Getting Ready For The Year Of The “Dragon” In Kyoto.

Kigo・Hatsumōde・First Shrine Visit

Today’s Kigo (Seasonal Word)今日の季語 Hatsumōde (First Shrine Visit of the Year)初詣（はつもうで、はつまうで） Classification Kigo (Seasonal Word)初詣（はつもうで、はつまうで） RomanjiHatsumōde English DefinitionFirst Shrine Visit of the Year SeasonShinnen (New Year)「新年（しんねん）」 CategoryGyōji (Occasion)「行事（ぎょうじ）」 Commentary Visiting shrines and temples at the beginning of the New Year to pray for a year of good health and…

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◲ Omikuji ◱

V: "Okay, I told you mine, what's yours sayin'?"

Kerry: "Oh, next year's gonna be my year, baby. Every song's gonna go through the roof, gonna get so many new fans, money, fame... And it even says I'm gonna get laid this very night!"

V: "Uh-huh... does it also say 'draw the most specific fortune anyone's ever gotten'?"

Happy New Year from Vince and Kerry and me :3

I mentioned before that Vince isn't very religious or keen on traditions, not a big celebrator of Christmas either. There is one exception though, and that's going to the Shinto shrine on New Year's to draw a fortune. He always went there as a kid with his father, celebrating Hatsumōde, probably the only real bonding moments they ever had. So, when he later returns as an adult for the first time, it was a very bittersweet moment. Similarly, when Kerry lived in Tokyo still, I bet he also participated in this tradition with his family at least a few times, whenever he wasn't on tour or otherwise occupied.

So, back in Night City now, even better to make some new, happier memories together :D

I also made and alt-version (which was my original idea for this piece actually, but for reasons I changed it slightly XD), below the cut, which is more fitting for my personal timeline of events if this scene takes places on New Year's 2077/2078 :3

I hope you like either picture and thanks for reading all my ramblings <3 XD

He's fine, I promise!!! Or he will be, on the way to recovery xD I touched upon Vince getting some kind of treatment/surgery to deal with the Relic post-Sun-Ending in my fic and in some VP before, and at first I actually wanted to just post this version... but he looks so different with his iconic rattail gone, and I love drawing it, so yeah XD Two versions it is!

Also, since Omikuji vending machines are an actual thing, I think they probably have these in Night City as well... and despite all the wonders and horrors of our dystopian future, I like the idea that you still get your fortunes printed on old-fashioned paper so you can tie them on a tree or string if they're bad luck XD The good old clash between tradition and process I love so much about this world.

Good fortune for your 2024, with money, fame, and getting everything else fulfilled that you're into and hope for xDD

Hatsumoude by Japan Craze

Hatsumōde (初詣, hatsumōde) is the first Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year. They often give thanks for the previous year and pray for the coming year be to a better one.

