Japan might have a reputation for hard work in its corporate life, but the country has rich cultures and traditions. Japanese cultural heritage, which includes food, is one of the reasons many tourists visit the country.
If you have spent Christmas in Japan, the Japanese Lunar New Year is celebrated by the Chinese and Korean communities. However, others generally celebrate the Gregorian New Year.
The Feel of a New Year in Japan
Decorations are an essential part of Japanese New Year traditions. As soon as Christmas is over, Japanese Christmas decorations begin to pave the way for various decorative pieces.
The Kadomatsu, also known as the gate pine, is one of Japan’s most popular New Year decorations. The Kadomatsu is made using pine, bamboo, and plum branches. It is a symbol of welcome to gods of harvest and ancestral spirits. There is a belief that it brings good fortune for the coming year.
Shimenawa, or sacred rope, is another decoration you are likely to encounter during the celebrations of the lunar new year. Japan has an extensive cultural heritage, and the Japanese believe the sacred rope will ward off evil spirits and welcome the gods of fortune.
As you go around Japan wishing people a Happy New Year, Japanese people take it a step further and decorate with the Kagami mochi (mirror rice cake). This includes two stacked rice cakes with a small orange (daidai) placed on top. The mirror rice cake is placed near Shinto altars or in prominent places in the home to symbolize prosperity and longevity.
Local Traditions and Practices
The Chukugai is where you can experience Japan’s version of Chinatown, and in Japan, Lunar New Year celebrations happen there. If the lunar year is not your thing, you can join others to pray at a shrine and watch the sunrise.
Hatsuhinode
If you spend New Year’s Eve in Tokyo or anywhere else in Japan, don’t forget the Hatsuhinode. It means ‘first sunrise’ and you can join many Japanese waiting for the New Year’s first sunrise.
You can enjoy this aspect of Japanese New Year traditions and customs by climbing Mount Fuji to enjoy the first sunrise. Watch the sunrise from Inobusaki, Ibaraki, Tokyo Skytree, Mount Tsukuba near Tokyo, or other elevated spaces.
Hatsumode
The year’s first visit to a temple is an integral part of Japanese traditions. During this visit, people pray for their heart’s desires and sometimes buy lucky charms and amulets.
Hatsumode is the first time people visit a temple in the new year. Participating in Hatsumode means you join others across the country in the practice of first-visit prayers, where they pray for divine protection, health, and success.
Kakizome
This means ‘first calligraphy.’ For locals, New Year’s in Tokyo or other places in Japan can include the art of personal goals or auspicious phrases in traditional Japanese script. This can be a way to start the new year with intentionality.
Hatsuyume
The first dream of the year is what lets you know what the coming year holds for you. If you dream of Mount Fuji, a hawk, or an eggplant, then it is believed that you will have good fortune in the new year.
Nengajo
A resident or tourist’s Tokyo New Year experience is incomplete without the Nengajo. Sending and receiving postcards of goodwill are part of the new year’s traditions and customs.
Traditional New Year Dishes
What’s a celebration without food? In Japan, you can celebrate your new year with dishes. Two prominent ones are the New Year’s Eve dish and the traditional New Year’s meal.
Toshikoshi Soba
The year-crossing noodle is the eaten by family and friends when celebrating the passing of the old year and coming in of the new year. Families typically eat the traditional bowls of plain noodles during osechi, while friends go out to celebrate and eat before the new year.
Osechi Yori
During the New Year celebrations, you are likely to come across stacked, lacquered boxes of food. These contain traditional New Year meals, with each meal having a different symbolic meaning. That is the traditional fare of the Japanese New Year.
The Kuromane or the soybeans, for instance, symbolize health, and Kazunoko symbolizes fertility. You can buy pre-set packages from restaurants and stores so you can simply have part of this tradition with less trouble.
New Year Fun and Games
If you’ve never enjoyed a traditional Japanese game, then the new year is a period for you to do that. You can enjoy various traditional games such as the Kurata which requires you to think on your feet and know classic Japanese poetry.
Koma is another game you can play with spinning tops. You can also choose to play Hanetsuki, a game that shares similarities with badminton.
Futubukuro
The Japanese believe a lot in luck, and they try to enter the new year with good luck. You can also score some good luck from companies trying to do away with excess stock.
If you go into stores or cafes during the New Year celebrations, you can buy a happy bag or lucky bag, also known as fukuburo. These bags have kanji written on them and have mysterious goodies for the buyers inside.
Buying a fukuburo means you can get things such as gadgets and clothes for about half the price. However, since it is a game of luck, you might also end up spending something that will be of no use to you.
Stay Connected as You Enjoy Your Holiday
If you’re holidaying in Japan to enjoy the Christmas and New Year celebrations, you need a means to connect to the internet. This will help with uploading your photos and videos to your favorite social media, as well as ensuring you are able to stay in contact with your loved ones back home.
OMORIWIFI has short-term Wifi SIMs you can use during your stay in Japan. For ¥6,600, you can get a short term sim for 60 days that gives you 90GB high-speed data and is powered by Docomo’s 4G LTE/5G Network.
Those who want something longer can also get a 91-day sim that offers 135GB for just ¥8,600. You can activate and connect instantly with no need for registration and no hidden fees.
Depending on how long you intend to stay in Japan, there are also shorter plans that last 7 days, 16 days, 31 days, and the like.
Who knows? You might decide to return to Japan for a longer stay after your holiday. If that is the case for you, you can purchase the long-term 6-month plan that gives you 100GB monthly with the option to pay for everything upfront or on a monthly basis.
If you don’t want to go through the stress of adding a new SIM to your phone, you can choose to go for the pocket wifi that gives you unlimited 5G connectivity. Apart from having an unlimited internet plan, the pocket wifi has the added advantage of being usable with your laptop or multiple devices you might choose to carry with you as you go to experience the New Year celebrations.
Conclusion
A Japan New Year vacation means you get to witness the country’s dense culture and customs. You can celebrate with the Japanese by enjoying their food, participating in cultural games, and shopping the futubukuro while ensuring you stay connected with your loved ones and the rest of the world through OMORIWIFI’s services.
