The New Year

This year was my first time to have a real, Japanese New Year. Our plan was to watch the first sunrise of 2009. We began by camping in the mountains, in south Chiba, on New Years eve. It was pretty cold., but we made a big campfire and wore plenty of warm clothes. The hardest part was staying awake all night, until past 7AM. I’m glad we did though, because the view was amazing. Watching the sun come up over the mountain tops was an amazing sight! Still with no sleep, we traveled to the temple, Kinkon-zan Nihon-ji Daibutsu, located on Mt. Nokogori. I don't know if I can even begin to describe how magical this place is, but it was definitely one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. There are many stairs that go towards the top of the mountain, where you can view a large forest and even part of the Tokyo Bay. The climb is pretty long and tough, but well worth it. Looking over the edges of the cliffs can be pretty frightening. You can see straight down, from the top of the cliff. My favorite part had to be the Yakushi Nyorai (Big stone Buddha.) I hear it is the biggest Buddha figure in Japan, and is the Buddha of medicine and healing. Truly breathtaking to look at. After saying some prayers and buying some omikuji, (fortunes) we finally went home and got some much needed sleep. My best New Year yet! I even got the dai-kichi, which means greatest blessing as my fortune.

===Word Help===

the first sunrise 初日の出

staying awake all night　一晩中起きている

I have seen in my life　　今まで見た

stairs　　　　　　　　　　階段

cliff(s)　　　　　　　　　　崖

frightening　　　　　　　恐怖に感じる

breathtaking　　　　　息をのむような、ハラハラする