What's In a Name? Part 25

On The Seventh Day of Fun I present... an addition to the oldest series! You'd think I'd be running out of kanji by now, and I admit that it's getting harder to find ones that I haven't covered, but you're in luck as here's a few that have yet to see the spotlight! Maru - 丸 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: Circle New (Standardized) Meaning: Circle Found In: All Five Kagai A very masculine kanji, its main meaning is that of a circle, but it's also used as a suffix in the naming of important objects, such as ships, swords, musical instruments, etc. For these examples we'll be keeping to the main meaning, but just keep in mind the second meaning when thinking about how a person can present with that name. Examples 八重丸 Yaemaru (Gion Kobu): "Multi-Layered Circle," pretty straightforward yet also quite poetic. 千恵丸 Chiemaru (Pontocho): "1,000 Blessed Circles," this one's really neat as Maru has another hidden meaning: that of money! So, this could also translate as "1,000 Blessed Coins"! 勝丸 Katsumaru (Kamishichiken): "Victorious Circle," This is an extremely masculine name that likens to that of a battleship! 丸代 Maruyo (Miyagawa Cho): "Circular Era," let's do the time warp again? 福丸 Fukumaru (Gion Higashi): "Lucky Circle," like with the example of Chiemaru, this one could also use the hidden meaning of money and mean "Lucky Coin"! Hatsu - 初 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: First New (Standardized) Meaning: First Found In: Gion Kobu, Pontocho, and Gion Higashi Hatsu is the kanji of firsts for events and milestones. Since people in Japan are celebrating Hatsumōde 初詣, the first shrine visits of the year, today it's quite the appropriate kanji. Examples 初福 Hatsufuku (Gion Kobu): "Beginner's Luck," plainly this one could mean "First Luck," but it's easier to translate it as the above. 豆初 Mamehatsu (Pontocho): "New Bean," since it's being used as a suffix it's describing the bean in this case, but it could also mean "First Bean." 初子 Hatsuko (Gion Higashi): "First Child," pretty straightforward, could also mean "Firstborn." Ji/Haru - 治 Prefix or Suffix: Suffix Old Meaning: Reign, Peace, or Heal New (Standardized) Meaning: Reign, Peace, or Heal Found In: All Five Kagai This kanji's a bit on the archaic side and doesn't have a very clear meaning, but it's a gentle kanji that brings prosperity. Examples 長治 Chōji (Gion Kobu): "Long Reign," this one could also mean "Long Peace." 幸治 Yukiharu (Pontocho): "Peaceful Happiness," pretty straightforward but a very happy sounding name! 秀治 Hideji (Kamishichiken): "Excellent Ruler," this meaning seemed to fit the best with the paired kanji. 美代治 Miyoharu (Miyagawa Cho): "Era of a Beautiful Rule(r)," this one can be mixed around to make a few combinations, but this one came out sounding the best. 豊治 Toyoji (Gion Higashi): "Excellent Reign," the meaning is nearly identical to that of Hideji, but "豊" can also mean "Wealth," so another meaning for this name can be "Wealthy Reign/Ruler."

On January first, it is customary to go to the local shrine or temple to wish for a good year. This is called 初詣 (はつもうで – hatsumōde). Some people wear the kimono on this occasion. ⁡ After making an offering, they choose a fortune, called おみくじ (omikuji), a slip of paper that tells your level of luck for the new year. If you pick bad luck, you are supposed to tie it to a tree or a wall of metal wires on the shrine grounds. ⛩ ⁡ Do you have any Japanese questions? It is the perfect time to start learning Japanese🇯🇵 Take Japanese lessons online with our professional Japanese teachers \(◕ω◕)/☆ We can teach you Japanese step by step and make the customized lesson for you. You can take a FREE trial lesson here now🌸👉 http://kakehashijapan.com ⁡ #learnjapaneselanguage #studyingjapanese #Japanesevocabulary #nihongo #learnjapanese #studyjapanese #japanesebeginner #Japanese #Japan #learningjapanese #japanesewords #Japaneselearner #japanese #Japan #japaneselanguage #japaneselessons #japaneselesson #learnjapanese #japaneseteacher #Japaneseculture #japaneseclass #fortune #JLPT #japaneselanguage #learningjapanese #日本語勉強 #🇯🇵 #jlptn5 #jlptn4 #jlpn3 #jlptn2 #jlptn1 #omikuji https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm7_YbfSYhN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: First Kiss wa Owaranai (Kaguya-sama: Love is War) - Kaguya-sama wa Hatsumōde Shitai Animate Fair featuring goods by Arma Bianca with new illustrations (Furisode and Kimono ver.) from 24 December 2022 to 9 January 2023.

172 AFOhiko I assume that I don't have to specify which list for that one

172. "Fine. One fuck, and then we go back to hating each other in the morning." | afohiko from that one New Year's ficlet | wc: 1.3k

a/n: more of an m than an e if i'm being totally honest. i'd probably get to that e if i worked on it longer, but alas. maybe on new year's.

