How the Japanese People Spend the New Year

How the Japanese Spend the New Year

Hello from Japan. This year will soon be over and The New Year is coming soon, so I’m gonna to talk about how the Japanese spend the New Year. We spend New Year’s differently in Japan versus other countries. I think the biggest difference would be that New Year’s Day is a big of a deal. Another big tradition in Japanese culture is eating certain foods, Thshikoshi soba is eaten on the eve of New Years, while ozone and osechi are enjoyed the actual day of.


At the New Year’s Day, Hatsumode is the Japanese important trandition of visiting shrine or temple for the first time in New Year. On this occasion, people pray in the hopes of having  a good year ahead.


There are also a few games traditionally played on New Year, however, their popularity has decreased in recent times. Hanetsuki (Japanese badminton), takoage (kite flying), and karuta (a card game) are some of them.


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