Hatsumode in Japan
During the New Year celebrations; people in Japan attend shrines to pray for a years worth of good luck and prosperity. This time of the year is called Hatsumode. Thousands of nihon-jin flock to shrines in the towns they live in or the one they are affiliated with. Here there are food vendors, small festival games for children and of course areas to get blessed and buy lucky charms.
This was my first experience in Japan for Hatsumode. We enjoyed the food vendors a lot while our nieces played with the toys we had gotten them from one of the stands.
It was a nice way to bring in the New Year and one that I am looking forward to continuing to do in the future.
