This year, we spent New Year’s in Kyoto, so we visited Yasaka Shrine for the first time in the New Year and watched a Noh dance performance that was being held on the same day to celebrate the New Year. We were surprised at the number of people in attendance!

The program included a traditional dance to pray for the peace of the nation and bountiful harvests, and ended with the “Takasago,” a dance reserved for auspicious occasions.

In Takasago, the pine tree in which the god has said to be dwelling since ancient times plays an important role. It represents the joy of longevity, and because there are both male and female trees, the song also conveys the importance of a happy marriage. We always find the sensibility of attributing a spirit to every living thing very beautiful in Japanese spiritual culture.

In the afternoon, a New Year’s party was held at a friend’s house with close friends, and we enjoyed celebrating the New Year with a luxurious yakiniku party. The year is the year of the snake, so let’s get to work with the intention of shedding our skin and being reborn! It was a good start to the year.