Casual — to friend
Cultural · Seasonal
大晦日の夜は除夜の鐘が鳴りますよ。108回打って、一年の煩悩を払うんです。 — On New Year's Eve, the temple bell rings 108 times. Each toll dispels one of the 108 worldly desires — clearing the slate for the new year. (Cultural · Seasonal, Casual — to friend, JLPT N4)
You
大晦日の夜は除夜の鐘が鳴りますよ。108回打って、一年の煩悩を払うんです。
おおみそかのよるはじょやのかねがなりますよ。108かいうって、いちねんのぼんのうをはらうんです。
On New Year's Eve, the temple bell rings 108 times. Each toll dispels one of the 108 worldly desires — clearing the slate for the new year.
Romaji: Omisoka no yoru wa joya no kane ga narimasu yo. 108-kai utte, ichinen no bonnou wo harau n desu. / Reply Romaji: Ii desu ne. Sono oto wo kiita koto ga arimasu.
Reply
いいですね。その音を聞いたことがあります。
いいですね。そのおとをきいたことがあります。
How wonderful. I've heard those bells before.
Gesture & etiquette
The gesture here is all about atmosphere — close your eyes briefly and mime listening as you describe the bells. This invites the listener to imagine the sound and deepen their emotional connection to the tradition.
除夜の鐘 (New Year's Eve bell) is rung 107 times before midnight and once at midnight, totaling 108 — matching the 108 bonnō (煩悩 / worldly temptations and passions) in Buddhist teaching. Listening to the bells at home or visiting a nearby temple is one of Japan's most atmospheric year-end traditions.