On or around January 1st, an absolutely huge number of Japanese go to either a local or large shrine to pray — a rough but nonetheless rigourous reckoning of mine putting the figure at approximately 87.34 percent of the population. However, due to Japan’s refreshingly relaxed approach to religion, the emphasis is much more on fun rather than fervour.
A large amount of said fun being focused around food,
as well as some fancy outfits.
Oh, and a fair bit more food.
Along with the longing for a bit of luck,
in some form or other.
And, quite possibly, the further addition of more traditional togs.
Plus, of course, a final bit of food to finish off the festivities.
(click images for super-sized sustenance)
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The old man in the last picture looks really sort of lost……
Nice pics!
Haha, totally agree!
Love the kimono. Just so pretty.
Really great shots, dude. You captured the atmosphere brilliantly!!!
Sugoi ne (-:
Loco
reading this post first thing in the morning at work…
staring at the food…
Only question I have is, what was being cooked in those two pictures? (yes, actually hungry enough to lick the screen
)
Cheers. Glad you like the photos.
From the top Magnus369, it’s takoyaki, okonomiyaki and the old boy at the bottom is selling chillies.
Lee, I think this is possibly your best set of photos yet.
Japanese festivals and all the stuff associated with New Year’s are some of my favorite things about Japan. I dig the whole scene. I got to spend my last New Year’s in Japn in Kyoto.
Great Sets of Photos! Looks like it was a lot of fun, my type of events.
I always heard that japanese always know how to throw a party, or festival and I always find Japanese festivities very interesting and entertaining, especially with New Year being the biggest holiday of all. I hope to really experience it myself someday.
And I also heard how the Japanese loves their food, it’s looks delicious!
The Japanese really know how to kick off the new year.
Nice photos Lee. The older generations taking part really brings a deeper meaning to the New Year. Plus they make such great subjects!
Hi, I really like your pic.
Can you tell me a little bit about the lighting conditions and what equipment you used ?
flash ?
lens ?
Thanks!
Wow, beautiful pictures!
Cheers!
No flash difuser88, I used a Nikon D300 with the Nikkor 85mm 1.4D AF. My favourite new toy.