Happy New Year! (Daniel) あけましておめでとう!! New Years is probably my favorite holiday because it is the only time I am expected to hang out with friends all night long. This is the first time I'm celebrating New Years in another land, far away from my friends and the mandatory  оливье . Still, I had fun learning the Japanese customs and traditions during New Years. Japanese people usually head to their hometowns to celebrate New Years with their extended families, causing train stations and airports to be crazy crowded. My host family and I traveled to Osaka, my host mom's hometown, to celebrate New Years with her parents. Most of our five days in Osaka were spent sitting around the  kotatsu  reading, sleeping, or watching TV. We greeted the New Year by watching a live-broadcast of Japan's most popular artists and celebrities performing famous songs. Four hours and fifteen minutes of J-Pop O.o Though I was far away from my  оливье , I enjoyed having an authentic ex