Following our article on Christmas in Japan New Year’s Eve in Japan immediately takes over. Indeed, this festival has several important aspects and is spread over several days with delicious traditional Japanese meals!
- Japanese New Year
- Japanese cuisine during the New Year in Japan: feast and enjoy!
- Before the New Year, December 26 to 30
- On New Year’s Eve, December 31
- january 1st
- january 7th
The Japanese New Year
The Japanese New Year,お正月 or 元旦, is a very important holiday in Japan that takes place from January 1 to January 5 usually. Just before the New Year, the Japanese practice a great cleaning called ” ôsôji ” (大掃除), a kind of purification rite. The house is cleaned from top to bottom, debts must be settled as well as any unfinished business. The Japanese also take this opportunity to send a large number of greeting cards to their relatives and business relations.
At this time, traditionally Japanese people leave a “kagami mochi” as an offering. These are 2 mochi superimposed one on the other and topped with a Japanese orange called “daidai”.
On January 1st or at midnight for the bravest, it is customary to go to the Shinto or Buddhist temple. Indeed, it is the occasion to pray and to draw the predictions for the new year. During the following days, Japanese people visit family and friends, usually with gifts of food, alcohol or decorations. Children will be given gifts and will take advantage of these days to play traditional Japanese games.
The New Year is celebrated with family, but it is more and more common to celebrate it with friends or colleagues. Japanese people are usually on vacation and January 1st is a public holiday, so some Japanese people also take the opportunity to travel.
Japanese food during the New Year in Japan: feast and enjoy!
Food plays a symbolic role in the celebration of the New Year in Japan. The area around the temples is very lively with stands offering all kinds of yatai offering all kinds of delicacies. Many animations and games also appear during this festive period.
Before the New Year, December 26 to 30
Kagami mochi offering, its meaning
Kagami mochi 鏡餅 is an offering that Japanese people place in their homes to protect their homes from fire and other disasters all year round. It consists of two mochis stacked on top of each other, the second one being smaller. On top is usually a bitter orange called “daidai” or a tangerine.
There are several variations like the one with a leaf of konbu or a persimmon skewer. Although less common, you can also see some with 3 mochis depending on the region.
Kagami mochi means “mirror rice cake”, its meaning would come from the fact that the composition resembles an ancient Japanese round mirror shape with a religious meaning. The two mochi are sometimes interpreted as :
- the current year and the next year
- the human heart
- the yin and the yang
- or the sun and the moon.
Orange daidai, whose name means “generations” is supposed to give hope and prosperity to the following descendants. Kagami mochi is not eaten on New Year’s Day but during the opening ceremony of the mirror, i.e. in June.
The preparation of traditional mochi: mochitsuki 餅 つ き
In Japan, other types of mochi have been eaten for the New Year since the Heian period (794-1185). At that time, these mochi were eaten in the hope that they would bring strength to your teeth and bones for the new year. They were also eaten in the hope of gaining good fortune in the coming year.
Although today mochi are made by machines, for the New Year many Japanese households will take part in the annual tradition of mochitsuki (餅 つ き), the pounding of rice to make homemade mochi .
The rice, which has been left to soak in water overnight before being cooked, is pounded repeatedly with a large wooden mallet until it reaches the desired sticky, elastic consistency. Mochitsuki can be an event celebrated by both a family and a neighborhood or community.
It is an impressive event to watch as many people pound this dough at a frantic pace!
New Year’s Eve, December 31
Soba toshikoshi 年越しそば
At that time, Japanese people were very superstitious, so they believed that cooking on the first 3 days of the year brought bad luck. Therefore, for the first 3 days of the year, food is prepared in advance so that Japanese households do not cook. On New Year’s Eve, Japanese people have prepared so many dishes for the following days that on December 31 they only enjoy soba toshikoshi 年越しそば in front of usually a TV show.
They are long soba in a large bowl of hot or cold soup with toppings like tempura, kamaboko, shrimp, or abura age (fried tofu). Toshikoshi sobabrings good luck.
Compared to ramen and other noodles popular in Japan, soba is rather firm in the mouth and easy to break while eating. Thus, soba symbolizes “breaking the old year”.
Their thin and long shape also means a long and healthy life!
january 1
Zoni 雑煮
Zoni is a dish eaten at New Year’s breakfast. It consists of a broth or soup with toasted mochi cakes. The broth will vary depending on the region and family.
Unfortunately, this dish is also the cause of a number of casualties in Japan every year, as some elderly people die due to choking on mochi.
1st sake of the year, toso 屠蘇
At the passing of the new year, we drink toso 屠蘇 sake.
This is sake that has been specially prepared by soaking a mixture of herbs in it for several hours.
Drinking it ceremoniously with the family on the first day of the New Year is supposed to prevent illness throughout the coming year and invite peace within the home.
Osechi Ryori お せ ち 料理 kitchen
Prepared in advance, osechi ryori cuisine consists of several trays (similar to boxes bento called “jûbako” 重箱, each dish in this box has a certain importance and meaning) such as simmered dishes, dishes prepared with dried ingredients, and pickled foods in order to have meal trays that can be kept beyond 3 days.
Each item in theosechi ryori symbolizes a wish for the New Year: for example, shrimps are for longevity, kuri-kinton(chestnuts) for wealth and kazunoko (herring eggs) for fertility.
Nowadays, it is not uncommon for families to buy their osechi ryori. Most supermarkets offer osechi ryori preparation services, which can cost around 30,000 to 50,000 yen.
Japanese drinks
The Japanese accompany these dishes with many alcoholic drinks such as sake amazake (a sweet sake), Japanese whisky, shochu, cocktails, Japanese beer, wine…
The Japanese custom is that people refill each other’s glasses every time they notice that a colleague has finished his or her drink.
january 7th
NanaKusa Gayu
七 草 粥
After feasting, drinking a lot and eating a lot, on January 7, the Japanese consume NanaKusa Gayu.
It consists of 7 kinds of Japanese herbs, a light broth and Japanese rice. This dish helps to lighten the stomach and to eat healthy. This dish is similar to okayu which is prepared when Japanese people feel sick.
Japanese people think that rice porridge protects from evil and helps to prevent diseases.
Japanese people are keen to start the new year with good resolutions and a fresh start. Purification, good luck, prayers, traditions, longevity, amulets… The Japanese have a whole gastronomic and symbolic ritual to start the new year on an optimistic note. The Japanese cuisine is symbolic and remains very healthy although very alcoholic! We wish you all a very happy new year!
