Things that didn't exist early on: wind chime displays

Wind chimes have been popular in Japan for centuries, but the large-scale wind chime displays you can see in recent years are a relatively new custom. They didn't exist when I first came to Japan. They started in the early 2010s. Shouju-in temple in Kyoto was one of the first. But I personally didn't get into them until 2014, when I went along to see the very first large-scale wind chime display at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

That display at Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine is now famous nationwide. In the first year they had 888 wind chimes, but in the last few years its around 1500 each year, it could be one for each year the shrine has been existence as the shrine is about 1500 years old! Many other temples and shrines in Saitama, and around Japan, now also have a wind chime display each year in summer. They may not have as many chimes as Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, but they are big enough to be photogenic and create a magnificent tinkling sound in a summer breeze. 

In recent years, it's not just shrines and temples where you can see and hear stunning wind chime displays in summer. In Saitama Prefecture, where I live, in the last two years, local parks, cafes and shops have even been putting up rows of wind chimes. I've even seen them in alley ways, rest areas and even at bus stops!