2014年ようこそ！

2014年ようこそ！

Hello Everyone!

First of all 明けましておめでとうございます！！！Happy New Year! It’s been a while since my last post! But it’s already almost been 4 months since I have been here! I really can’t believe it! I had the most amazing New Year’s! Every year I usually just hang out with my friends and welcome the New Year but this year was my first time celebrating with a Japanese family. I did a lot of different things to welcome the New Year with my host family! 

First of all to prepare for the New Year, everyone needs food! My host mom took me with her to the early morning fish market. 

We woke up unbelievably early... and went by car. When I got there it was freezing cold as well! Who wants to be awake really early and stand in the cold :（　 After getting past the cold I was able to enjoy the fish market. What was even more cool was that one of the Hippo Members husband owned a fish stand. So I was able to talk to him and get a close look at all the fish. 

I walked around the fish market with my host mother, well more like I followed her while she shopped. But I had a great time. I talked to a lot of different people and saw them prepare their merchandise. 

After purchasing A LOT of things! I finally escaped the cold! And then my host mom stored everything she bought and saved it for the new year. 

When New Year's Eve came my host mom brought out a large box obento (Japanese lunch box). She than took out the stored food she bought from the fish market and prepared various dishes. I said it was a large bento, but when I said that my host family laughed and said it was not a bento. Instead it is called "Osechi"   An Osechi is a traditional Japanese New Year food. They only use them during the new year. 

 When the New Year came, instead of watching the ball drop, I went to a traditional Japanese Shinto Shrine. It was really crowded! I waited almost 3 hours to get to the front of the line. When we finally got to the front of the line I got to say my wish or my wants for the new year.  

When going to pray at the shrine there are specific manners you must follow.
1. Threw your coin in to the offertory box

2. Ring the bell 

3. Make two deep bows 

4. Make your wish 

5. Clap twice  

6.Make one more deep bow 

This was very interesting! Lastly because I was one of the first 50-100 people at the shrine I was able to get the mochi (Japanese rice cake) that was made by the locals. Before the new year came there were a group of people that would pound the rice and prepare it to make it mochi! This was an amazing New Year's experience for me and I hope to have countless more.

Making mochi (rice cakes)

Happy New Year everyone! I'll talk to you soon!

Omar