//

Even if Yoichi had figured out that his beloved big brother’s relationship with Sorahiko had suffered a tremendous blow, Hisashi was not above schemes to prolong Sorahiko’s stay at the Shigaraki household. Especially as Yoichi’s gaggle of friends were determined to burrow in for the first few days of the New Year! If they occupied all the guestrooms and couches, then Sorahiko was more amenable to sleeping in Hisashi’s bed!

“You’re pushing it,” Sorahiko warned him, the first night they turned in. Yoichi, still oblivious and ignorant, had swanned off to enjoy his nightly marathoning of classic animes. Hisashi was in bed first, and he was patting Sorahiko’s side of the bed encouragingly.

“I’d hardly be your boyfriend if I made you sleep on an air mattress.”

“The door is closed, and Yoichi’s not paying us any attention. I’m not sharing your damn bed. Hell, I can move into one of your guestrooms right now.”

“They’re being aired out,” said Hisashi immediately. “The sheets are being washed tomorrow for Yoichi’s friends, and even if you’re okay with the dust, those rooms are not heated.”

“I’d suffer that.”

“Sorahiko,” Hisashi wheedled, and though reluctant, ceded ground. He scooted further from the center of the bed and sacrificed two of the four luxurious pillows to make a wall. Temporary. He only had to think of the long game, of luring Sorahiko two steps ahead for every hesitant step back.

Two steps ahead: Sorahiko, in his house and now his bedroom, when just a month ago, Sorahiko had declared Hisashi an ambitious egomaniac.

One step back: Hisashi had to construct a pillow wall in his own bed to persuade Sorahiko to rejoin it.

The important thing was that it worked. Sorahiko chewed his lip and flexed his fingers on the handle of his luggage, but he clearly had good memories of the expensive Western-styled mattress and its cozy sheets. Hisashi suspected that his person being fully-dressed helped.

“... Stay on your side,” he said, and stalked deeper into the lion’s den. The luggage was stopped at the foot of the bed, and Sorahiko crouched to unzip it. Under the sounds of his performative grousing, Hisashi relaxed back into bed and grinned at the ceiling.

//

Hisashi must have stolen a thousand glances, a hundred (chaste, mind you) touches in the spaces of time where he was awake and Sorahiko slept. It was rare to see him vulnerable, limbs sprawled out and mouth slightly parted, gray hair sticking up in messy spikes that curled at the ends. There used to be a time when Hisashi could cuddle Sorahiko without consequence.

Now, five nights in and one more to go, Hisashi regretted his white-knuckled restraint.

The days leading up to the New Year had passed without incident; New Year’s Eve was celebrated with only a champagne-tinged kiss and embrace. Because they weren’t insane, the Shigaraki household waited for the last day to visit the local shrine for hatsumōde.

It was still hell.

Of the nine people Hisashi had to keep track of, at least two were wanderers (Sorahiko, who could be somewhat trusted to find his way back, and that Shinomori, who could not be trusted to navigate a crowded area) and two more who Hisashi knew had designs on Yoichi’s virtue.

When Hisashi successfully corralled them home, the rest of daylight had been spent, and Yoichi’s friends (plus Sorahiko) tidied up their belongings and prepped for a morning departure.

Sorahiko left his own suitcase for last. Hisashi paid inordinate attention to how Sorahiko wouldn’t even go up the stairs, choosing instead to lounge in the living room by the Shimura woman and her gangly-limbed ward.

Nightfall, dinner, late-night conversation that Hisashi found tedious--Hisashi excused himself by simply humming a noncommittal answer and bidding Yoichi a good evening. He glanced over at Sorahiko and smiled wide, because Sorahiko was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“Night, nii-san,” said Yoichi absently, and Hisashi left.

He climbed the stairs and entered his bedroom, and he surveyed the scene. The wide Western-styled bed with its many blankets and pillows still bore its wall, unbroken in spite of Hisashi’s desires. The dark wooden furniture pieces: the two nightstands, the dresser and the suit press, the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. 

Evidence of Sorahiko, everywhere he looked, from the jacket carelessly draped on a chair to the paperback novel with its broken spine.

