Happy New Year 2008!

Photo I took of Tokyo Daibutsu last night after midnight.

New Year's is Japan's most important holiday and hatsumode--the year's first visit to a temple or shrine--festivities are held at practically every shrine and temple across the country. Just a short bike ride from my apartment is a temple with the distinction of being home to Japan's third largest sitting Buddah, known as Tokyo Daibutsu.

Hatsumode have a festival-like atmosphere with various food stands and thousands of people making wishes and purchasing lucky charms for a fortunate new year. It's ideal to visit a temple at midnight on New Year's eve, when the temple's bell is rung 108 times. In Buddhism we have 108 worldly passions (desires), which we repent by listening to the bell sounds.

I recorded the bell with my Sony PCM-D1

audio/daibutsubell.mp3

So do you like the color or black-and-white shot better?