December 30, 2009
-
December 31 - Jindaiji
Instead of spending the last few days of the year in the kitchen making traditional New Year's dishes that nobody really wants to eat anyway, we made a trip to Jindaiji, a local spot that we like. Dotter wanted to do some "rakuyaki," as a shop where you can paint your own dish and have it fired right on the premises.
Behold brushes and pots of colored glaze
Seen from the top of the steps leading up to Jindaiji Temple, left...
...and right. We had a nice noodly lunch in this place.
The temple building is all dressed up for the New Year
Another shot over an inscense brazier
Girls set up shop that will open at the stroke of midnight. Visitors to the temple bring their old talismans to be disposed of by burning and replace them with new ones for the coming year.
The sun is going down, and the New Year is about to be rung in.
It's cold today, and the steamed jam buns are selling well!
You can also warm up with a bowl of noodles.
Here is Dotter frozen from painting her dish in the open shop. It is not sunny, so the umbrellas are not up. Influenza is still going around here, and everyone dons masks to keep out the germs that are crawling all over the trains and busses.
Here is the "rakuyaki" shop. Hey, stick a toothpick in Dotter's dish to see if it is done yet!
People always eat noodles at New Years because to eat something long helps you to enjoy a long life, so they say. This fellow is rolling out more noodle dough to be cut up and boiled.
