New Year’s Day is one of the most important days of the year for the Japanese. On this day, we have a special dinner, Osechi, at home with our loved ones. Each dish in the box, Oju, has a meaning, such as the red (it looks pink) and white fishcakes on the left top, which mean happy, and the black beans, which mean diligent service. It used to be preserved meals that helped mothers serve meals to their family members during the New Year’s holidays, especially for the first three days of the year without cooking any food. It meant that Osechi allowed mother not to work and encouraged them to enjoy quality time with their families.
And these days, many shops and restaurants have developed Osechi into a big business. Even convenience stores have offered it for about 20 years. After our family found the Osechi provided by Seven-Eleven so delicious, we stopped preparing it and enjoyed watching videos and TV shows together on New Year’s Eve. The photo below is Seven-Eleven’s Osechi in 2024, which satisfied us so much. It works well to release mothers from the stress of preparing New Year’s dinner.
The doors and gates of the houses are decorated with New Year’s Day ornaments.
The left photo shows Kadomatsu, the gate ornament comprising three bamboo, Japanese apricot blooms, and pine tree leaves. It is a sign monument and a site for deities of the year to come to people’s houses and reside on it from New Year’s Day until January 7th to celebrate the New Year. Each item on the Kadomatsu has its meaning. The deities are believed to stay on the tree branch, so people put the Japanese apricot tree branch with blooms, a typical early spring blossom. Ancient people thought that the pine tree was a symbol of a one-thousand-year promise and that bamboo was a symbol of a ten-thousand-year promise, which means the deity of the year stays longer at each house.
On the right is Shimekazari, placed at the house’s main door. The straw rope, Shimenawa, creates a boundary between the outside and inside of the house, protecting the house and its inhabitants from evil spirits.
These ornaments should be placed at the gate and the entrance door before December 30. Usually, these days, they are put after Christmas day in Japan.
Shrines and temples also start New Year’s preparations in December. I recommend tourists from overseas visit the shrines and temples in late December to experience the unique New Year’s vibes. This is a perfect time to avoid the crowds that gather on New Year’s Day. According to the police authority, Meiji Jingu shrine will have more than three million visitors. I had a nightmare experience when I visited the shrine very early morning on January 1, before sunrise. It was so crowded that it took about two hours for me to reach the main worship hall. I was so exhausted.
New Year’s Eve might be the best day to see New Year’s religious ornaments and decorations in shrines and temples, as they have already finished all New Year’s Day preparations. And you might come across special occasions on that day. My guests (parents and their two daughters from the US) visited the Meiji Jungu shrine on New Year’s Eve and were excited to witness the shrine priests marching toward the special ceremony on the main street.
About twenty priests in traditional white clothes walked silently just before them. A younger daughter was so engaged in taking a video of the march on her smartphone that she repeatedly said, “Wow, amazing. ” They said their stay in Tokyo would become an unforgettable memory.
This year, there is also a special Year Closing ceremony at the Meiji Jingu shrine at 14:00 on December 31. It’s Oharae, the ceremony to purify and remove something wrong in your body and mind. It’s free to watch it. If you will be in Tokyo during your Christmas holidays, why don’t you visit the Meiji Jungu shrine to witness the priest’s march and Oharae?
Thank you for reading my post.
If you need an English-speaking guide to explore Tokyo, please click “Contact me!” below. I am willing to help you create an unforgettable private tour. Let’s enjoy the amazing New Year’s Eve with me!
Please also leave your feedback on this post in the comment box at the bottom. I am willing to hear your opinions, requests, and suggestions.
Please visit the following related post.
Comment