Year of the Dachshund
Happy New Year to fellow bloggers and lurkers alike! Miss Ember, accompanied by the gallavanting Sir S, omnibussed to Ol` Kyoto Town for the New Year festivities. Here we rendezvoused with Australien travellers Miss S and Sir P and merged with the Kyoto hordes for a temple visit and a frenzy of bell-ringing.
New Year`s Eve in Kyoto is famous for the tolling of many copper temple bells before and at midnight, in order to dispell the 108 sins of humankind (surely Miss Ember hasn`t committed all of these?). We ventured forth into the night in the direction of Chion-in Temple, where a copper bell of gargantuan proportions - and said to be the biggest in Japan - is tolled by 17 monks in an arresting performance of strength, dexterity and complicated abdominal-pelvic manoeuvres. We joined a queue and were eventually ushered by this absolute marvel of bourdon craftsmanship, which was so big it could be worn by the BFG as an interesting, special occasion headpiece. It had a timeworn, green appearance and a deep timbre that boomed across the templegrounds. Most impressive!
Then we greeted midnight in a shivering queue at the Shoren-in temple, where visitors could pray before a smaller version of aforementioned bell and ring it one-by-one. The four of us agreed heartily to participate in giving the ropes a jolly swing, however Miss S and I could not control our nerves and we fidgetted in line, unnerved by the horrid vision that we would (a) ring the bell too weakly so that the huge wooden, log of a donger - suspended by many ropes - merely tapped the copper surface pathetically like a wooden spoon against a bowl; or (b) ring the bell too forcefully so that it was double-donged by the striking wooden pole and toll so loudly that birds would awaken with irritated twitters from overhead, dogs would howl and children would scream and pelt us with dangling accessories so that we`d blush crimson into our scarves; or (c) hit one`s head on the donger or bell whilst bowing to the priest or bowing to the bell, in front of hundreds of solemn Japanese. Fortunately, Operation Belfry was a success, and our dongs resounded through the dark with a satisfying boom. Marvellous!
On New Year`s Day, Sir S and I traversed to my fave foxy shrine, Fushimi Inari (previously posted about in August 2005 Tales). The shrine heaved with New Year visitors and its front entrance was decked out in fairground style with stalls selling takoyaki (octopus balls), Hello Kitty Cake Heads, Kansai okonomiyaki (noodle-less) and shops were a-glitter with gaudy festoons of koi carp, dogs and tinsel and Ebisuko rakes decorated with white vixens with glinting gold eyes. Many a visitor brought their pet dog along, in keeping with the Year of the Dog decorations and, among the lolloping labradors and white bear-like shaggy dogs trying to snitch an octopus ball from an unwitting child, there was many a dachshund dressed up in a wintery knit, slung over their owner`s shoulder and slobbering at the sight of unidentifiable fishy objects sizzling on the hotplates all around. Woof woof!
New Year`s Eve in Kyoto is famous for the tolling of many copper temple bells before and at midnight, in order to dispell the 108 sins of humankind (surely Miss Ember hasn`t committed all of these?). We ventured forth into the night in the direction of Chion-in Temple, where a copper bell of gargantuan proportions - and said to be the biggest in Japan - is tolled by 17 monks in an arresting performance of strength, dexterity and complicated abdominal-pelvic manoeuvres. We joined a queue and were eventually ushered by this absolute marvel of bourdon craftsmanship, which was so big it could be worn by the BFG as an interesting, special occasion headpiece. It had a timeworn, green appearance and a deep timbre that boomed across the templegrounds. Most impressive!
Then we greeted midnight in a shivering queue at the Shoren-in temple, where visitors could pray before a smaller version of aforementioned bell and ring it one-by-one. The four of us agreed heartily to participate in giving the ropes a jolly swing, however Miss S and I could not control our nerves and we fidgetted in line, unnerved by the horrid vision that we would (a) ring the bell too weakly so that the huge wooden, log of a donger - suspended by many ropes - merely tapped the copper surface pathetically like a wooden spoon against a bowl; or (b) ring the bell too forcefully so that it was double-donged by the striking wooden pole and toll so loudly that birds would awaken with irritated twitters from overhead, dogs would howl and children would scream and pelt us with dangling accessories so that we`d blush crimson into our scarves; or (c) hit one`s head on the donger or bell whilst bowing to the priest or bowing to the bell, in front of hundreds of solemn Japanese. Fortunately, Operation Belfry was a success, and our dongs resounded through the dark with a satisfying boom. Marvellous!
On New Year`s Day, Sir S and I traversed to my fave foxy shrine, Fushimi Inari (previously posted about in August 2005 Tales). The shrine heaved with New Year visitors and its front entrance was decked out in fairground style with stalls selling takoyaki (octopus balls), Hello Kitty Cake Heads, Kansai okonomiyaki (noodle-less) and shops were a-glitter with gaudy festoons of koi carp, dogs and tinsel and Ebisuko rakes decorated with white vixens with glinting gold eyes. Many a visitor brought their pet dog along, in keeping with the Year of the Dog decorations and, among the lolloping labradors and white bear-like shaggy dogs trying to snitch an octopus ball from an unwitting child, there was many a dachshund dressed up in a wintery knit, slung over their owner`s shoulder and slobbering at the sight of unidentifiable fishy objects sizzling on the hotplates all around. Woof woof!
posted by Miss Ember at 7:30 pm
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