Celebrating the New Year in Japan

Today is the third day of 2012 and yes, the new year has started ! Time flies... We are already in 2012 !
Well, first of all I would like to wish you a Happy New Year and hope that 2012 will be an even more great and fulfilling year than 2011 for all of you !


How did you spend New Year's Eve ?
In Japan The New Year, called " 正月- shogatsu ", is a traditional holiday which has a long history. Of course, we could say the same thing for the New Year in the West. However the difference is that  the way of celebrating it over here has stayed a lot more traditional while it is more considered as a good occasion to spend a good time with friends in the West.


I am going to give you the main elements of the Japanese New Year celebration starting from the less "traditional" ones to the most Japanese's ones.






During the period of the New Year, families usually gather to spend the holiday together. There are a lot of events for people to attend such as fireworks, balls dropping and of course lots of drinking as well. In Tokyo, most people go to New Years parties held in Tokyo, watch the fireworks and then go to clubs for special countdown nights.

On New Year's eve, people eat what we call Toshikoshi Soba, Soba being buckwheat noodles and Toshikoshi meaning "entering a New Year".
Actually, it is not a so special dish but eating Soba on New Year's eve is really the symbol of the end of the year.

In Japan, the new year means truly leaving the remnants of the old year behind and freshly usher in a new year so every things you will do from the 1st of January will be considered as something to celebrate because it is your first time.

For example, you start by viewing the new year's first sunrise called "Hatsu Hinode" (Hatsu meaning "first")

Then you go to a Temple to pray and it will be called "Hatsu-mode" ("first visit to the temple"). This is a very important event and in Tokyo crowds of people gather to temples such as the Meiji Shrine.
A lot of people are dressed up with their Kimono and buy a good luck talisman called Omamori. It is kept as a protection from illness, accidents and disasters.

At midnight, bells rings exactly 108 times in every temples all over Japan.
On the 2nd of January, the Emperor makes several public appearances at the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Then exceptionaly, the inner grounds of the Palace is opened to the public and you can go and visit it.

An other very popular custom is sending New Year's cards which are going to be delivered on the First. People can send a lot of them to, for example, friends, relatives and colleagues.

During the New Year holidays, it is also the tradition to eat sweet sake called Toso, a soup called Zoni and Osechi. Osechi are easily recognizable by their special boxes called jūbako, which resemble bento boxes. They contain different sorts of japanese traditional dishes.

Benji


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