Yakudoshi is a
traditional Japanese idea that 42-year-old men must be careful of because many
bad things happen at that age. Thus, some places hold special festivals to
avoid unfortunate events. It depends on the area, but most festivals are
organized by people who are 42 years old.
My town also has a
festival of this kind. I took part in this festival a few years ago.
In the shrine in my town,
they light a bonfire every day during January. Many people in Japan come to
shrines in January. In the cold winter, the bonfire gives people warmth. People
can also put old talismans into the bonfire.
The bonfires
need tons of firewood. And who collects the firewood? The Yakudoshi guys do!
We did it on a
Sunday morning in December, when we were in Yakudoshi.
In the shrine is a small forest. We walked around the forest and collected
firewood. We also found fallen trees and cut the trees for firewood. One of the
best ways to avoid bad luck is working for shrines or society. This is one of
our activities when we are in our unlucky age.
However, some members started to show signs of fatigue on their faces
about one hour after we started to work. They were the white-collar workers who
got good marks in school. For blue-collar workers, who always physically worked
outdoors, collecting firewood is just an easy job. But for the white-collar
workers, it was hard work.
A Yakudoshi lifestyle would
bring about many effects on us. This firewood-collecting activity is not just a
religious event. It could be a warning from our wise ancestors:
“You assume you are smart. But you do not exercise, and you don’t have
a healthy body. Now you can’t keep up with others!”
Picture by Gorippa
