10 things that the Japanese do during the New Year holidays.

The New Year is just around the corner.
The end of the year and the beginning of the next year are a very special time for the Japanese.
Schools, along with many companies, go on holidays, and many people go back to their hometown to spend the first days of the new year there.
BATTERA’s office is closing during the period between December 27th and January 4th too.

Here we will introduce to you a few aspects of Japanese culture revolving around the end of the year and the New Year.

“Bounenkai” (year-end dinner parties)

Come December many companies and groups of friends hold “bounenkai” parties.
Every restaurant becomes fully booked on December weekends.
“Bounenkai” means “a gathering to forget the year.”
These parties are held in order to forget the hardships of the year while enjoying some drinks with colleagues and friends.

“Oosouji” (general cleaning)

Many homes carry out a general cleaning at the end of the year. They thoroughly clean places of the house that they do not usually clean, and get rid of all the dirt of the year as a preparation to receive the new year.

“Toshikoshi soba” (buckwheat noodles eaten on New Year’s Eve)

More than one in two Japanese people eat soba on New Year’s Eve. This is called “toshikoshi-soba.” Since soba noodles are easier to cut than other noodles, eating these represents “cutting off all the disasters of the year.”

“Kisei” (going back to one’s hometown)

Many people go back to their hometowns to spend the first days of the new year there. There are many people who travel during this period, too, so public means of transportation such as planes, Shinkansen trains, and highways become very crowded.

“Hatsumoude” (the first visit of the year to a shrine or temple)

©flickr/doronko
It is customary to visit a temple or a shrine during the first days of the New Year and pray for protection, safety and health, and for wishes to come true for oneself and one’s family and friends. During New Year’s Eve many people go out on “hatsumoude,” so trains keep running even late at night.

“Oshougatsu” (the first days of the New Year)

In Japan, we call the specific period starting on January 1st “oshougatsu” (the length of this period depends on the area of Japan.)
The majority of people celebrate the New Year especially between January 1st and 3rd.

“Osechi-ryouri” (Eating “Osechi”)

We eat “Osechi-ryouri” during the first days of the New Year.
“Osechi-ryouri” is how we call New Year’s food, and it includes many ingredients that mean prosperity, good luck, and health lined up in a gorgeous nest of boxes.

“Otoshi-dama” (New Year’s gift)

There is a custom in which adults give money to kids in a decorative paper envelope during the first days of the New Year.
This is called “otoshi-dama,” and adults give it to their own kids and the kids of their relatives.

“Nengajo” (New Year’s card)

This is a greeting postcard or card that is sent for the New Year.
These days, people who use emails instead are on the increase, but more than one in two Japanese people are still sending “nengajo” to their friends and the people who helped them during the year.

“Shin’nenkai” (New Year dinner party)

Once the New Year begins, friends and company employees get together again and hold banquets to celebrate the New Year.
There are many situations in which the Japanese drink alcohol during the end of the year and the New Year.

How did you enjoy the read?
If you have the opportunity to come to Japan during the end of the year and the New Year, make sure that you get to experience at least one of these ten things!