Hatsuhi, the first Sunrise of the Year ^o^ !!

[daeva_neesan]

So, this year I manage to partake into this common Japanese celebration that consist in witnessing the first sunrise of the year as a good omen for the upcoming travel around the Sun.

It's called "初日", "Hatsuhi", and it literally means "First Sun".
As today I have an afternoon shift, I'm home alone and on Winter the sun rises at a decent hour, I could allow myself to such an extravagance XD

So, I woke up around 0645, peed, put something warm on top of my pijamas, took the car and reached a close-by nice spot which wasn't covered by the airport.

This is the skyline at 0705 :D

Here it was around 0715:

Finally some red at the horizon!!
It was around 0725:

0735 :D

0740! Eeeh, how niiice!!

I was staying into my car 'til now XD As the sun was properly rising, I got out of it to give it a clear cheer! This was taken around 0745 :D

It was 0750 by then and it was starting to get freaking cold, so I took this last picture and got back in my car to reach home XD

Probably it was just a silly superstition, but looking at the sun of the new year rising up in the sky despite all the shit, energized me and made me wanted to be a little more daring, just like the sun and its daily, strong-headed sunrises :D
I hope that these pictures gave you the same feeling!!

Happy new year, everyone ^o^ !!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

This is seriously romantic!

[daeva_neesan]

Is it XD ?

But yeah, it was a suggestive experience :D

[forchancookie]

I did something Korean for this New Year's Day. I made Teeokguk (rice cake soup). "The disc-shaped rice cakes look like coins, so they symbolize a wish for upcoming prosperity for anyone who eats them." It also says something about the whiteness of the broth, but I did a beef broth, so mine is brown ^_^;;

Mine didn't turn out as good as the restaurant we usually go to and eat it at, needs more garlic! It was still very tasty. Even my grandparents liked it and they're very hard to please when I cook things that aren't straight up bland American foods. :P

[daeva_neesan]

Nice idea, Forchy!!
You should share pictures!

Next on my list is watching the first fullmoon of the year! You should do some mochi to go with it! (and send it to me x'D)

By the way, is there any typical "bland American food" that you eat at New Year's :D ..?

[forchancookie]

My name is in it because I entered it in a contest on a forum. :)

I could probably send you some mochi. Some I bought at the market. I don't think fresh mochi would survive the trip to Italy!

Well, down South, they eat black eyed peas and collard greens for good luck. I've never eaten it though. Even though we lived in the South, my parents are from the North, so they didn't cook a lot of Southern food.

In general, my grandparents' tastebuds are just boring now. If given a choice, my grandmother would probably eat fish every day. I like fish now and then, but not every day. And whenever you're not looking, she does something weird to food, like adds a seasoning that no one would ever put on it. My grandfather does that too, puts food together that has no business being together. I just avoid the food when they do that. :P

[daeva_neesan]

Yeeee :D Thank you!
It does look tasty ^^

Ahah, thank you for the thought XD But given the situation of our postal service in these days, I think that they'll arrive too late for some moon-viewing x'D !!

Oooh, I see, we have a similar thing too, we eat lentils with cotechino ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotechino )-- I eat it religiously every New Year's Eve at midnight as it's supposed to bring money, ahah x'DD
There's also lots of other traditional servings, expecially fish-based, but those vary from region to region.

Ahah, I know that x'D They're trying to be creative with food, maybe XD ? Sure the tasting buds would be despairing, eating fish every day ;_; !

[forchancookie]

It was tasty, but the one I have had at a Korean restaurant had a more garlic-y broth. I chopped up seven cloves of garlic and it still wasn't enough! I will have to try harder next time! I think I might experiment with a few other veggies as well. Maybe throw some gyoza in there like they do at the restaurant.

Beans for the new year seems to be a theme in a lot of places. Apparently they look like coins, so *shrugs*

Their tastebuds are definitely shot!

[daeva_neesan]

I hate garlic, so if you say that there wasn't enough in there, I assume that it was delicious XD
After all the "exotic" foods in our countries are nothing like the original ones, the favours are modified to meet the tastes of us foreigners-- I ate in a korean restaurant once, my friend brought me there 'cause it's a pretty "ghetto" location attended by Chinese and koreans immigrants, so we were expecting to savour "authentic stuff", and I almost died by how spicy everything was T__T --But not as spicy as in an Indian restaurant in the same zone-- These guys are crazy T_T That's not food anymore!!!
*complains like every Italian trying foreign food x'DDD*

Mah, I don't think that it's because they look like "coins" ('cause they don't), but probably because when they are together they look like a lot of stuff, so the more you eat and the more you gain-- Thinking about it, do you know bingo, right..? In Italy in the old days the called numbers were covered with a bean! That's probably a general tradition, to associate them with money and good luck :3

[forchancookie]

That is pretty hilarious, because here in America, garlic is very heavily associated with Italian food. And you are an Italian who hates garlic! XD

That's true. I'm terrible with spices and even some of the weak stuff gets to me. You have to watch out because Koreans loooooooove their red pepper flakes! And Indian food contains some spices that are just not as tasty to me as they are to them, but I still enjoy trying it.

[daeva_neesan]

That's bullshit!
The thing that can be heavily associated with Italian cooking is only one: tomatoes XD
Garlic is heavily used in other European countries, though.

Same here D':
All those spices are so devasting to me that I'm suspecting a food intollerance... And it's a bit sad, because besides all that terrible heat I like some flavours ;_;

[m3n747]

Those are really lovely photos! ^^

[daeva_neesan]

Thanks ^o^ ! Even if "live" the scene was definitely better... My digital camera is not the best tool to take direct pictures of the sun XDDD !

[m3n747]

They still look pretty! ^^

[daeva_neesan]

I think so, thanks >o< !!