 Most viewed - Narita-san Setsubun Bean-Throwing Festival 成田山節分会・特別追儺豆まき式 |
Musashimaru and Dejima926 views
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Actress Riho Makise throwing setsubun beans at Narita-san872 views
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Musashimaru throws setsubun beans at Narita-san754 views
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Musashimaru gets his setsubun beans at Narita-san.725 views
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Hikaru Nishida at center in red for Naritasan Setsubun in Feb. 2001.609 views
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Bag of beans. I caught this from Dejima. They throw little bags of beans instead of individual beans. Bean bags are much easier to catch and to clean up afterward.600 views
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Narita-san Setsubun bean throwers. Sumo wrestlers, Nishida Hikaru, Makise Riho, etc.547 views
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Narita-san temple's main hall.409 views
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Group photo of bean throwers. Sumo wrestlers at the top.397 views
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Cleanup.385 views
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Poster for Setsubun in Feb. 2001. The following photos are from Feb. 3, 2001.372 views
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Names of celebrity bean throwers in 2001. They include actresses Hikaru Nishida and sumo wrestlers Yokozuna Akebono, Musashimaru, Dejima, and Asashoryu.334 views
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Platform for bean throwers.292 views
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Platform for bean throwers.248 views
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Haruka Ayase is in the title role of Yae Niijima in this year's NHK Taiga Drama.215 views
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L-R: Haruka Ayase, Kotaro Koizumi (son of former Prime Minister Jun'ichiro Koizumi), and Hidetoshi Nishijima at Naritasan Shinshoji Setsubun festival on Feb. 3, 2013.210 views
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The crowd try desperately to get a shot of Haruka Ayase. I was shooting blind as I raised my camera in the air to shoot. Narita-san Shinshoji temple Setsubun bean throwing.178 views
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Actress Haruka Ayase (left) throws beans at Naritasan Shinshoji temple on Feb. 3, 2013.177 views
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Narita-san Shinshoji temple holds its Setsubun Bean-throwing Festival on Feb. 3. It was jam-packed on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. 174 views
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Baruto and Yokozuna Hakuho at Naritasan Shinshoji for Setsubun bean throwing on Feb. 3, 2013.169 views
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Ozeki Kisenosato and Okinoumi at Naritasan.156 views
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Baruto at Naritasan Shinshoji for Setsubun on Feb. 3, 2013.147 views
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Baruto and Yokozuna Hakuho.145 views
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People streaming into Narita-san Shinshoji temple's main hall.141 views
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Most people came to see the celebrities throwing the beans for mamemaki. They included sumo wrestlers Yokozuna Hakuho, Ozeki Kisenosato, Baruto, and Okinoumi. Also Haruka Ayase, Ayame Goriki, Kotaro Koizumi and other stars of the current NHK Taiga Drama.121 views
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The path to Shinshoji has sculptures of the oriental zodiac. 2013 is the year of the snake.116 views
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These are non-celebrities. They threw the beans for about a minute. Very short.102 views
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After throwing beans the first session, the bean throwers started leaving. First the sumo wrrstlers, then the actresses/actors. Haruka Ayase is behind the wrestlers here.101 views
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Baruto and Haruka Ayase proceed to their places.101 views
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People streaming to Shinshoji for the Setsubun bean throwing festival.100 views
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The steps lead to Niomon Gate.100 views
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Niomon Gate.99 views
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Normally, you can enter the temple up the steps straight from Niomon Gate, but it was blocked off and we had to use the steps on the right.98 views
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Jam-packed since Feb. 3 fell on a Sunday this year in 2013.98 views
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After throwing the beans, they clapped their hands.98 views
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The sumo wrestlers always stand at the top.98 views
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Actress Haruka Ayase comes out of the temple.98 views
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Gate to Shinshoji ahead.97 views
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Most of use didn't get any beans. It was the first time I didn't get any beans from a Setsubun festival.97 views
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Since I came all the way out here, I decided to stay and see the second bean-throwing ceremony at 1:30 pm.97 views
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Actress Haruka Ayase is in the center of this shot.97 views
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There's a ceremony first inside the temple.96 views
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Shinshoji's Somon Gate. Naritasan Shinshoji temple belongs to the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. 総門95 views
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This is how close you have to be to the platform to get any beans.95 views
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Finally, the celebrity bean throwers arrived again and first posed for a group photo before going inside the temple for the ceremony.95 views
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Crowd dispersing.95 views
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Passing through Niomon Gate.94 views
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The mamemaki bean-throwing ceremony was held three times. The first time was at 11 am. I was way too far away from the bean throwers.94 views
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"Yae no Sakura" is about a woman warrior named Yae Niijima (1845-1932) from Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture...94 viewsAizu-Wakamatsu is famous for Tsurugajo Castle and as the site of a Boshin War battle between pro-Emperor forces and pro-shogun forces who lost. Yae was on the latter side. After the war, she fought for equality for women and mastered English well enough to help with the English typesetting of Kyoto's earliest English guidebooks (written by her brother and translated into English by a translator).
