Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!
New Year’s in Japan is about as important as Christmas is to westerners. Elaborate postcards are sent and all kinds of customs take place. I was too little to remember any of this when I was a kid, but I got a front row seat to much of this at a Japanese market (Mitsuwa in Torrance, CA) I visited on New Years Day. (See Japanese New Year for fun facts.)
One tradition is to make mocha (rice cakes) to serve to the deity. These ceremonies involve a mortar used to pound the rice.
New Year’s are geared toward children, who score big with money and gifts. I’m not sure what was in those gift bags, but I really wanted one. There was also a golden dragon who was snatching dollar bills from willing children, and surprisingly not one kid was scared to put their hands in the dragon’s mouth.
New Years is significant to the Japanese because it presents a fresh start; I know that’s sort of universal but the Japanese take this seriously. They mark the occasion with watching the first sunrise followed by a first visit to a shrine or temple (called hatsumode) to give the first offering. Games are played and traditional Japanese dishes are served, and no work is to be done. Maybe that’s why the New Year’s celebration lasts 3 days.
I had a wonderful afternoon, enjoying a bowl of sansei udon and katsu don. It was the closest I felt to being in Japan in a long time. I can’t wait to bring Christopher!
The Great Nippon Journey 