New Year Dawn – Akagi Shrine
The last darkness of the old year gives way to the first pale light of the first morning on the new year. Just before dawn on New Year’s Day I visited Akagi Shrine in Tokyo’s famous Kagurazaka district. This shrine is easily the most modern shinto shrine in Japan – all glass, concrete and machine cut stone! It was bitingly cold night but I stood around to enjoy the last of the moon before the sun came out. There was a steady stream of visitors even at that time, mostly couples or men and women coming alone, but also a few locals offering bottles of sake or boxes of fruits to the shrine and even a rowdy group of drunk young men. If you’re ever in the area, this is one of the must see shrines of Tokyo!
You captured beautifully the serene mood of the place. Great work!
Thank you for the kind comment! (^-^)
Love the work! I wish I could go to shrine for the new year. No shinto temples here. I do for sure miss going there. But I guess I had black eyed peas on the the new years day so at least I got some good luck this year!
I would really miss it if I had to celebrate new year’s abroad… Hope you can come back and visit soon!
Strangely, the last picture is the fav for me, it has some nice calm feel to it..
Thank you! Yes, it was a very calm moment…