Ringing in the New Year

Our friends who live off base (Renee and Geoff) invited us to celebrate New Year's Eve with them in a traditional Japanese way: By ringing a giant bell to welcome in the new year. We drove to their house at 11:30pm and ended up walking down to the shrine with their Japanese neighbors (Sean speaking fluently with them, and me just smiling and pretending like I got the joke when they would laugh about something.) :) If you can see the photo where Sean and I are swinging a large piece of wood back and then forward to hit the bell, it gives you a better idea of what we experienced. We were the only Americans there, which made the night even more special and authentic. After we hit the bell, we were invited (by Renee's neighbors) into the Buddist temple that was next to the shrine. We were excited to see inside so we took off our shoes and followed them inside. They opened the sliding shoji screen doors and we sat on a cushion next to them, smelling the scent of incense and listening to a buddist monk chanting and hitting a drum. Our Japanese friends handed us a wooden drumstick that we hit on top of a wooden sculpture that looked like a skull. Everyone in the room was beating their wooden skulls at the same time in a rhythm that flowed with the chants of the monk. It was a surreal feeling as I was sitting there looking at the back of this Buddist monk, listening to sounds in the room and feeling like I had stepped into another world completely. What an amazing experience it was to discover a few of their traditions and beliefs first hand. That is why I love being here and want to stay another year. It's a once in a lifetime adventure!