[Daily Short Story 91] The Chinowa and Perihelion

On the evening of June 30th, preparations for the Nagoshi no Harae purification ritual were being quietly completed at the town's small shrine.

A lush green Chinowa ring stood before the worship hall, and the head priest, Mr. Fujisaka, was scrutinizing the slack in the shimenawa rope. It was Mr. Fujisaka's long-held belief that a bend in the rope reflected a bend in the heart. However, according to the head of the parishioners' association, most of Mr. Fujisaka's beliefs had to do with ropes.

Then, Dr. Aida from the town science museum appeared.

His white hair spread wildly in all directions, and he held an old leather bag under his arm. The town's children called the doctor the "Japanese Einstein," and he never protested. He only corrected them once, saying, "It is disrespectful to the original. Except for the hairstyle."

"Priest."

The doctor bowed deeply in front of the shrine office.

"Tonight, an asteroid will pass near the Earth."

Mr. Fujisaka paused slightly, his hand holding the o-nusa wand.

"How near?"

"Astronomically near. Neighborhood-association-wise, far."

The head of the parishioners' association felt relieved. If it was far in terms of the neighborhood association, at least they wouldn't need to circulate a notice.

The doctor took several sheets of paper from his bag and spread them out near the Chinowa ring. They depicted elliptical orbits, gravity wells, observation time tables, and a cross-section of a kashiwa-mochi rice cake.

"This bean paste is the sun, and the rice cake is spacetime."

Mr. Fujisaka nodded without being deeply convinced. Not being convinced and being impolite were two different things.

"This asteroid will pass over this town tonight. Its provisional name is '2026-Minazuki.' We don't have enough observations yet to give it an official name. There is also a bit of shyness involved."

"Is shyness something that can be observed as well?"

"At times, most clearly."

The doctor was completely serious.

Mr. Fujisaka looked at the doctor's face for a while. To be honest, he thought it was ridiculous. Having an asteroid undergo the Nagoshi no Harae purification was not in any stage of his training as a priest. However, the wrinkles between the doctor's brows were not there to be laughed at. It felt as though laughing would be the one to treat something with disrespect.

“So, Doctor, do you wish to perform a purification ritual for that star?”

“Yes.”

The doctor took a small breath.

“If today is the day to purify the impurities of the past half-year, then that star, too, carries its own burden. Cosmic dust, solar winds, the fatigue of a long journey. The last one is perhaps not quite suitable for an academic conference, though.”

Mr. Fujisaka looked up at the sky. The rainy season clouds were thick, and the stars were not yet visible.

“Can an asteroid pass through a Chinowa?”

“That is the greatest difficulty.”

The doctor answered immediately.

Before long, the parishioners gathered, wrote their names on paper dolls, and breathed upon them. People passed through the Chinowa ring—left, right, and left. A child got the steps wrong, an adult corrected them in a whisper, and an elderly person, while correcting them, got confused themselves for a moment.

Behind the line, the doctor alone was measuring the space between the center of the Chinowa and the northwestern sky.

“What is the point of purifying a star you can’t even see?”

Someone let out a small, puzzled murmur.

Mr. Fujisaka did not answer. He simply looked at the greenness of the Chinowa. The paper dolls, having received the breath of the people, were white and thin, trembling in the evening breeze. He thought to himself that purifying things unseen was something they did every year, wasn't it?

“Doctor, you should pass through it as well.”

Mr. Fujisaka said.

“I am fine. The guest of honor tonight is that star, after all.”

“You are the first person I have ever met who shows such consideration for an asteroid.”

The doctor smiled, looking slightly troubled, and as urged, passed through the Chinowa. Left, right, left. Each time, his white hair brushed against the reeds, as if a small comet were grazing a blue orbit.

After finishing, the doctor said quietly,

“There is a term called perihelion. It is the point where a celestial body comes closest to the sun.”

"Hmm."

"If you get too close, even bright things become dangerous."

Mr. Fujisaka did not reply. He simply thought about the fact that today was June 30th. At the midpoint of the year, people are equally close to both the past and the future. It is, indeed, a day that burns easily.

As the ritual drew to a close, a thin star twinkled through a break in the clouds. The doctor took out his pocket watch and stared at the second hand.

"Now."

No one saw the asteroid. From the perspective of the neighborhood association, it was far away.

