Yoshie Doi

　On December 27, 2025, I got a supermarket receipt with four angel numbers 7 in a row. The total amount was 7,777 yen. I’ve been getting a lot of 7s in a row recently, like 777 emails. I’ve also been getting a lot of 111s. I haven’t done any shopping since the new year started, so I don’t have any New Year’s receipts on hand, but I’m happy that this is a good omen for the end of the year.

　The magic of numbers is also mysterious, as the world of Maitreya is written as 369. During this year’s first shrine visit of the year, around 30 city buses were stuck in a traffic jam near Kamigamo Shrine, and their routes were changed until the 3rd. Kamigamo Shrine is associated with the Year of the Horse, which is the Chinese zodiac sign. In particular, 2026 is associated with the Year of the Horse, which comes around every 60 years, and it seems that first shrine visits were concentrated on New Year’s Day.　

　A sacred white horse (shinme), which is said to be ridden by the god, is tied up in the shrine grounds (Shinmesha), and can be seen even on weekdays in the Year of the Horse, where you can feed it carrots and pet it. The current sacred horse is the 10th generation, Shinme・Kouyama-go. I received a photo of this Kouyama-go in my New Year’s card. In front of the main hall in the Year of the Horse, a large votive plaque with the words “Uma Kyu Iku (Go well)” written on it appears. I really hope to be blessed in the Year of the Horse.

　Japanese people consider New Year’s Day to be an important day, and in the past, people would stay up until the morning to listen to the bells ringing on New Year’s Eve. Since my parents’ house was next to a temple when I was a child, I would stay up until the morning to listen to the bells ringing on New Year’s Eve every year to welcome New Year’s Day.

　It was believed that the bells rang on New Year’s Eve would wash away the impurities of the past year. The idea was that by washing away these impurities, one would be reborn and welcome the new year. New Year’s Day was also the day when people would visit shrines to pray and renew their spirits for the new year, being reborn in both body and mind.

　My mother used to stay up all night preparing osechi, but now osechi is something that you buy, and advertisements for osechi start appearing around summer.

　As I write this, on January 4th, there are widespread reports that the United States has launched an attack on the Venezuelan capital. Last November, I received a report from Dr. Nagao of the Hudson Institute predicting that the United States would attack Venezuela, and I wondered if it was true, but it turns out his prediction came true. In an age where we don’t know what will happen, I think it’s important to think things through using your own criteria.

　So I decided to write a letter to myself one year from now. At the same time as writing my goals for the year at the beginning of the year, I also wrote a letter to myself one year from now and wrote down my promises for the future.

　We pray for a peaceful year in 2026, and this year we will continue to work with gratitude to mark the 25th anniversary of Kyo-Suzume’s founding.

The end of document
Translated by Masami Otani

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