and an extra night at home waiting for a flight to Narita, the same lousy weather followed us all the way to Japan.  We were half way from Nagoya to Kyoto when the snow was just too much to drive in, so we decided to turn back.  We turned around at a toll booth where a friendly toll booth attendant helped me push the car out of the unplowed snow. Man, I wish I took a picture, hilarious stuff!  So instead of Kyoto, we pulled off at some smaller towns in the Gifu perfecture.

I will take New Year's Eve in Japan over New Year's in NY anytime.  Sure, both seem crowded, but I really like the traditions behind New Year's in Japan.  Here in Gifu, a  farming community, the celebration is devoted towards the Fox.  Since the fox comes and kills all the birds and what not that eat the rice crop.  To celebrate the fox, we fling fried tofu snacks for him along with our coins to the local shrine. Then we make our prayers for the New Year.

Fried Tofu

Candles!

Hittin' the Gong!

Gifu was a lot of fun.  Plus, I got a pretty good fortune this year.  In fact, me and ちち got the exact same fortune. Basically, we have to patient this year, and things will be okay.  Much better than my Kyoto '08 fortune, it was the worst possible one.  I had to tie it up and leave it behind.

Fortune time! No whammies!

In Gifu, every town we drove past seemed to have it's own bonfire New Year's celebration.  It was another farmer tradition to keep everyone aware of fires. Besides, it's January and we're all outside; we could use the heat!  I couldn't believe that the 6" of snow we were seeing 30 min. from Kyoto was nowhere to be seen here, but it was still cold and drizzly.  The big treat of the bonfire was sweet bean soup and warm sake.  Everyone was having a great time.  Even in smaller towns, in front of the temple a bonfire was lit and townspeople gathered around it.

The next day was the family trip to the graves.  Without sounding morbid, this is my favorite part of visiting Japan.  The graveyard is always beautiful, but I can't bring myself to photograph it.  The sky was high and blue, the whole scene was amazing.  Above is a picture of the bouquets and buckets that we buy.  After that we march to the grave with incense burning and then the family pitches in and cleans up the grave.  We weed, sweep, and splash water for our resting family.  It really is a unique moment.  Despite all the mayhem of "the holidays" and the travel and the buying of gifts, this is always the most calm and introspective time of the season.

That night we had Osechi, the New Year's food and massive amounts of Sukiyaki.  Osechi is an assortment of seafood and pickled veggies.  Each food has a little reason, or "an old dumb joke" (as my wife says) to go along with it, like: just as the prawn is bent over, may we live till we bend over with age like the prawn.  Then Sukiyaki, a beef and seafood stew.  This I like, since the beef reminds me of Philly Cheesesteaks.

Next is our trip to Osaka and Adventure World Zoo.