Hiroshige's version of the Oji foxes from the early 19th century. The area looks a bit different today, as do the foxes.
At midnight on New Year's, all the foxes of the Kanto region gather at the Inari shrine in Oji. Lucky for us, we live a 15 minute walk away. Joe and I stayed up watching the annual battle of male and female pop stars on t.v., and plopped little man in his stroller surrounded by blankets at around 11:30 on New Year's Eve to walk over and see the parade of foxes. I've been looking forward to it since I saw a small version of the parade back in September. It was amazing.
The parade began with elaborately costumed foxes and elders of the community.
After a group of kiddos being carried in a palanquin, there were huge versions of the paper mache masks that were worn by most of the paraders.
A lit sign with the fox, symbol of Inari shrines. This was on the major street going through the area, so the parade was kept to one side of the road to allow traffic to pass.
A friendly fox who played with little man, and bent down with her lantern to allow him to see the candle inside.
Foxy.
The lanterns announcing the parade along the route.
Most of the foxes were costumed simply.
The parade went through a few narrow streets, as above. It got a little crazy.
As we approached the shrine the crowds really thickened, so we hung back from the parade itself. We grabbed a snack at a conbini and then arrived at the shrine once the parade had dispersed. Despite being about 1:15 a.m., the shrine was bustling with people wanting to say the first prayer of the year. The line was out of the shrine grounds and around the block. We didn't feel the need to wait, but we did walk around for a few minutes.
The big bonfires were a welcome way to warm up on a cold winter's night.
We walked back home and visited Hakusan Shrine back in our immediate neighborhood before getting in at around 2 a.m. Above is little man wrapped in his Donald Duck blanket learning how to say a prayer at a Shinto shrine, and making a wish for the new year.
May 2014 bring you happiness, comfort, and joy!
No comments:
Post a Comment