2009年第一个工作日的一大早，身着正装的各路商界人士都来到日本东京神田明神神社进行参拜，祈求供奉在这里掌管商业的神明能在新的一年中给低迷的经济状况带来转机。神社的募捐箱里，曾经常见的千元、万元钞票都不见了踪影，取而代之的是扔进去叮当作响的一元硬币，看样子许多公司和雇员都要握紧钱包、节约度日了。

Visitors offer prayers on the first business day of the year at the Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo January 5, 2009.

Clad in suits, thousands of employees and executives flooded a Tokyo shrine dedicated to commerce on Monday, praying to the god to keep their businesses afloat in a new year with a grim economic outlook.

Businessmen and women waited patiently in the cold on the first working day of 2009 to approach the altar of the Kanda Myojin shrine, established some 1,300 years ago and dedicated to commerce god Ebisu-Sama

"Last year was a really tough year for real estate, and many companies have disappeared. But we're determined to survive," said Toshikatsu Takehara, a 34-year-old real estate sales manager who was praying at the shrine.

Worshippers at the shrine clapped their hands on reaching the altar, closed their eyes and bowed their heads to pray, as the jingle of coins thrown into the donation box filled the air.

The shrine's donation box, filled with 1 yen (1 cent) coins, as opposed to generous 1,000-yen ($10) or 10,000-yen bills often seen in the past, seemed to reflect the sentiment of many employees and their companies, which are tightening their belts in response to the severe economic climate.

"Just like all our business clients who are feeling the pinch, we can't spend as lavishly as we used to," said Sachiko Ishii, 34, a secretary at a building management firm.

The economic outlook in export-reliant Japan is gloomy, where industrial output fell at a record pace in November and the job market is shrinking, threatening to crush consumption and depress prices.

(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

keep their businesses afloat: 顺利维持业务

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）