My father has gone to where my mother belongs

On Monday, January 23, my father passed away in his 89 years life.
We had a funeral ceremony in the Buddhist style at the same place as where my mother's ceremony was done.

See my mother's funeral in the URL below:
http://ritztalk.blogspot.jp/2015/08/a-funeral-in-japanese-style.html

Many people came and prayed for his peace in the wake and funeral. 

Since he lost his wife, my mother, in August 2015, I thought he seemed to loose his motivation to live longer afterwards.

He always said "the rest of my life is no longer".
He had been in hospital from February to July in 2016 and he was back to the first anniversary of my mother's death.

However, he had been alive for only 6 months.

After 49 days from his funeral, he will be in the my mother's place; physically, a urn containing his bones and ash will be aside of my mother's one in their grave, and spiritually, he will be with her in Heaven.

Oyama Afuri Shrine and Oyama Temple

Oyama Afuri Shrine and Oyama temple are Located on Mt. Oyama.

Oyama means "the big mountain" 

Actually, Oyama Afuri Shrine has two venues; one is in the pictures below.

The other venue is the top of the mountain to climb up by long stairs.

Here is the entrance to the other venue.
It is such a long way that I didn't go up there this time, maybe next time.

Taking a cable car and down to Oyama temple, it had cherry blossoms there.

This is a special species of winter-blooming cherry tree.

Oyama temple is located on the steep slope of the mountain.

The famous foods at Oyama are Tofu bowl and wild boar bowl.

The meat of wild boar is just like sticky pork.

Tofu here is very delicious, nothing compete with.

The last picture shows what I bought at Oyama as amulets and prayers for our health, wealth, prosperity, and an achievement.

The left one is "EMA", pictorial tablet; the central one, looking like gold oval (currency at Edo period),  is also an amulet.

The right is a typical amulet with a bow and an arrow. 

Decorations for the new year

The typical decoration for the new year is KADOMATSU; KADO means a gate, and MATSU means pine tree.  It is said in the aincient Japan that the pine tree is the one God dwell inside.

In Edo period, the pine tree is stable for 1000 years and as is the bamboo for 10000 years.

The first visit of this year to a Shinto shrine

During the first three days of the year, visiting Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples , so called "Hatsumoude" is a typical activity in Japan.

Some shrines or temples have a bell, used to announce the time, and the bell was rung one hundred and eight (108) times in the midnight of the last day of the year.

The each sound of bell would remove the carnal desires, lusts, desperations, greed from those who wish the peace in their minds.

Many people offer the pictorial tablets with their prayers and wishes by hanging them.

After people read the fortune telling slips, they tie them up like this way in the picture below.

The picture below is one of common decorations for the new year period, so called "Kadomatsu",  traditionally it will be decorated until 15th of January or usually 7th of January in business customs.

A happy new year, 2017

The year 2017 has come and I wish peace and happiness be with all of you.
We had a new year party at my sister-in-law's home with niece and her fiance.

              

OTOSO (the picture left above) and OZONI (the picture right above) are typical food and drink for the new year ceremonial day.  OTOSO is somehow ritual drink made from rice wine with herbal medicine.

Tastes and ingredients of OZONI are different regionally, so each family has own OZONI recipe.

The picture above shows OSECHI boxes.  There are variety of foods.  Interestingly, they are all preservable, so that house wives can be supposed not to be busy with cooking all the day.

Typical ceremonial food for celebration in Japan is a Red Snapper or a Spiny Lobster.  Unfortunately, we are not able to get a red snapper and a spiny lobster is very expensive, then, we had a taraba crab this year.

You can find the article explaining the hidden meaning behind Osechi Boxes in URL below.
http://savvytokyo.com/osechi-ryori-hidden-meanings-behind-japanese-new-year-food/