'This (New) Year’s Love'

a.k.a.
Have Yourself a Merry Little New Year’s (because your Christmas blew)


So thankfully, after a truly horrendous Christmas that involved far too many tears, I spent a truly rockin’ and amazing night welcoming in 2010.

I was determined to have a good one though – I mean, after I spent Christmas night clutching my stomach and cowering in the corner of a train carriage, there was no way I was going to let my New Year’s Eve end up even remotely as crap as that whole debacle.

Luckily, Canada (as he will henceforth be nicknamed) was just as determined to have a great New Year’s – after all, it had been his hand that I had been clawing at sweatily while I cowered in said train carriage, and it had been he that I had forced off the train onto a strange and unfamiliar train platform in the middle of who knows where at god knows what time. Hardly the upbeat Christmas evening either of us had had in mind, and I did feel a little like I wanted to make it up to him with a top notch NYE.

Anyway, I digress. As I say, we were determined that fun would be had, and possibly even some kind of spiritual awakening or mystic soul quest, if we were lucky (or drunk enough). After some serious Googling, we mapped out our evening ahead of time – dinner at an undecided location (we feared that there wouldn’t be too many options, as many restaurants would be closed, so were happy to go with the flow), and then on to the New Year festivities at Zojoji Temple, which is located near Tokyo Tower in Minato, and was pegged as the ‘place to be’ by several websites. After the countdown, we would trek to Meiji Shrine for the quintessential Japanese New Year spiritual quest (along with millions of other shrine-goers), make our New Year offering, and then hopefully make it home in one (possibly frozen) piece via the delightful train system, which would be running all night long.

A little background:
Generally, New Year’s is a time of cleansing for the Japanese. It is an extremely important holiday, and a time that is usually spent with family (unlike back home, where it is a time usually spent with your head in a punch bowl). No work is done on New Year’s Day, there is no stress or worry, and the house is cleaned from top to toe on New Year’s Eve, ready for a fresh start. (I know this firsthand, as I can hear everything that goes on in the apartment above me, and whoever is up there spent about two hours vacuuming and clunking around on New Year’s Eve morning, much to my annoyance.) In essence, you’re supposed to have everything wrapped up before the year ends – finish up any outstanding jobs, tie up any loose ends, tidy up any unresolved messes.

Anyway, most people visit a temple on New Year’s Eve and a shrine on New Year’s Day (which is why Meiji goes off at about 2am on New Year’s Day) – so we decided to do the same.

Our evening started well, with some butter chicken, garlic naan and ample amounts of alcohol. On we went to Zojoji – and after we wandered through a hotel carpark, around a quaint private garden, and in a circle through a kindergarten, we finally found the temple. And it was hopping.

It was amazing. There were people everywhere, and stalls, and food smells, and excitement, and lights, and balloons. We bought our new year’s fortunes and charms, and wandered through the crowds of people just as excited for the new year as we were.

A central part of the festivities at Zojoji Temple is the tradition of writing your wish for the new year on a special slip of paper and tying it to a (biodegradable) balloon, which you release at midnight. Unfortunately, waiting two hours in line for one of the balloons and another two hours for the slip of paper hadn’t really factored into our NYE plan, so we were contented to look forward to watching the many balloons be released by everyone else.

We watched some men make traditional mochi balls (read: impressively pound away at a doughy lump with a giant mallet), and then bought said mochi balls and enjoyed their deliciousness. We drank warm sake that was only 200 yen a cup, and watched the Buddhist monks performing New Year’s ceremonies closer to the temple. There were several countdown clocks ticking their way closer to midnight, and a giant ‘2009’ in yellow lights. Everywhere we looked there were paper lanterns and people holding balloons, or little Buddhist statues wearing the ubiquitous red bibs and beanies (more on that some other time). And in the background, ever-present, Tokyo Tower loomed in brilliant yellow and white lights just behind where the temple stood.

The countdown itself was amazing. Sure, I should have practised counting backwards in Japanese beforehand, but I managed to get the ‘san, ni, ichi’ part okay and that’s the most exciting anyhow. The big ‘2009’ turned into a big ‘2010’ of course, and Tokyo Tower put on an amazing light display, which ended with ‘2010’ emblazoned on its side.

But best of all, thousands of silvery balloons with little slips of paper tied to them floated high into the sky in a cloud of merriment right on midnight – and naturally I got all misty and soppy about what a great Japan experience it all was. But it really, really was. And I really love New Year.

After that, we made our way back to the station – me all giddy and happy, trying to stop myself from buying multiple crepes and other treats along the way; both of us pleasantly warmed by sake. Tokyo Tower glowed over us, cheerfully declaring it 2010 in glittery lights. Everyone was in a good mood.

Struggling through a packed train, we also made it to Meiji Shrine in one piece. More sake ensued, as did more good luck charm buying, and another New Year fortune (this time earned through shaking a box to see which stick poked out, thus determining your fortune). We misguidedly tried a strange pancake thing that was a bit too odd for either of us, but I was delighted with our decision to buy a chocobanana. (Actually, it was more like I yelped when I saw the stand and demanded that we get one.)

The line to the actual shrine was long. And wide. And packed full of many, many people. And it was freezing. But we stuck it out, even though it was about 3am by then, and when we made it to the front we tossed our coins and took a quiet moment. It was a damn amazing experience, that’s all I can say.

Luckily, I made it back home without anything falling off from frostbite, although by then it was only a stone’s throw to sunrise time. My New Year’s resolutions involve purchasing a warmer coat, drinking more sake, and learning how to make yakisoba. More to come soon.

Happy 2010!