So New Year’s. To me it’s never been the most special event in the world, it’s more like “whoops, it’s that darn January again”-event. But at least it’s been interesting at least this time (not that the previous New Year-parties/events have been boring, this was just more different).
Nothing’s been happening, like usual, but there’s a lot more people around me than usual. And my family. It’s been awhile since I spent the holidays with them. Obviously though, like it’s a reason to be surprised, everything seemed kinda funkier. I'm in Japan and this year changing thing is HUGE here. It's not your normal "hey, let's eat sausages and potato salad, drink copious amounts of alcohol and use all our tax refunds on fireworks" with that little hint of "the worst hangover on the 1st of January and going to school on the 2nd."
… Not that I even have that kinda evenings usually but this really. I didn’t want to break from the pattern too much and I didn’t really feel like it. Just have to face the fact, I don’t stay up until 6am on New Year’s Eve, probably never have. Not my thing. Unless something REALLY awesome is going on.
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| Hello Tokyo |
I went to Meiji Shrine in Harajuku and the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa BEFORE New Year’s rush… Or at least I thought so but still shrines and temples are pretty full during this time of the year.
But hey, what is the difference here? Two places where you clap hands inside a pretty building and thrown your 1 yen coins away. Well…Sensoji is a Buddhist temple and Meiji is a Shinto shrine. Both were very beautiful and despite being renovated time after time, they still had this feeling of something more ancient and greater (the big, red railings in Sensoji were made from metal). Despite being full of little booths selling (horrible) swag and food, especially in Asakusa, the feeling of peace still lingers on and effects you. Even if you don't believe to the place where you visit. It just feels nice there. In most places around the world this slowing down and taking it easy-aspect is not present almost at all. Kind of a nice change of pace to Finland.
Here following are some pics from Sensoji. The Meiji pictures are nowhere to be found, I don't know where those pictures went... But you'll see a Shrinto shrine in my Mt. Fuji post that comes later.
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| Read the sign. |
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| Statues... Yup. |
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| It's a big lantern. A VERY BIG LANTERN. |
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| The name of the gate with the big lantern |
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| If you look closely, you see people. And swag. |
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| Some of the merchandise they sell at Asakusa |
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| The year changed in such a nice weather |
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| Peoplleeeee |
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| Temple |
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| Another lantern.. I like these. |
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| Managed to snap a picture from an empty spot |
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| Pagodaaaaa |
On the night of the 30th and 31st, I still haven’t had the chance to taste some New Year’s food eg. mochi, long soba noodles, the fancy bento box etc. I’ve mostly been eating safe (and cheap!) food but it’s seems almost a tradition to eat fatty food during New Year’s (sausages and potato salad, yay!). And I was with my family so we had some okonomiyaki and izakaya food. It was a nice ending.
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| FOOOOD. Okonomiyaki really was the best one to end the year. |
It’s probably more of a geek New Year’s experience but oh, it was fun. On the 29th I went to Winter Comikket with my friend. Comikket? What is this event you may ask? It’s a social gatherings of geeks, nerds, lonely people and people WHO just really like comics. Comikket is held Evert 6 months in Tokyo Big Sight, hosting thousands and thousand of mangakas (people who draw comics), original and fan comics known as doujinshi. 90% of all the comics (and products) sold are fan comics… Of mature content.
Yes, you want to know if I bought any. And yes, yes I did buy. Actually 2 of them. I wanted to maybe get something that’s related to some mangas that I read/animes that I watch but damn, the selection was just HUGE. Just before we left I happened to see some Sherlock Holmes comics… Not the from latest BBC series nor the Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law-movies. No, it was the old classic, the first Sherlock I saw, Granada Holmes. After pondering for 10 seconds I got two of them. For 500 yen that much! That’s really cheap but the small books weren’t that huge, only 15 pages or so, still I managed to make someone happy (other than myself). Some things that I saw were really hardcore (take it anyway you want) but 40% of the time behind the counter there was a middle-aged woman. No matter what they were selling, it was a woman. Very interesting when you look at the internet... But then again, I'm a woman who roams the internet on regular basis so seeing so many women wasn't in the end a surprise...
It's not surprising that outside Japan no one really knows or talks about this event. At least in positive...ish light. The most of the material is very... sensitive and just not for bigger audiences. But you know what? This was a great event. I spent a lot of my time watching how much people had put to this event... Cosplayers with their AMAZING costumes, people selling their hard work to others (and judged by thousands too, very harsh) and others browsing through, seeing friends etc. And 90% of the content is made by private people to... people just like them. Why events couldn't be more like this? Creating content in a community, sharing information and your favourite things... Yeah, there's social media but really, the medium of printed media is raelly dying. Which is a shame because there is something more real about holding a little booklet in your hand then staring at your computer screen and reading something that just seems... soulless. Maybe that is my problem, I really want to see a mix of traditional and digital meet up more, make this combination work much better. The printed "truth"
Sheesh, Comiket really made me think.... That's scary. And yeah!
The only thing "scary" about this experience was that I was alone. I dont know what travel guides say about that matter but being a female and a foreigner alone didn't really make me feel very comfortable. I thought I'd be more afraid though but at around 3am people don’t really feel like talking to strangers... Especially not the drunken Japanese... Or I safely assumed so. I don’t really hit that button inside a man’s brain that makes them want to talk to me… Which was great and a good safety manner until I actually I started to think. Then I realized. Oh gawd. I will be forever alone. Even in Japan. In January, after reading about random attacks against homeless and foreigners is really unnerving...
But ohwell, back to the wandering part. I saw a lot sleepier, less hectic side of Tokyo at the same time during this holidays wandering. Everything kinda slows down in a weird way, you see trash all over the place, things start to smell... Exept the few cars, Tokyo gets quiet. Ikebukuro also being quite void of big parks, the only homeless I saw were near the train station/small niches.
Also a funny thing happened: my Japanese isn’t the best one (what a shock) but I could understand when a couple walking behind me was talking about about this "kawaii Mario-chan". Apparently I looked like Mario to them (on that night I was wearing electric blue pants and a red 'n black poncho). I found it very amusing and laughedat that alone... Maybe yet again another reason why I'm left alone. That is pretty sweet.
But all this wandering around and seeing things concluded into mangacafe and small hotels. At least I can say that I got to sleep in a real bed between 2011-2012, waking up on the first day of 2012 from somewhere from and not smelling like tobacco. Pretty nice...
Just to be lazy and totally give this blog a rushed, sappy hypocritical ending (because I don't know what to write about) I have to say that at least the japanese understand some kind of meaning to this life. Live it to the fullest, experience new things and then when your time comes, it comes. This came to me at 3.30am at mangacafe, thinking about all the unnecessary things in live that I've just realized in Japan. If Japanese do understand something, it's the meaning of family. Because really, I was genuinely happy that I got to spend the holidays with the people I love.
Okay, until next time! C:
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