Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! And in Japanese, "akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!" :D

Considering the Japanese New Year is a lot different than what I'm used to in the US, this January 1st has been an educational one. I think I'll make this blog post "Japanese New Year food vocabulary", because of all the new words I've been learning/food I've been eating. :D

Here are some of the things we ate for osechi (Japanese New Year feast):

• Namasu (dish of raw fish and vegetables seasoned in vinegar)
• Kamaboko (fish paste)
• Tazukuri (candied sardines)
• Ebi (shrimp)
• Ozouni (Japanese soup with mochi, different recipe depending on the family)
• Kuromame (black soy beans)
• Uirou (sweet made from rice-powder)
• Monaka (wafer cake filled with bean jam)

*takes breath*

• Ochazuke (hot green tea poured over rice, we ate it with salty fish toppings)
• Gyoza (dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables, shipped from Osaka!!)
• Mikan (oranges that we ate at our little table in front of the TV)
• Yakimochi (fried mochi) sandwiched between nori (seaweed)

Whew! I tried everything on my plate, and most assuredly, it was ALL good! :9

Also, all the food has meaning. For instance, if you eat fish eggs, it means your family will be strong and continue on for generations. Shiitake mushrooms are cut with a turtle-shell pattern that represents longevity. And I ate some thin soba noodles, which means that - because they are thin and easily cut (they fall apart in your mouth sooo yummy) - my bad things will be cut away to make room for new, good things that the new year has in store for me. Cool, right?

New Years Eve, me and my host family sat down and watched some TV. They had a sort of song contest special on for the New Years, so that was neat to see. Some of the popular artists that played were Perfume, T.M.Revolution, Arashi, and AKB48.

Right before the final countdown, though, the show cut to a temple in Asakusa and became silent. Temple bells rang, and at the top of the screen, flashed 00:00. Me and my host family shared our, "Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu"s, and went to bed. Unlike my usual American "3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" craziness, the Japanese countdown was very silent and very solemn, I think. It was a nice, quiet night.

The next day, me, my host mama, and host brother went to visit our local shrine for hatsumoude (first shrine visit of the year) to say hello to the Gods (kamisama).

Here's how it's done:

Throw a few coins into the offering box, ring the bell twice, bow twice, clap twice, make a News Years wish, bow again, and then continue with your New Years Day.

Oh, and on our way to the shrine, I experienced my first hatsuyuki (first snowfall) in Japan! It was actually SNOWING!! :D I was so excited!