Kanda Myojin Hatsumode

Earlier this year the big Kanda Myojin between Ochanomizu and Akihabara station celebrated the usual hatsumode rituals with an appearance of the two gods, Ebisu and Daikokuten. I took these photos as I passed through the shrine and also took the opportunity to take some photos of the newest ema plaques to have gone up since my last visit! Some people really put a lot of effort into their ema! Of course all of these are destined for the big ritual pyre at the end of the year. You can read more about Ebisu and Daikokuten in this blog post from last year.

Ebisu and Daikokuten – Kanda Myojin

At a festival in Kanda Myojin near the famous Akihabara district in central Tokyo I saw these two dressed up Gods from the Japanese mythological pantheon, Ebisu and Daikokuten. They are both members of the most commonly appearing Japanese God “band”, the Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神 Shichifukujin). Ebisu is the slightly crippled and deaf God of fishermen, workingmen and luck, and is usually shown holding a large fish and a rod in his distinctive hat. Daikokuten is the god of Darkness and also associated with luck and the household, especially the kitchen. He is usually shown holding his magic hammer which can tap out anything wished for. When not standing at shrines in central Tokyo he is usually seen sitting on two bales of rice, so full that mice gather around to catch what falls out of them.

It is not very common to see the Gods acted out like this at shrines and temples in Japan so I took the opportunity to catch these two fellows when they showed up. You can see other posts about Kanda Myojin and the festivals there here.

Ebisu Garden Place at Night

Near Ebisu station is Ebisu Garden Place area (恵比寿ガーデンプレイス), a bit less crowded than the rest of central Tokyo it’s a favorite place for people my age. Finished in 1994 it has restaurants, cafes, hotels (the Westin, for example), offices, outdoor areas and parks in a fabulous combination and is quite popular with people in their 30s and 40s. Ebisu is the more sedate and classy version of the little-sister Shibuya, the station just next to Ebisu on the Yamanote line. I took these photos while waiting to meet friends the other night. I don’t get to blog too much about Ebisu, as the area tends to be overshadowed by nearby Shibuya and Harajuku stations but I’ll try to focus more on this station area for the coming summer!

Kohaku Ebisu Beer

I’m not a drinker, by any means, but this beautiful package design (Kohaku Ebisu Beer) caught my eye and I bought one just to take home and have a look at it. Isn’t it gorgeous? This is a for-limited-time-only beer of the famous Ebisu brand, possible Japan’s most high class beer brand? People will argue about that I am sure. If you’ve been following this blog for a while you know that I am sucker for limited time novelty drinks and package designs, strange candy and weird soft drinks! I’ll post some more interesting trends in Japanese beverages in the next few days. Enjoy!