The first visit of the year to the local shrine or temple is always quite busy.

New Years is probably the most important holiday in Japan. It is celebrated in a similar way as Xmas is in the West, with almost everywhere closing down and people traveling to spend time with their family for a few days.

After New Years, the fun begins. Within the first three days, nearly everyone in the country will visit their nearby shrine or temple in an event called hatsumōde (初詣). There they will make their first prayer of the year asking for good luck for the coming year, they will also often buy omikuji (御神籤) which is a strip of paper with a fortune on it, and omamori (御守) which is a kind of good luck amulet that they will then carry with them for the rest of the year. Kids usually tie their omamori for the year to their school backpack; mine have.

This photo was taken at Osu Kannon, which is a popular temple in Nagoya. Man, those are some long lines, eh? Normally I go to hatsumōde with my family at a local shrine, as I showed a few days ago, a place that isn't so busy. But I do travel here sometimes in the days after to witness the chaos.

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.

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