For many, New Year’s Eve is a chance to party hard with friends. While many do so in Japan, this time of the year is more about spending time with the family and participating in Hatsumōde - the year’s first visit to a shrine or temple where you make wishes for the new year ahead. There are plenty more customs to follow involving everything from food, gifts and TV entertainment. Let’s take a look at some of them. 

Toshikoshi 

Food plays a big part in celebrating the New Year in Japan. Not only is it mouth-watering, but it also carries a lot of meaning and symbolism. Toshikoshi soba is a noodle dish you normally eat for dinner on New Year’s Eve. The name “toshikoshi” means “to jump into the new year.” And the ease of which you can cook and eat it symbolizes the idea of letting go of the hardships faced in the recent year, while looking forward to the new one with a fresh perspective. Placing importance on soba during the New Year began in the Edo period (around 1603-1868), when people felt that the buckwheat plant that eventually becomes noodles, represents strength as a result of keeping its shape even when it had been thrashed about by the wind and rain as it faced the outside elements. Others also feel it symbolizes the wish for a long and healthy life, due to its slim and long shape. 

Osechi

The chances of finding osechi in a Japanese restaurant are slim because this dish is specifically prepared during the New Year period. Introduced during the Heian period (around 794 – 1185), the food that is contained in the beautiful bento-style lacquered box can be prepared a few days in advance before eating as it can be keep its freshness for a few days. The idea being that a family would have something to eat when all the shops close over the New Year holidays. What makes this food so special over the New Year is that each food has its own special meaning. For example, typical food included in the box are daidai (Japanese bitter orange) which means “from generation to generation” and it symbolizes good will towards children in the new year; kazunoko (loads of little yellow fish eggs) which symbolizes the wish to have many children in the New Year; shrimp (a wish for a long life); and kamaboko, which is a red and white fish cake, which symbolizes the rising sun on the Japanese flag, which in turn celebrates Japanese culture and heritage. Nowadays, the majority of these osechi boxes can be bought from department stores, online and convenient stores for just under 10,000 yen ($85), but they can be a lot of more expensive, with one once costing over $4,000! Such is the demand for osechi, that people start ordering them as early as September. The love of osechi in Japan is so great, that businesses are offering versions for your pet dog! 

Ozoni 

Ozoni is Japanese soup containing mochi (rice cake). The tradition of eating this food for breakfast on New Year’s Day dates back to the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573), and it is considered a sacred dish because rice was offered to the gods as a way of thanking them for a good harvest over the year, while also wishing for a prosperous and happy future. Along with rice, other food grown on farms were offered to the gods such as vegetables and chicken. This was then used as ingredients for ozoni soup. Ingredients vary depending on the region but the main differences are between the Kanto (Tokyo area) and Kansai (Osaka area) region. The most distinctive difference is the shape and texture of the mochi. In the Kanto region, the mochi is normally square shaped and grilled before it’s added to the soup. While in the Kansai region, the mochi is round and boiled in water. Some of the other ingredients added to the soup includes chicken, fish cakes, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and daikon. But, at the end of the day, it’s up to the individual to decide how to prepare their own ozoni dish. 

Nengajo  

New Year is a time of thanking family members. And to show your appreciation, people send exquisitely designed post cards to each other. People normally write “Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu” (Happy New Year), alongside an illustration of the Chinese zodiac animal for the coming year. You can get pre-printed zodiac designs, so this can save embarrassing yourself if drawing isn’t your talent. This coming year is the symbol of the Rooster, which will be a year mixed with righteousness and justice. Such is the popularity of these cards, that the majority of post offices hire part-time workers to cope with the demand of delivering over 3 billion nengajo cards each year. From the beginning of December, there’s also a special desk setup at the post office to deal exclusively with these cards. And when you want to post your card, there’s a special nengajo slot to use at postboxes from December 15. Also, you can post your nengajo anytime up until December 25 and it will be automatically sorted into a nengajo pile, which will then be held until New Year’s Day when all 3 billion are dispatched. And, being the land of convenience, when you buy a bunch of nengajo cards they will already include a postage stamp on it. Naturally, the vast majority of nengajo (priced around 60 yen) are sent domestically but you can send them abroad using a special nenga stamp (add an extra 18 yen), which will send your heartfelt New Year’s message anywhere in the world. Increasingly, the younger generation are less inclined to send postcards to family members and friends. The messaging service app, Line, has pounced on this fact and are using a special nengajo service, which allows people to customize their own New Year’s postcard to send friends and family. They can either send it via SMS or they can get a physical version sent out, all at the click of a button. Controversially, you can even send cards to people you don’t even know the address of, making the purchase and delivery of nengajo more streamlined and efficient. Not only does a nengajo act as a warm greeting, but it’s also a lottery ticket. You’ll find a set of six numbers in the bottom right corner of the card, and the winning numbers are announced on January 15. There are usually over 2,000 who possess this winning number and they can expect to receive things like holidays abroad or cash prizes totaling up to 100,000 yen ($900). 

Otoshidama

New Year is a great time to be a child because you get lots of money from family members! Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts are all expected to chip in and they can give anything from 1,000 yen ($10) to 10,000 yen ($100). There are no set rules, however, so children can get even more, but it’s common to give kids more money as they grow older. This pocket money is presented to the child in a sealed envelope, usually with a popular cartoon character printed on the front. This custom applies to anyone from elementary age up until their late-teens. The reason children get money on New Year’s Day is to appreciate them and make them feel hopeful and positive about the coming new year. It’s also about developing the concept of saving money for a prosperous future. 

Kōhaku Uta Gassen  

Kohaku means “Year-end song festival”, and this is a TV staple on New Year’s Eve. It runs on NHK for over four hours and finishes just before midnight. First broadcast in 1951, the show consists of two teams, each having around 25 performers – the red team (girls) and the white team (boys) competing against each other in a singing contest as their voice, lyrics, fashion, hairstyle and the lighting of the set are all scored by celebrity judges and the audience. People enjoy watching it for the contrast in music styles. For example, many traditional singers called “enka” will perform on the same stage with more youthful pop singers. This creates an eclectic and entertaining show that will appeal to both the younger and older generation. This show is consistently one of the most watched shows of the year in Japan, which is mainly because most people stay at home with their families as they prepare to welcome the New Year. However, over the past years audience figures are on the wane with last year’s show sinking to its lowest audience share (39.2%) in its 65-year history. At its peak, in 1963, the show reached an audience share of 81.4%. Even so, for many families New Year’s Eve entertainment wouldn’t be the same without it.