Happy New Year 2023! Here is how our family spends the Japanese New Year (Oshogatsu), including the traditional dishes we eat.
Related post: BBQ party with Hida beef at home
Osechi: Traditional New Year Food
Osechi ryori is a set of special dishes prepared before New Year’s Day and packed in boxes. Each dish carries a wish for the coming year. Our osechi included sweet rolled omelet (datemaki), black soybeans (kuromame) for good health, small dried sardines (tazukuri) for a good harvest, lotus root, simmered vegetables, and sliced roast pork. We also decorated the table with a small New Year flower arrangement.
This year (2023) we will update this site regularly.
Japanese New Year Events
1. Visiting the family grave and the temple
At New Year we visit our family grave to pray to our ancestors. We offer fresh flowers and light candles and incense.
Then we pray at a temple for a safe and healthy year. The temple buildings and pagoda looked beautiful in the evening light.
We also rang the temple bell. From the bell tower we could watch the sun set over the town.
2. Gyoza party and eel dinner
We made gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) together at home, and we also went out to eat grilled eel (unagi).
In Japan, many people rest for the first three days of the New Year. We went back to work on January 5.
