New Years (oshougatsu, お正月) in Japan is time for spring cleaning, known as “susuharai” (すす払い) - literally, “sweeping away the soot”. It’s part religious. My wife has been cracking the whip. On one hand, I’ve found things far more disturbing than soot; on the other, I’m 853 yen richer (loose change - hint: volunteer to clean under the sofa). Another hint is that garbage collectors now tend to turn a blind eye towards improperly output items. Just don’t push it.
Shrines and temples at this time are ritually cleaned using a long stalk of young bamboo called “aodake” (青竹), and the “ema” (絵馬 - votive slabs of wood often featuring horses) are removed by miko, or shrine maidens (巫女) to be disposed of by fire. Kumanichi reports on such bustling activity at Aso Shrine. A senior priest (apparently one rank below chief priest and called a “negi” - 禰宜 - which is an awesome kanji) noted that full reconstruction of the shrine’s main two-storied gate (“roumon,” 楼門), a National Treasure destroyed in the quakes, is expected to commence early in 2019, so if you want to view what remains of current ruins, now is your last chance. - William