Hisashi ran his tongue over his teeth, and he decisively gathered all of Sorahiko’s things and stacked them into the suitcase. He threw that into his closet and slid the doors shut. Then Hisashi rearranged the pillows, pulled back the sheets, and stripped to his underwear.

He was rummaging through a nightstand’s drawer for the lubricant when Sorahiko finally stepped inside, wariness hanging around his shoulders like a cape.

“Are you kidding me,” said Sorahiko.

Found it! His hand retrieved the tube, and as he drew it out, Hisashi drew himself up to his full height and bared his teeth in a daring smirk. “I thought you’d spend the night with your friends, my dear.”

“Yeah, I was thinking about it.”

Latching onto the past tense, Hisashi said, “Lock the door.”

That brief hesitation--it crumbled as Hisashi circled the bed, confident in his welcome. Sorahiko twisted the lock without even looking, and licked his lips when Hisashi stopped in front of him. There was something like hunger in those pale eyes. 

“Well?” he whispered, leaning down.

Sorahiko snapped. He lunged into the kiss, arms coming up to rest on Hisashi’s shoulders and fingers tangling in the short white strands of hair. His mouth was hot, and eager, and delightfully forceful in the way it pressed against Hisashi’s lips. 

In response to Hisashi’s unrepentant groan of relief, Sorahiko growled and started walking Hisashi backwards.

“What happened to my suitcase? My stuff?” he demanded.

“You’ll get it back,” Hisashi promised, and he played with the hem of Sorahiko’s shirt, flirting with it. The soft cotton blend felt like silk to his fingers. “But I didn’t want you distracted tonight, if you’re so intent on leaving me after.”

“The point of a fake relationship is that it’s fake,” Sorahiko said.

“But it isn’t,” said Hisashi reasonably. “Because it is built on an already-existing foundation. Don’t you think we pulled it off well, unreasonably so? Even without the public displays of affection, we make a convincing couple.” He nudged Sorahiko into another kiss, softer, shorter, and Hisashi played his last card. “Haven’t I been very, very good this past week, Sorahiko?”

Sorahiko’s exhale stuttered. He managed, “What, do you--do you want a reward for common decency?”

“It’s only fair.” 

Hisashi felt the shove and went with it, as it ended up with him falling onto the bed, with Sorahiko staring down at him. Whatever conflict remained in Sorahiko’s head must have left with Hisashi’s last question, because Sorahiko said in a hoarse voice, “Fine. One fuck, and then we go back to hating each other in the morning. Understood?”

“Hate and love are two sides of the same coin.”

Long, thin fingers splayed over Hisashi’s hard-on, finding the shape first before applying pressure. Hisashi let out a startled laugh and rocked his hips against the touch, only to find Sorahiko backing off. 

He repeated, “Do you understand me? I won’t treat you like some guilty pleasure. This happens once, and then never again after that.”

Sorahiko indulged in very few vices; that he considered Hisashi to even potentially be one of them made him want to preen.

As things were now, though, perhaps it’d be best to cede ground for now. Hisashi lifted one leg and used it to bring Sorahiko closer, obliging his lover to put a knee on the bed between Hisashi’s thighs. He smiled winningly at Sorahiko. “Whatever you say, my dear.”

Hard on the heels of Confluence, it's Queer for the New Year! a number of us queer authors contributed to this Balance of Seven anthology, including yours truly.

Once you've read Confluence, check out my story "Hatsumōde," which is in this anthology! It's a postlude to the novel, set a few days after the events of the epilogue, and the big New Year's festivities in Japan that center on shrines and temples. River and Kasu's lives are changing, in "Hatsumōde," and as they make the rounds of both their shrines, they try to imagine new ways of carrying themselves and finding empowerment, at the start of a year that promises to bring many changes.

