Waiting to Pray

After we filled our bellies with "osechi", we went to Minatogawa Jinja, the biggest Shinto shrine in Kobe, to say our New Year's prayers. Trouble was, everyone else in the city of Kobe does the same thing! So we had to wait in a crowd of thousands and slowly inch our way forward from the entrance gate to the actual shrine. It took us about 45 minutes to move about 300 meters!

After a wait that long, my prayers for a good 2006 better be answered!

Big crowds in front...


...and behind.


Almost there!!