A year has flown by, and with a whole year of busyness behind us, it's time to plan how to celebrate, party, and relax.It’s certainly fun to have things to do, but the thought of going to Lan Kwai Fong to count down again — with the same programs repeated over and over — can’t help but make one feel a bit bored.Actually, New Year's celebrations aren’t limited to just drinking and countdowns. Want to try something different? How about stepping into the legendary world and experiencing a “Night Parade of a Hundred Foxes” on the streets of Tokyo?
Visiting shrines or temples during the New Year is a long-standing tradition in Japan, known as "hatsumode" (first shrine visit of the year), and naturally, it is accompanied by various celebratory festivals.The so-called Hundred Foxes Night Parade is actually a New Year celebration event hosted by Tokyo's Inari Shrine.The shrine is located in Kita, Tokyo, in the area of Ōji. You can get off at Ōji Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, so it’s not hard to find.Although the Inari Shrine may not be as famous as Meiji Shrine in Shibuya, the "Prince Fox Parade" New Year's festival held here is truly unique and full of novelty.
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As the name suggests, the festival is related to foxes.Legend says foxes are messengers of the Inari god. On New Year’s Eve, foxes from all over the Kanto region gather under a large tree, dressing up in splendid attire and forming a grand procession before heading to the Inari shrine to worship the deity of grains and harvest.Based on this legend, shrines began organizing the Fox Parade Festival in the 1990s, aiming to recreate the spectacle of foxes marching in procession to worship and to pray for a bountiful harvest in the coming year. ?/p>
Of course, people in Tokyo today don't primarily make a living through farming, but that doesn’t diminish their enthusiasm for worshipping Inari, the god of rice, who has gradually evolved into a symbol of wealth. Participating in the Fox Parade carries the meaning of hoping to make a fortune in the coming year.
The giant fox mask is one of the focal points, and besides this design, there are also ones with their mouths open,
Participants in the festival first gather at the Inari Shrine.On the way from Oji Station to the shrine, you can already see many foxes—some wearing fox masks, others with painted fox faces—all heading in the direction of the shrine.Apart from the foxes, you can also see many Japanese-style lanterns along the road, some of which are inscribed with "kitsune-bi" (the legendary foxfire said to be lit by foxes under the trees).When you arrive at the Fushimi Inari Shrine, you can see even more people dressed up as foxes, of all ages, and under the glow of the “kitsunebi” (fox fire), the shrine’s fox messenger statues nestled among them really seem alive, as if ready to join the festival parade with the crowd.
That night, everyone will carry lanterns inscribed with "fox fire."
By midnight on New Year’s Eve, the festival officially enters its climax.The shrine first holds a New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony, after which the fox procession parades through the streets, advancing under the watchful eyes of crowds lining the roads.In the queue, besides a variety of foxes, large and small, there are also various lanterns and fox-face statues as tall as a person. Occasionally, there are children dressed in fox costumes sitting in palanquins carried by adults, which inevitably reminds one of the floating color parades in Cheung Chau.If you get tired from walking, why not stop by the nearby stall selling ma lai go (a type of coconut pudding) or a bowl of warm wonton noodles for a quick bite? Take a rest and enjoy the view.
Oji Fox Parade 2016
Address: Kitashitama Inari Shrine (2-30-14, Kita, Tokyo), Kita Inari Shrine (1-12-26, Kishimachi, Kita, Tokyo)
Dates: December 31, 2015, to January 1, 2016
Transportation: An 8-minute walk from Oji Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, or a 10-minute walk from Oji Station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line.
Although the Prince Fox Parade is held only once a year, there are so many fun and unique places to visit in Tokyo, right? Check out Fever Travel's 33 must-visit Tokyo attractions for more ideas!
http://www.dcfever.com/travel/sightseeing.php?id=2115
Acknowledgement: HK Express