Pictures from Sapporo, New Year 2007
Click any picture to see its larger version. Polish version / wersja polska, main page about my life in JapanAlthough I went to Poland for Christmas like in 2005 I spent the turn of 2006 and 2007 in Sapporo.
Nativity scenes in the church close to my house (Photos 1-2), in the Sapporo cathedral (Photo 3), and in my appartment (Photo 5).
On New Year's Eve in front of a small shrine (Saporo Suwa Shrine) close to my house. The crowd was bigger and bigger when the midnight was approaching. At high midnight, a man appeared inside the shrine and he started to drum. Then the people started to throw coins into the collection box, to ring the bells, to clap their hands, and to bow (it is common way of praying in shinto shrines). After prayers the people bought New Year decorations and fortune-tellings (omikuji). The strips of paper with bad fortunes were attached to prepared strings (Photo 13).
The New Year decorations on Japanese houses (Photos 14-16). In my house at the caretaker's room, there was a figurine of pig (Photo 17) because 2007 is a year of pig in Chinese Zodiac (known and used also in Japan).
On the 3rd of January I went to the large shrine in Maruyama park (Hokkaido Jingu). The ceremonies were similar like in the small shrine but of couse everything was bigger, there were more people and stalls. After New Year prayers one can eat something and buy a daruma doll (Photo 29) to be lucky.
main page about my life in Japan
modified on 2007-03-18