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Jan. 3rd, 2012 01:54 pmLinks:
Computer Science: Alan Turing Gets A Stamp
Japan: Red Team Wins Annual NHK Kouhaku Song Contest Sounds amazingly exploitative, but I didn't watch it.
Photography: Empty London on Christmas Day
Since doing the 2011 meme last post, I remembered where I celebrated the new year -- I was at an all-night goth event and afterwards walked across the Rainbow Bridge to take pictures of the first dawn of the year (also known as "hatsu-hinode"). I should also have added "Sayonara no Natsu" to the very short list of songs that remind me of last year. It's the theme from the 2011 Ghibli movie, which means I heard it everywhere and it has a sense of wistfulness that characterises most of their movies.
This year, I went to the last day of Winter Comiket with J, took in an all-you-can-eat buffet at American Oven in Odaiba, then headed to TOHO Cinemas in Fuchuu for a showing of Tintin. By then, it was 11pm and we headed to a nearby shrine (Ookunitama, which just so happens to be one of the biggest in Tokyo) for the first shrine visit of the year (also know as "hatsu-moude").
Afterwards, we got our fortunes for the year. You shake a wooden box, and out comes a wooden stick with a number on it. You tell the shrine maidens your number, pay 100 yen and get your fortune. Mine was dai-kichi, the highest level of good fortune. As we left, we could hear groups of people screaming in delight as some of them, too, got the same fortune.
We were back at 2pm, in time for the first dream of the year ("hatsu-yume"), but J demanded that such a thing as 'hatsu-neko' exist. Well...
Hatsu-bato (初鳩) First pigeon
Hatsu-buro (初風呂) First bath
Hatsu-fuji (初富士) First Mt. Fuji
Hatsu-gama (初釜) First tea ceremony
Hatsu-geshiki (初景色) First scenery
Hatsu-hana (初花) First flower
Hatsu-ichi (初市) First market
Hatsu-kaze (初風) First breeze (...in Autumn)
Hatsu-koe (初声) First animal sound
Hatsu-sugata (初姿) First kimono
Hatsi-tori (初鶏) First cock-crowing
Hatsu-uri (初売り) First sales/business
Hatsu-yu (初湯) First bath
Hatsu-zora (初空) First skies
Soon after that we had 'hatsu-jishin', or the first earthquake of the new year. While it didn't cause any damage, it went on for ages and threatened to get worse about half-way through. It didn't, of course, but it did turn out to be a 7.0. No tsunami.
And then I went off to my friends' pizza party after buying a fukubukuro ("lucky dip bag") of Magic: The Gathering stuff. I'll spare you the details.
Anyway, off to watch the new Sherlock.
Computer Science: Alan Turing Gets A Stamp
Japan: Red Team Wins Annual NHK Kouhaku Song Contest Sounds amazingly exploitative, but I didn't watch it.
Photography: Empty London on Christmas Day
Since doing the 2011 meme last post, I remembered where I celebrated the new year -- I was at an all-night goth event and afterwards walked across the Rainbow Bridge to take pictures of the first dawn of the year (also known as "hatsu-hinode"). I should also have added "Sayonara no Natsu" to the very short list of songs that remind me of last year. It's the theme from the 2011 Ghibli movie, which means I heard it everywhere and it has a sense of wistfulness that characterises most of their movies.
This year, I went to the last day of Winter Comiket with J, took in an all-you-can-eat buffet at American Oven in Odaiba, then headed to TOHO Cinemas in Fuchuu for a showing of Tintin. By then, it was 11pm and we headed to a nearby shrine (Ookunitama, which just so happens to be one of the biggest in Tokyo) for the first shrine visit of the year (also know as "hatsu-moude").
Afterwards, we got our fortunes for the year. You shake a wooden box, and out comes a wooden stick with a number on it. You tell the shrine maidens your number, pay 100 yen and get your fortune. Mine was dai-kichi, the highest level of good fortune. As we left, we could hear groups of people screaming in delight as some of them, too, got the same fortune.
We were back at 2pm, in time for the first dream of the year ("hatsu-yume"), but J demanded that such a thing as 'hatsu-neko' exist. Well...
Hatsu-bato (初鳩) First pigeon
Hatsu-buro (初風呂) First bath
Hatsu-fuji (初富士) First Mt. Fuji
Hatsu-gama (初釜) First tea ceremony
Hatsu-geshiki (初景色) First scenery
Hatsu-hana (初花) First flower
Hatsu-ichi (初市) First market
Hatsu-kaze (初風) First breeze (...in Autumn)
Hatsu-koe (初声) First animal sound
Hatsu-sugata (初姿) First kimono
Hatsi-tori (初鶏) First cock-crowing
Hatsu-uri (初売り) First sales/business
Hatsu-yu (初湯) First bath
Hatsu-zora (初空) First skies
Soon after that we had 'hatsu-jishin', or the first earthquake of the new year. While it didn't cause any damage, it went on for ages and threatened to get worse about half-way through. It didn't, of course, but it did turn out to be a 7.0. No tsunami.
And then I went off to my friends' pizza party after buying a fukubukuro ("lucky dip bag") of Magic: The Gathering stuff. I'll spare you the details.
Anyway, off to watch the new Sherlock.
