New Year’s Japanese Culture

Satsuki Moriguchi, January 24, 2024

Let’s talk about what Japanese people do on New Year’s! In Japan, New Year’s is a special event celebrated during the first week of the year. People go back to their hometowns during the New Year’s season and spend time with their families.

On New Year’s Eve, you eat the year-crossing noodle called “Toshikoshi Soba” to bring in the new year, as they are long and thin, making it easy to break noodles, cutting the previous year’s bad luck.

On New Year’s, first, you wake up, go to your family, and greet them, saying, “Happy New Year! I look forward to being with you again this year!!!” This greeting is an especially important one in Japanese culture.

You get together with your family and drink sake called “otoso” and the meaning behind drinking it is that it will flush away any bad luck or misfortune from the previous year. You also eat a New Year’s meal called “Osechi,” made with traditional Japanese cooking, specially prepared for the celebration. It is placed in a square box called “Jyuubako,” in which appetizers are placed in the highest box, the second box contains primarily seafood, and the third box holds a mountain of delicacies. Some of the meanings behind the osechi are black beans called “kuromame,” representing the ability to live a healthy life, and the lotus root called “renkon,” which allows you to see the future. Each ingredient holds a different meaning.

Adults give children an allowance called “otoshidama.” My parents and grandparents give me 10,000 yen each, every year. When I was little, I used to use that money to go on a shopping spree at the mall, but now I put it in the bank to save money, as well as there are a lot of people at the mall on New Year’s!

Overall, New Year’s Day is the best event of the year to spend time with family!