Hi everyone! Today we’re going to talk about certain formalities that are performed for the New Year. These formalities are performed by most Japanese families year after year. For example, it’s common for every family to send out a nengajoo (年賀状) or a New Year’s postcard. Nengajoos (年賀状) will contain the family’s address and a New Year’s greeting. Some of the greetings might include phrases like: kinga shinnen (謹賀新年) which means Happy New Year and shoshun (初春) meaning ‘happy early spring.’ These phrases are more commonly used on nengajoos (年賀状) then in person.
The nengajoos (年賀状) come in all different colors. Some of the most favorite nengajoos (年賀状) are of Western cartoon characters like Snoopy and Mickey Mouse. The most generic nengajoo (年賀状) contains an image of the Zodiac animal represented for that year. Every year, a different animal is presented from the Chinese Zodiac as the representative for that year. If you’re not familar with the Chinese Zodiac, it’s like a type of horoscope. In the western tradition, horoscopes are designated by the month of your birth, but Japanese horoscopes are designated by the year. The year 2009 is represented by the ox, so you’ll see many nengajoos (年賀状) with an image of an ox.
The general etiquette is to make sure the nengajoos (年賀状) arrive at their destination before mid January. As a result, people try to mail them ahead of time. The post offices in Japan are always flooded with these cards, so if you’re going to tip anyone this season, tip the postman. If there’s been a death in the family, the family may still send a postcard, but not one that is elaborately designed. The postcard is often subdued and is more of a notice to other family members that they are in mourning. It’s considered inconsiderate to send a festive New Year’s card to the family in mourning. Usually families will send a condolence card instead of the traditional nengajoo (年賀状) card.
The next type of formality is one having to do with money. Otoshidama (お年玉) is a general term for a New Year’s gift. Japanese children often receive money from their parents and grandparents in the form of money. The money is placed in an envelop called pochi bukuro (ぽちぶくろ). The older the child, the more money the child receives. It’s a way for parents to encourage or motivate their children to study harder or behave better. I call it a form of bribing, and growing up I always looked forward to this bribing every year!
Ok, time to go. I have many more New Year’s posts coming up, so stay tuned!
Guess what! Today’s post is going to be about food! Wanna know what the title of this post means? Let me give you a hint, it’s related to food. Oh, but you knew that already! Osechi Ryoori (御節料理) refers to all the food typically consumed by Japanese people during the week that spans the New Year celebrations. Osechi Ryoori (御節料理) are usually packed in lunch boxes called juubako (じゅうばこ). Juubako (じゅうばこ) literally means ten boxes. There are several layers or compartments in a juubako (じゅうばこ). As a result, food is stacked one on top of the other.
Now, on to the food. Much of the food in the juubako (じゅうばこ) have some kind of connection with words that have positive meanings. For example, the word for seaweed in Japanese is konbu (こんぶ). The word for happiness or delight is yorokobu (よろこぶ). The word for konbu (こんぶ) and yorokobu (よろこぶ) are thought to be similar in sound to each other. Therefore, many Japanese people consume some type of seaweed so that the New Year will be a year of joy.
Of course you want to start the New Year with good health, and that’s why Japanese people eat kuromame (くろまめ). Kuromame (くろまめ) is a type of black soybean that has been sweetened and simmered for easy consumption. The word mame (まめ) can mean ‘healthy’ in Japanese. Due to the similarity in sound, the Japanese associate the word for healthy with black soybeans. Coincidentally, black soybeans are really healthy. They contain lots of protein and can reduce the risk of colon cancer.
This next type of food is commonly consumed by grandparents and newlyweds. Out of a desire to have more grandchildren or expand one’s family, Japanese families may consume what is called kazunoko (数の子). Kazunoko (数の子) is a type of fish. The word for kazu (かず) can mean ‘number’ in Japanese. The word for child in Japanese can be pronounced as ‘ko’ (こ). As a result, kazunoko (数の子) is consumed out of the hope for many children in the New Year.
The Japanese also consume a type of fish called tazukuri (田作り). The tazukuri (田作り) is a sardine that has been dried and cooked in soy sauce. Tazukuri (田作り) written in Chinese characters or the kanji (かんじ) means rice paddy maker. Long ago in Japan, before industrial farming techniques were used, Japanese farmers would use fish as fertilizer for their crops. As a result, the word for sardine in Japanese indicates that sardines were commonly used to grow rice, hence the term ‘rice paddy maker.’ A lot of farmers eat tazukuri (田作り) in hopes of a bountiful harvest. With government funding for agricultural activities reducing every year in Japan, the tazukuri (田作り) will be especially popular this year with local farmers.
Ozooni (おぞうに) soup is the typical dish Japanese people consume during the week of New Years. The most common dish consumed is a soup called ozooni (おぞうに). Ozooni (おぞうに) soup consists of miso (みそ) which is a type of Japanese paste, mashed potatoes with sweetened chestnuts called kurikinton (くりきんとん) and a type of burdock root called kinpira goboo (きんぴらごぼう). Every region in Japan has a different way of making ozooni (おぞうに) soup. 
Some people like to replace miso (みそ) with a clear soup stock called sumashi-jiro (すましーる). Oftentimes ozooni (おぞうに) soups will contain mochi (もち) or rice cakes cut into rectangles. Sometimes instead of mochi (もち) people prefer to put toofu (とうふ) instead. Toofu (とおふ) is a soft, gelatin-type bean curd mixed with soy milk. Ozooni (おぞうに) also contains a type of parsley called mitsuba (みつば). As for other vegetables, it’s common to see komatsuna (コマツナ) or a type of spinach in ozooni (おぞうに) soup.
Don’t forget the fruits! Oh yes, ozooni (おぞうに) soup can also contain a fruit called yuzu (ゆず). A yuzu (ゆず) looks a lot like an orange but it tastes bitter than an orange. Also, there’s some meat in the soup as well. Beef and chicken are the most common options. Lastly, on the very top, it’s customary to sprinkle some shichimichi (しちみち). Shichimichi (しちみち) can be translated as seven flavored chili pepper. Shichimichi (しちみち) contains some yuzu (ゆず), ginger, seasame seed, seaweed, sansho (さんしょ), shiso (しそ), and nanohana (なのはな). Sansho (さんしょ) is a type of pepper, shiso (しそ) is a type of mint leaf, while nanohana (なのはな) is a type of seed.