初詣 (はつもうで、Hatsumoude; First temple or shrine visit of the New Year) - 冬の風物詩（fuyu no fuubutsushi) 8 : Special Attractions of Winter 8

初詣(はつもうで、Hatsumode)

 Hatsumode is the first visit to a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine in a new year.

 There is the custom in Japan of making visits to temples or shrines at New Year, even if people are not Buddhist or Shinto believers, in order to pray for health and happiness, in the new year. On the occasion of hatsumode, people give money offerings, draw lots for written oracles, and buy good luck charms.

絵馬（えま, votive picture）

The crowds at famous temples and shrines are huge and are always broadcast on television newscasts.

＊Top 10 popular temples and shrines for hatsumode.
1. Fushimi Inari Taisha (Shrine),   http://inari.jp/, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3915.html
2. Meiji Jingu Shrine,   http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/
3. Heianjingu Shrine,  http://www.heianjingu.or.jp/, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3904.html
4. Sumiyoshi TaishaShrine, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4007.html
5. Meguro Fdoson Ryusenji, http://park6.wakwak.com/~megurofudou/top.htm
http://www.mizuhiroba.jp/en/meisui/fudoson.html
6. Imamiya-ebisu Shrine,   http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/facilities/cat21/post_301.html
7. Kawasakidaishi Heikenji Temple,  http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/spot/shritemp/heikenji.html
8. Shimogamo jinja,  http://www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp/english.html
9. Tokyo Daijingu,  http://www.tokyodaijingu.or.jp/english/
10. Kitano Tenmangu Shrine,  http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3939.html

日本の洋菓子 (にほんのようがし) -- Japanese Pastry

 洋菓子 (ようがし)　　Pastry

Depa-chika-sweets

 While refferred to as "pastry", many so-called "Western-style" sweets have been arranged and evolved into the unique "Japanese-style pastry".

Baumkuchen

 Firstly, "Baumkuchen" , is a German variety of spit cake. The characteristic rings that appear when sliced resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, Baumkuchen, which translates to "tree cake".  Now it seems more popular in Japan as one of the standard gifts or common sweets than in the home country.

Maccha-flavored cream puff

 Another one is "Cream puff" or "Choux à la crème" called as "Shuukuriim" in Japan. The French choux pastry ball is filled with whipped cream, custard or ice cream, and in Japan the custard cream has been arranged into flavor with chocolate, maccha, yogurt and so on. There is a bite-size, too called "petit shoe".

Mont Blanc

  "Mon Blanc" was an Italian home confectionery prototype, what initially was a cold dessert with whipped cream and chestnut paste.
 A Japanese owner of a confectionery in Tokyo arranged it into Japanese taste by using kanroni (chestnut boiled with sugar), and the mixture was evolved into a baked confectionery which can be taken home.