January is a fun time to visit Japan because there are so many festivals you can attend! During our short week in Japan, we got to visit the Toka Ebisu festival (see my previous blog) in Osaka, and on January 13th, we happened to be at the Meiji Shrine during the "Coming of Age" day, a celebration for girls turning 20 years old (kinda like our equivalent of Sweet 16 I suppose).
The path to the shrine was packed with visitors and worshippers. With people, of course, there is always food! Halfway to the shrine we found this little area where you can purchase snacks and other goodies. Nothing keeps your warmer than a hot steam bun on a cold day. Mmm...
The shrine was very busy with locals that day. I'm not too sure what they are lining up for, but I think it's something to do with making wishes for the coming new year.
I'm thinking these girls are either very happy because of all the attention they are getting, or very annoyed cause they kept being interrupted by tourists wanting to take pictures with them. Do you see the guy in the middle with the thumbs up?
Summary
Event: Coming of Age Day
Location: Meiji Shrine
Cost: Free!
Overall impression: Personally, I would prefer visiting the shrine on a normal day, when it is more peaceful and quiet. Because of all the locals visiting the shrine for worship, tourists were not allowed inside the building on the day we went, and we end up wandering outside at the courtyard.
Other Japan trip reports
Osaka
Tokyo
- Meiji shrine
