Celebrating the New Year in Japan

11/15/202111/29/2021

In Japan, ringing in the New Year is all about unique celebrations and traditions that help you prepare for what the upcoming year will bring. Every region and family make the New Year their own, but there are several staple traditions that are commonly observed.

In Japan, the phrase “clean slate” is much more than a saying when it comes to the New Year. Families use the New Year as a time to practice oosouji, also called a “big cleaning.” This tradition allows everyone to go into the New Year without any of the baggage from the year before.

Now that the house has been deep cleaned, it’s time to enjoy delicious traditional Japanese food. On New Year’s Eve, toshikoshi soba is a must. This dish includes buckwheat noodles and your favorite toppings like green onions, tempura, egg, or spinach. On New Year’s Day it’s all about ozouni. The vegetables in this soup dish depend on what you like, but it usually has mochi in it that is supposed to represent longevity. Another staple food is osechi which is an assortment of foods that are served in a bento box. Each dish is separate and has a specific meaning; for example, you could include black beans which signify hard work or kazunoko for fertility in the New Year.

Our stomachs are full, but there’s still so much more to do for Japanese New Year! One of the fun traditions for kids, and sometimes adults, are otoshidama. These are envelopes with money in them that all the children very much look forward to receiving from their adult relatives.

Another fun tradition is buying fukubukuro. The contents of these little gift bags are a mystery to the buyer, but retailers typically price them lower than their true value. It’s a little risky, but it’s a fun tradition that has become very popular in Japan.

This next stop is more traditional than some of these other New Year’s activities, this is called hatsumode. Hatsumode is the first shrine visit of the New Year, it gives families the opportunity to pay respects and wish for a happy and healthy upcoming year. This is typically done within the first three days of the New Year.

A symbolic tradition for Japanese people, more for the early risers, is hatsuhinode or the first sunrise of the new year. It’s a pretty magical tradition and is definitely worth setting a very early alarm.

Share this Page

URLをコピーしました！

Celebrating the New Year in Japan

RELATED ARTICLES