Monks, staff at Narita temple prepare for year’s end

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:56 JST, December 13, 2022

Monks and other temple staff dust under the eaves of the Great Main Hall as part of an annual year-end cleaning ritual at Naritasan Shinshoji temple in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, early Tuesday morning. A senior temple official lit a sacred goma fire at around 5 a.m. to announce the start of the susu harai ritual to remove dust accumulated throughout the year. About 40 monks and staff dusted using leafy bamboo shoots measuring around 8 meters long and wiped down items on the altar.