Her husband Joseph Hardy Neesima or Jo Niijima had studied in the US and founded a Christian school which became the prestigious Doshisha University in Kyoto.
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From the train station, the main path to Narita-san is lined with shops and restaurants. The buildings look more traditional as you get closer to the temple.93 views
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Inside the main hall, people pray and throw money. It must like this during New Year's too. Setsubun is actually like New Year's Eve.93 views
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I stood and waited for about 90 min. until 1:30 pm. Glad I brought lunch (riceballs).93 views
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There she is at the center, actress Haruka Ayase who plays the title role of 2013's NHK Taiga Drama, "Yae no Sakura."93 views
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Finally in the central grounds of the temple. It was packed like a rush-hour Tokyo train.92 views
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I arrived just before 11 am which was too late to get close to the bean throwers.92 views
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The ceremony inside the temple had sutra chanting while there was a fire started by a priest and used to heat the bean boxes given to the bean throwers. They threw beans at the altar, not to any people.92 views
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Celebrity bean throwers wave as they enter the temple for the Setsubun ceremony.92 views
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At left is Ayame Goriki, another actress, comes out of the temple.92 views
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Bean-throwing platform.92 views
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People streaming into the temple's main hall.91 views
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My Youtube video of Narita-san Setsubun bean-throwing on Feb. 3, 2013.91 views
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After the ceremony, the bean throwers came outside.90 views
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Meanwhile, I joined many others to worship inside the temple's main hall.90 views
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90 views
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90 views
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Haruka Ayase throwing beans. It ended in less than 90 sec. Ridiculously short.90 views
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Shinshoji's main hall is decorated with Buddhist colors and red and white.89 views
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Already, hordes of people stand and wait for the second bean-throwing session 2 hours later.89 views
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This side was more crowded because that's where the celebrities would throw beans. Press cameramen were also on this side.89 views
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Names of the celebrity bean throwers.89 views
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The people (no celebrities) participating in Kaiun mamemaki had a group photo taken. Anybody could join this by paying 10,000 yen.89 views
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After the ceremony which took about 20 min., they came out of the temple and took their places for bean throwing. This is Baruto.89 views
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In-between the bean-throwing sessions, they held a different ceremony, called "Kaiun mamemaki" (開運豆まき), inside the main hall. They paraded into the temple at around 12:30 pm.88 views
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The ceremony was broadcast outside so we could hear it. There was some chanting and announcement of the names of the bean throwers.88 views
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Walking back to the train station.88 views
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They also start a fire inside the temple to which they expose the bean boxes to be used by the bean throwers.87 views
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Haruka Ayase posed for us for a while.87 views
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After throwing bean, they clap their hands.87 views
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At around 3:30 pm, people started to gather for the day's third and final bean-throwing by ordinary folks.87 views
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So much for the first bean-throwing ceremony. I was just too far away because I arrived late.86 views
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We all patiently waited. But things happened so it made the time go by faster. Fortunately, the weather was good.86 views
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The crowds make their way into the main hall.86 views
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There is a small space between the platform and crowd.86 views
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After passing through Somon Gate, a flight of steps ahead.85 views
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Buy this 500-yen charm and 100 yen will be donated to the city of Rikuzen-Takada in Tohoku.85 views
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People line up for lucky beans.85 views
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They had this altar decoration with small branches from a tree in Tohoku. The bean throwing would also be about "throwing out hardship" in Tohoku. 特別追儺豆まき式84 views
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Inside the main hall. The altar area is behind a glass wall. Photography was not allowed inside. Impressive altar where they have a Goma prayer fire ritual every day.84 views
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The press cameramen who were on this platform were all gone after the 2nd bean-throwing session.84 views
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Bean-throwing platform.84 views
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Office where you can apply to be a Kaiun mamemaki bean thrower for 10,000 yen.83 views
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I was too tired to stick around for the last bean-throwing ceremony.82 views
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Daruma dolls on a truck.81 views
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The police and security people were most fearful of people falling like dominos. They kept shouting to not push forward. And to not pick up beans on the ground. I agree that it's dangerous to pick up beans on the ground.80 views
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They had men from a security company to control the crowds. Except for one or two people who felt ill, there was no major incident.79 views
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