©1987 Lawrence I. Charters
Off Duty, January 1987, pp. 10-11.
New Year as celebrated by the Japanese is a far cry from the noisemakers-and-champagne occasion that Americans know.
When the temple bells have been rung for the 108th time early on the morning of January 1, Japan will have entered the year 1987. Rung once for each of the 108 Buddhist sins, the ringing is supposed to drive away any evil spirits lurking about, and give the faithful, reborn and renewed a fresh start as they enter the Year of the Rabbit.
Unlike the European zodiac, Asia’s zodiac concentrates more on years than months. The fourth in a 12-year cycle (each year is named after an animal), 1987 is of particular interest to people born in 1939, 1951, 1963, and 1975. Instead of saying “my sign is Gemini,” a Japanese is more likely to announce, “I am a Rabbit,” or a tiger, or a monkey. Each animal is associated with certain human characteristics; people born in rabbit years are thought to be clever, ingenious tricksters — definitely not dumb bunnies. Generally speaking, you probably want to avoid any “rabbit” carrying a squirt gun or a whoopie cushion.
Since Japan has used the lunar calendar for most of its history, and the lunar new year takes place in late January, New Year’s festivities do not end on the first day of the calendar year as they do for Westerners. January in Japan is a very full month of festivities. Tens of millions of people visit temples and shrines during the first four days of the year, but Jan. 15 is often thought of as the “Little New Year” for the moon (particularly important in rabbit years), and early February marks the start of the old solar new year.
Almost every temple and shrine will have a stand selling “year charms.” Often hand-carved of wood, the charms are supposed to bring luck to people born in that year, and they make nice, inexpensive gifts.
This year, Adults’ Day, Jan. 15, falls in the middle of the week, but this shouldn’t stop you from trying to get away to a Shinto shrine. Most Adults’ Day activities take place in the home, as parents and grandparents honor sons and daughters who have turned 20 in the past year. Twenty years of age marks full citizenship in Japan, with the right to vote and be considered an adult.
January 15 should see a steady stream of young men and women, often accompanied by their parents, making trips to local shrines to receive the blessings of the gods.
January marks the start of the 1987 sumo season, with the first of six 15-day tournaments. Sumo, a form of Japanese wrestling rich in tradition, is at least 1,500 years old, with roots in the Shinto religion. In fact, according to one legend, the nation of Japan owes its birth to a successful sumo match.
Scheduled every other month, the grand sumo tournaments bring the best sumo wrestlers of the world together in a contest for the Emperor’s Cup. Half the tournaments are scheduled for Tokyo, with the remaining three in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka (Kyushu) .
Chiyonofuji, the top-ranked yokozuna (grand champion) and third most successful sumotori in history, will be trying for a record seventh straight win in Tokyo. Since the Sumo Association opened its new arena in Tokyo in January, 1984, Chiyonofuji has won every tournament in the building, particularly remarkable when you consider his relatively small size. The New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo may have some tickets for the tournament, but if you can’t go in person, you can always see the matches live, every day from 4-6 p.m., on NHK TV’s Channel 1.
As you have probably noticed, January is a chilly month in Japan. Even if you do manage to keep your toothpaste from freezing (a difficult trick if you live in a Japanese house), summer seems a long way off. Rather than worry about it, you can do as the Japanese do and accept it. Even relish it. There are plenty of ski tours on offer at base tour offices. Tours are scheduled for virtually every weekend, with some spread over several days. When you tell people back home you broke your leg in Nozawa, Naeba, Akakura, or Megamiko, they’re bound to be impressed.
A half-scale model of an Okinawan palace at Sapporo’s Snow Festival. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, scanned from a print.
Snow can be used for more than skiing, as almost any child can demonstrate. If you’re stationed in Misawa you can see several local festivals which involve setting up small shrines in igloo-shaped snow huts, called kamakura.
Every other winter event pales, though, beside the Yuki Matsuri, the Sapporo Snow Festival, Feb. 5-11, held in the capital city of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
When they build a snowman during the Snow Festival, they do it on a grand scale. Astounding sights may include a 35-foot snow statue of Mickey Mouse, or a 50-foot high version of Izanagi, one of the founding gods of Japan. Even these statues are dwarfed by some of the icy edifices constructed, such as a half-scale model of England’s Buckingham Palace, constructed entirely from snow.
Many of these massive snow sculptures are the work of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force, which uses the construction work to teach troops project management, teamwork, and logistics. A typical sculpture, perhaps a full-size replica of a temple, might involve 50 men, working furiously to turn a hundred truck loads of snow into a temple within a week or so.
There are dozens of large snow sculptures, including some built as part of an international competition. Misawa’s team, representing the U.S., is almost always a contender for a prize. Solid ice sculptures are also part of the festival, such as one of a couple years back showing a bus-sized Godzilla menacing a frozen Tokyo.
Sapporo is worth seeing even without the Snow Festival. Well-designed with wide streets, it is easily one of the most modern cities in the world, and such relics as an old Russian clock tower seem very out of place. The subway system is also an eye-opener, with rubber-tired cars gliding silently along. Once outside of the downtown area, the subway moves above ground, but no one worries about the snow — everything is encased in a giant glass tube.
You may wonder, if the Snow Festival is a February event, why is it being mentioned in January? Because it is very popular, and you need to make reservations immediately — or sooner. If all the festival tours are full, you also might consider going on a Sapporo ski tour either immediately before or after the festival. They’re cheaper, though the sculptures will either be under construction or demolition.
This is one event you don’t want to miss, so dash down to the tours office right now. And when you go, take lots of fast color film, and make sure you view the sculptures at night as well as during the day. They’re all bathed in spotlights, and it’s glorious.