@hanyayanagihara

class="content__text" On New Years Eve and New Years Day, Japanese make the rounds to their local/favorite temples and shrines to ask for good luck in the coming year and receive a blessing. Last night, I made my friend Bitter meet me at the 17th-century Hanazono-jinja in Shinjuku, near his house (the suffix "-jinja" indicates a Shinto shrine; "-dera" means temple. Shintoism and Buddhism were formally split at the beginning of the Meiji era, but Japanese continue to visit both places of worship). This is an Inari shrine, meaning it's associated with foxes, rice, and prosperity. (The fox spirit’s favorite food is inari sushi, seasoned rice in deep-fried tofu pockets, which is why you'll often see packages of it left as offerings at such shrines.) Along with the main shrine, Hanazono has a number of satellite shrines on its campus, including one specifically for actors; this shrine is surrounded by metal placards painted with the names of actors who have donated money for its upkeep over the years (second-to-last slide). Here I also bought the cast of @alittlelifeplay some good-luck charms made just for actors (last slide), as I know that actors are a superstitious bunch and any amount of luck can't be a bad thing. Happy 2023, everyone! #alittlelifeplay #tokyo 🦊

January 21, 2023