There was a rehearsal of "Joya-no-kane," or New Year's Eve bells, on December 27 at Chion-in Temple, Jodo Shu's head temple, in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. Monks shouted out in time with each strike, and the dignified chimes of one the three largest bells in Japan echoed through the winter sky of Higashiyama.

The bell was cast in 1636, the early Edo Period. It is 3.3 meters high, 2.8 meters across, and weighs approximately 70 tons. The bell tower has been designated as an Important Cultural Property.

With shouts of "Ee hitotsu," or one more, and "Sore," or now, 16 monks pulled the ropes tied to the wooden bell-hammer and another monk, who held the main rope, threw his upward-facing body backwards and used his full body weight to strike the bell with the hammer.

Tenkyu Washio, a monk, said, "I also want to ring the bell with perfect timing in the actual performance." The bell will be rung 108 times from 10:40p.m. on New Year's Eve.