New Year at Tofukuji

I was passing Tofukuji in Kyoto on the second day of 2014, and decided to take a few photos there. A number of people were crowded around the open temple doors, so naturally I went to see why. A prayer service was in progress with robed monks kneeling under a high ceiling painted with a dragon. Behind each monk sat a curious pair of slippers with turned-up toes in bright colors. When the service was over, the prayerful monks dispersed in many different directions.