However, the doctor bowed his head deeply. Mr. Fujisaka followed suit. The parishioners, not fully understanding the situation, also bowed to the sky. Even the person who had been expressing confusion a moment ago bowed more carefully than anyone else. The Chinowa grass ring swayed in the night breeze, and it seemed as though something invisible had truly passed through it.

The next morning, a letter from the doctor was left on the desk in the shrine office.

"Asteroid passed safely. No disturbance in orbit. Perhaps it is just my imagination, but it looked a bit refreshed."

Mr. Fujisaka read it and thought for a while, holding his brush.

Before long, he recorded the following in the shrine log in neat handwriting.

June 30th, Nagoshi no Harae, performed without incident.
42 attendees, 1 asteroid.
Note: There are not a few who are close to their perihelion.

Original draft: Y
Written by: ChatGPT

What day is it today?

Nagoshi no Harae

The "Nagoshi no Harae" on June 30th is a traditional Japanese purification ritual held at the midpoint of the year to cleanse the mind and body and pray for safety for the remaining half. It is known for the large Chinowa grass rings seen at shrines and is cherished as a day to organize one's life along with the changing seasons.

Nagoshi no Harae is a ritual held at the end of June as part of the Shinto "O-harae" (Great Purification); it is not a memorial day newly established by a specific company or organization, but a seasonal event that has continued since ancient times.Its purpose is to purify the impurities and misfortunes that have accumulated unknowingly during the first half of the year and to pray for a healthy life during the hot season to come.
The date of June 30th falls exactly at the end of the first half of the year, carrying the meaning of purifying oneself at this milestone.
At shrines, rituals such as passing through the Chinowa grass ring and transferring impurities to paper dolls called "hitogata" are performed, and in some regions, there is a custom of eating the Japanese sweet "Minazuki." As a ritual that organizes not only physical health but also one's state of mind as the heat approaches, it is a day that well represents the Japanese sense of the seasons and culture of prayer.

Nagoshi no Harae is not just about warding off misfortune; it is a ritual to express gratitude for having spent the past half-year safely and to renew one's resolve to live the remaining half with care. It can be introduced as a uniquely Japanese milestone to pause and compose oneself amidst the busyness of daily life.

Einstein Day

June 30th, 'Einstein Day,' is known as a day to commemorate Albert Einstein, who significantly changed the world of science in the 20th century. It holds a special meaning in the history of physics, reminding us that science has the power to reshape our very perception of the human world.

Einstein Day is generally considered to originate from the acceptance of Einstein's paper 'On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies' on June 30, 1905, and this paper later led to the important theory known as Special Relativity. While it is difficult to confirm the exact originators through official information, this date is widely discussed as a turning point in the history of science.
If one were to state its purpose, it is not just to celebrate the anecdotes of a genius, but to turn our attention to the intellectual endeavor that fundamentally questioned things that seem obvious, such as time, space, and light. The date of June 30th signifies that a single paper had a major impact on subsequent physics, technology, and even humanity's understanding of the world. Even without knowing the complex theories in detail, it can be introduced as a day to touch upon the power of ideas that doubt common sense and create new perspectives.

Einstein Day can be a day to think about how discoveries that change the way we see the world are born, rather than just a day to reminisce about the name of a great scholar. It is an impressive subject that quietly makes one feel the value of intelligence and imagination.

International Asteroid Day

June 30th, 'International Asteroid Day,' is an international day that gives us an opportunity to think about space not just as a distant romance, but as a real issue linked to the safety of the Earth. It is also a day when the perspective of looking up at the night sky overlaps with the gaze of disaster prevention and science.

International Asteroid Day was established to deepen understanding of the threat of asteroid impacts, in connection with the Tunguska explosion that occurred in Siberia on June 30, 1908, and was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2016.
Its purpose is to spread knowledge about asteroids and near-Earth objects, to convey the importance of preparedness for collision risks, and to widely share the necessity of observation and research.
The date of June 30th is chosen as a day to recall a large-scale asteroid-related event well-known in modern history. While topics about space tend to focus on dreams and mystery, this day is also an opportunity to think about the importance of science and international cooperation to protect the Earth. It is a day to convey that humanity lives as part of the universe, and that knowing the universe correctly leads to the safety of the future.

International Asteroid Day is a modern international day where the longing for the stars and real crisis management intersect. Using grand stories of space as an entry point, it can be treated as an intellectual and profound subject that can be expanded to perspectives such as science education and planetary defense.