My Customs on New Year's Day

New Year in Kyoto

On January 2nd, I spend the day in Kyoto every year.
Kyoto is the place my grandparents live, and the place where I was born.
In Japan, we celebrate New Year for 3 days.
So we celebrate New Year with my parents in Osaka on 1st of Jan, we go to see my grandparents in Kyoto on 2nd, and we get relax on 3rd.

On 2nd of Jan, what I do every year is going to shrine, "Hirano Jinjya" to wish a good year in 2007.
Two bows, crap your hands twice, pray and one bow.
I always forget how to pray at shrine.
It is different from what you have to do at temple.

This is another my custom on 2nd of Jan.
This is called "Omikuji", which is a written oracle in English.
It costs just one buck, and tells me what my luck is like.
I don't trust what it says that much, but still this is what I have to do on this day.
And, of course, I am happy when it says good thing about my luck.
This year, I got "Kichi", the second highest luck.

Other than going to shrine, my sister and I do several same things every year.
We go shopping, we go to Karaoke, we play cards, and we go to a bookstore.
We just repeat the same thing every year, but only once a year.
I love spending New Year's Day in Japan.
New Year's Day in Japan is such a special day.
It is such a hard work to remember all of Japanese traditional things for New Year.
The more you know about Japanese culture, the more you will like Japan!!