Follow the link above to preorder through @sweetreadsict -- and hey, thanks so much for your support!

soooo my flight lands in kyoto at 9pm... should i still try to do hatsumōde? or should i just go straight to bed at the hotel

Shimogamo Shrine in the North of Kyoto is a special place. The Dragon ema is always special.

Japanese New Year Tradition: Omikuji

During Hatsumōde, visitors make wishes and prayers for the new year, as well as buy omamori (good luck charms). In addition to this, visitors can buy a written oracle, called an omikuji. If the omikuji predicts bad luck for you, you can tie it onto a special shrine or temple tree that will keep it from coming true. Most omikuji come with an accompanying omamori.

Himekuri・Winter 1/3

Today’s Daily Calendar Page今日の日めくり「冬1月3日」 Silhouette of the Day今日のシルエット Today’s silhouette is of a young woman visiting her neighborhood shrine for Hatsumōde (First Shrine Visit of the Year)「初詣（はつもうで、はつまうで）」. 今日のシルエットは、新年の初詣（はつもうで、はつまうで）のために近所の神社を訪れる若い女性のものです。 Musingsさりげない考え Hatsumōde (First Shrine Visit of the Year) is a wonderful experience, as you really feel you are starting off the new…

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Hatsumōde (初詣) 2075

"What's your omikuji saying, V?" "Seems like luck's coming my way... job-wise at least." "Hahaha, of course! You're gonna go places, for sure!"

I'm lately having a lot of feels regarding Vince's time at Arasaka, and him being half-Japanese, I guess? All brought on by that gorgeous kimono mod probably xD

The thing is... Vince doesn't have a very deep connection to his roots - it's his father's side of the family that he was never particularly close to. His father in particular, who had all these incredibly high expectations of him that he just kept disappointing. Eventually he started to resent that part of his identity as a whole, dyed his hair blond, and when his father died felt like a burden was lifted from him.

And, of all places, he ends up working at Arasaka a few years down the line, where tradition is so important, as is conformity to a degree. During his first interview with their representatives he's asked if he'd consider "toning down" his appearance, and that almost makes him walk out the door instantly. But he stays, and he accepts the job. The Night City HQ is still in the process of being properly established. There's a lot of operatives and agents and managers here from the Tokyo branch, also with high expectations and little tolerance for mistakes. But there's some people among his coworkers he actually grows fond of, some from Japan, some with roots like him, some just with an admiration for the culture. And so it happens that, eventually, he agrees to accompany some of them to the Shinto Shrine around New Year's. The last time he's been there was as a little kid with his father. It's the first time he's wearing a men's style kimono, a very nice one nonetheless. And he cannot help but wonder... what would his father say if he saw him like this now?

"The New Year ritual of hatsumōde developed from a variety of earlier customs in the early twentieth century. In Edo... people had visited shrines dedicated to the Seven Gods of Fortune to pray for luck in the coming year; in many other places, worshipers selected a shrine or temple that was located in a lucky direction from one's own house (ehō-mōde) as determined by a Yin-Yang specialist of divination (onmyōji)... rites for purification for, say, building plots had before Meiji been a specialty of Yin-Yang diviners... Shinto marriages only gained popularity after the wedding ceremony of Crown Prince Yoshihito... Shichi go san has older roots in earlier rites... for children, but these did not typically involve shrines... (omikuji) at shrines and tying them to branches in the shrine grounds... spread in the same Taishō period... today's omikuji can be traced back to early Edo Kannon kuji... popularized first at Tendai temples and later by, again, Yin-Yang diviners (Ōno Izuru 2002)."

—A New History of Shinto, by John Breen & Mark Teeuwen

Lucky Direction Example

Wedding of Prince Yoshihito

Kannon Kuji

Kinda neat to learn about where some of the most commonly viewed as "Shinto" concepts came from!

zenkohji shukuboh #長野 #善光寺 #宿坊 #正月飾り #初詣 #naganocity #zenkohji #temple #hospice #newyear #hatsumōde https://www.instagram.com/p/B6x8djzn6MZ/?igshid=o2ppcqmh0cpo