Celebrating the Beginning of a New Year by Adhering to Japanese Customs

Ushering in the winter holidays might seem stressful, but there's always the bright side – New Year's! This is the ultimate chance to hit the reset button and start fresh. Check out how the Japanese celebrate New Year (called Shōgatsu), with traditions that are a mix of ancient and contemporary, helping to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

Before we jump into the basics, let's debunk a common misconception. Although many cultures celebrate the New Year, the date varies based on the calendar. Initially, Japan celebrated the lunar New Year, just like China, Korea, and Vietnam. However, in 1873, as part of the Meiji Emperor's Westernization push, the country switched to the Gregorian calendar, celebrating New Year's Day on January 1st, just like the West. But even in bustling Tokyo, the New Year's festivities tend to be more spiritual, low-key, and family-focused than the flashy, crowded parties in other global cities.

As December comes to a close, preparation time begins. It's crucial to start the New Year with a clean slate, both physically and metaphorically. This means tying up loose ends, finishing work, and giving the home a thorough makeover. A key part of this cleaning ritual is creating a warm and welcoming environment to greet the toshigami (year god) who enters the home on New Year's. After a meticulous cleaning, it's time to adorn the home with shōgatsu-kazari – New Year's decorations like kadomatsu (made from bamboo and pine) and shimenawa (straw ropes with white paper slips), both placed near the doorway to welcome the toshigami.

While traditional New Year's dishes, called shōgatsu-ryōri, are being prepared ahead of time, children often lend a helping hand and learn from their parents. One essential dish is mochi. To make this sticky rice concoction, rice is pounded in a usu (a large wooden or stone bowl) with a kine (wooden mallet), transformed into smooth orbs, and used as the base for the typical New Year's soup, ozōni.

More ceremonious New Year's meals, known as osechi, are packed in lavish lacquerware boxes and shared as offerings. These dishes often include foods that symbolize good fortune, such as shrimp (representing longevity) or seaweed rolls (representing joy). After a feast of osechi, it's time for the New Year's Eve meal, traditionally toshikoshi soba, or "year-crossing noodles." These buckwheat noodles in broth symbolize crossing over from one year to the next, with a wish for longevity and health.

As the clock strikes midnight, many families hunker down at home to watch the annual television music special "Kouhaku Uta Gassen" or head out to a Buddhist temple to watch the New Year arrive and the massive bronze bell (known as bonshō) toll 108 times, symbolizing the banishment of temptations.

On New Year's Day, it's common to visit a temple or Shinto shrine for hatsumōde, the first visit of the New Year, which is considered an auspicious occasion to pay respects, make prayers, and offerings for the year ahead. The dreams of the New Year (hatsuyume) are also thought to contain signs of good fortune, so people try their best to remember them upon waking up. If you dream of Mount Fuji, a hawk, or an eggplant, your year is said to be blessed!

January 1st and the days that follow are typically filled with visits to family and friends, where children eagerly anticipate receiving otoshidama, or money, from adult relatives in decorated paper envelopes called pochi-bukuro. So if you make the rounds, you could end up with quite a tidy sum. Just remember, even if the amount in each envelope may not be as substantial as a typical monthly allowance, the joy on the kids' faces will be priceless.

Perhaps the most treasured gift of all – more precious than the literal currency of otoshidama – is the calm that takes over during this period. People from all generations take advantage of these days between January 1st and the re-opening of businesses and schools to slow down, eat, and gather their energy for the year ahead. Many return to work only a few days later, and then on around January 15th, it's time to take the decorations down (sometimes burned at a shrine) – the toshigami has departed, only to return next year.

Though these are some of the most well-known New Year's traditions across Japan, there are regional differences, and every family celebrates in their unique way. A few examples of these regional specialties are the Aomori Nebuta Festival and the Hakodate Goryokaku Festival in the north and the Kishu-no-Higan Festival in Kishu province in the south. Moreover, these celebrations continue to evolve and adapt. For example, the younger generation may not be sending dozens of nengajō New Year's cards, but they maintain the tradition in new forms, like digital greetings and e-cards. Regardless of how it changes, one thing remains certain: New Year's remains a sacred time across cultures for reinterpreting traditions, making peace with the past, cultivating new hopes, and renewing our bonds with family and friends.

[1] Smithsonian Institute, (2020). Honoring the New Year in Japan: Traditions, religious rituals, and foods. [online] Available at: https://folklife.si.edu/resources/honoring-new-year-japan-traditions-religious-rituals-and-foods[2] BBC Culture, (2022). Japan's New Year celebrations. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200101-japan-s-new-year-celebrations[3] Japan Times, (2021). All about Oshogatsu in Japan: Traditions, foods, and customs. [online] Available at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2021/01/01/travel/oshogatsu-new-year-traditions/[4] TBS, (2022). The history of the Kouhaku Uta Gassen. [online] Available at: https://www.tbs.co.jp/kстоохaku/gassen/archives/history.html[5] Japan Guide, (2021). Top New Year’s traditions in Japan. [online] Available at: https://japan-guide.com/e/e2030.html

The Japanese New Year, called Shōgatsu, is a blend of ancient and contemporary traditions that help bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, as part of pop-culture and lifestyle.
Although many cultures celebrate the New Year, the date varies based on the calendar, with Japan initially celebrating the lunar New Year, like China, Korea, and Vietnam, before switching to the Gregorian calendar in 1873.
Before the New Year, it's essential to start with a clean slate, both physically and metaphorically, involving tying up loose ends, finishing work, and giving the home a thorough makeover, as part of tradition and family-dynamics.
During the cleaning ritual, homes are decorated with shōgatsu-kazari, including kadomatsu (made from bamboo and pine) and shimenawa (straw ropes with white paper slips), to welcome the toshigami (year god).
Traditional New Year's dishes (shōgatsu-ryōri) are prepared ahead of time, with children learning from their parents and helping to make dishes like mochi and ozōni.
More ceremonious New Year's meals, known as osechi, are packed as offerings in lavish lacquerware boxes and symbolize good fortune, incorporating foods like shrimp and seaweed rolls.
As the clock strikes midnight, families either watch the annual television music special Kouhaku Uta Gassen at home or head out to a Buddhist temple to watch the New Year arrive and witness the massive bronze bell toll 108 times.
On New Year's Day, it's common to visit temples or Shinto shrines for hatsumōde, an auspicious occasion to pay respects, make prayers, and offerings for the year ahead, influenced by relationships and social media.
During the days between January 1st and the re-opening of businesses and schools, people slow down, eat, and gather energy for the year ahead, embracing the calm as part of music and pop-culture, while regional differences and new forms of digital greetings continue to evolve these traditions.