Albeit a short post. Busy as usual, but here's a few updates from New Years! I stayed local again this year, and went to Syosha Temple to see the lantern displays. It was very crowded! The line was a good city-block long to get in. And I was off to a great start, seeing how I got to the front of the line, and realized I'd forgotten my wallet. Ran back home, did the line again, and wound up getting a "bad luck" fortune. Like last year, everyone walked through this bamboo circle before entering the temple gates. The lanterns with red writing say "Phoenix" in katakana , though it probably is in reference to the nearby pachinko parlor, and not to the city. This wasn't actually Syosha temple, but the one right next to the castle (whose name I don't know, sorry!). There were hardly any people here, just a few other late-night photographers. It was very serene! On the 2nd, I went to get rid of my bad fortune by tying it to a