The First Post of 2008
This is my first post of 2008. That is a big deal in Japan.
New Year’s Day is the most important holiday in Japan. It is a time for families. People return to their hometowns and eat special food and observe traditions that have been handed down for countless generations. For my American readers, if you can imagine combining Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is something like that. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are commercial holidays, more like Valentine’s Day. It is a romantic time for lovers. Most people work. But New Year’s is different. And for once, the frenetic pace of Tokyo slows, and the streets are just a little quieter than usual…
The trains ran all night, to accommodate people who went to Shrines or Temples to ring in the new year. Literally. It’s a tradition to strike the bell 108 times, with the final ring timed to usher in the new year. In Buddhism, the number 108 is very important, because it symbolizes the 108 passions people must overcome to achieve enlightenment. The number 108 is very symbolic in many traditions, as this wikipedia article lllustrates. I used to study a Chinese martial art, descended from the original Shaolin (Buddhist) Temple, that had 108 forms.
I used to practice Japanese calligraphy (書道）in Seattle. People who devote themselves to a serious discipline like that strive to make every day and every moment matter. That is the meaning of “michi” (道). But some of the more senior practitioners talked very seriously about the importance of their first practice each year. They believed that the manner in which they took up their brush on the first day of the year would set the tone for the rest of the year. Talk about putting pressure on yourself! 
In Japan, the first sunrise (hatuhinode,初日の出), is important. The first time you do anything for the new year is important. But if you really want to achieve mastery, you must care that spirit with you all year–not just on New Year’s. That is something that you can observe in the traditional arts and disciplines of Japan. I only hope that the younger generation will have the patience and strength to carry that on…
I wrote back in October, 2006 about the importance of each moment. You can see that article here.
And here is a Wikipedia article with some basic background info on how Japanese celebrate New Year’s Day
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