あけおめ 2018

Since I was in Tokyo during New Year's Eve, I figured that I would participate in hatsumode (初詣) at Kanda Myojin.

We arrived at about 21:30 and it was a balmy 3°C. A line already formed from the shrine and down the street.

I bought some amazake to warm us up from the Meishu Center next to the shrine. This branch of the sake promotion chain just opened up over the summer.

When the countdown to the new year was completed, the crowd began to move, and everyone filed into the grounds of shrine.

Unsurprisingly, there were many Love Live fans in the crowd. Some were readily identifiable by the jumbo nesoberi plush dolls they carried, while others were more low key, but I could overhear them talking about their favorite Love Live characters.

The crowd outside the shrine was even larger by the time we left.

On the walk back to the JR station, Akihabara's Chuo-dori was lined with itasha. I'm not sure if this is a regular weekend event, or if the owners were there for hatsumode.