Wishing for a good start to the New Year, many in Japan visit temples, shrines
11:51 JST, January 1, 2023
Crowds eager for blessings on the first day of 2023 flocked to temples and shrines across Japan from the wee hours of the morning on Sunday.
As the world welcomes a third New Year’s Day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, living with the novel coronavirus has become more routine.
At Sensoji, the famed temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, a huge crowd thronged the grounds and flowed all the way outside Kaminarimon, the main gate usually decorated with a large red lantern. The temple said it expects to receive over 2.5 million people across the first three days of this year.
An office worker in his 30s from Yokohama had waited in line to pray at the temple since New Year’s Eve.
“I hope war and the pandemic will end soon,” he said regarding his wishes for the New Year.
Although coronavirus infections continue to spread during the eighth wave of the pandemic, many people are expected to make the traditional first visit of the year to temples and shrines this week.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
-
Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
-
U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
-
Tsunami Advisory for Okinawa Lifted at Noon (UPDATE 2)
-
JAL Airplane Experiences Radio Malfunction During Flight, Lands Safely By Relying on Light Signals
JN ACCESS RANKING
- M6.0 Earthquake Hits Japan’s Tohoku Region; Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi Prefectures Observe 4 on Japanese Scale With No Risk of Tsunami
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’