【Happy New Year】There are a lot of special cuisines you can enjoy only during the New Year’s holiday in Japan! JSR members will explain what they are eating this holiday with pictures!

2023-01-05
boss/smile
Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I ate many feasts during this holiday and gained 1kg (2.2 lbs)!
It’s Boss from Japanese Snack Republic!
saori/smile
Hi there! Happy New Year! I kept my weight under control this year because I gained 3 kg (6.6 lbs) during last year’s New Year holiday.
It’s Saori from Japanese Snack Republic!
boss
Every culture has their own way to celebrate the New Year by eating special cuisines, enjoying special events, and so on! In Japan, we have a custom to celebrate the New Year by eating special cuisines!
saori/closeeye
In this article, we will introduce Japanese traditional culture during the New Year holiday!
Have you seen some gorgeous Japanese dishes for New Year? Have you wondered what people were eating during the New Year holiday in Japan?

【Happy New Year】
There are a lot of special cuisines you can enjoy only during the New Year’s holiday in Japan!
JSR members will explain what they are eating this holiday with pictures!

NYE! That’s the day for eating “SOBA” in Japan!

boss
We posted about Soba in the previous article, but we have a custom to eat Soba on NYE. Because Soba noodles symbolize long life as the noodles are long, so people wish for their good health for the next year. Another reason to eat Soba is since Soba is soft and easy to chew and cut off, people wish to get rid of bad luck in the previous year so that it won’t haunt you for the next year!
【Japanese Culture】When do Japanese people eat soba the most? The answer is NYE! Why do Japanese people eat soba on NYE?
https://japanese-snacks-republic.com/blog/entry_107.html
saori/closeeye
Yes! Soba is nutritious and easy to chew! So, it became our standard food to eat on NYE!
boss/smile
I had Soba at a Soba restaurant this holiday, but many people get Soba from supermarkets or convenience stores and eat at home because Soba and Udon manufactures usually release their new products this time of the year! You can find various unique noodles. I saw noodles with bold soup, light soup, concentrated umami soup......etc!

January is the month for limited edition instant noodles!
You will see many unique limited edition instant noodles released in January in Japan! If you want to check tasty Soba and Udon, do not miss this month!

Instant Soba
Instant Udon

Japanese are not allowed to work until January 3rd?
Gorgeous traditional New Year’s feast, Osechi, is full of wishes and ingenuity!

boss
Have you ever wondered about sumptuous cuisines that Japanese people eat during New Year holiday?
We want to explain about it next!
saori
This feast is called Osechi. We usually eat Osechi between January 1st and 3rd, and enjoy sharing it with families or relatives!
boss
This style of cuisine (custom) originally came from China to celebrate changing seasons (Osechi literally means change of seasons in Kanji) and to show appreciation to the Gods. That is why it looks sumptuous!
saori/closeeye
Osechi contains various dishes in small potions. One important factor is that throughout the dishes the ingredients last a very long time! Japanese cook Osechi around the end of the year and eat the small dishes for the first 3 days of the New Year.
So we avoid the ingredients that have their tastes fade quickly!
boss
Also, Osechi has another function! For the first 3 days of the New Year holiday while a family is eating Osechi, no one has to cook so that everyone can relax! Osechi contains various tasty small dishes and there are meanings for them!

“Good luck”, “Jinx” and “witty!
Each dish has meaning and wish for the New Year!

boss
We posted some Osechi pictures that our JSR members ate! Did you notice some of the same dishes (ingredients) in the pictures?
saori/closeeye
Just like Soba on NYE, we wish for the New Year through the ingredients of Osechi! For example......

Black Soybeans

Japanese demons (called Oni) hate soybeans, so they will push them out from the house. Also, people wish to be able to work/study hard outside as they get suntanned,

Shrimp

Shrimp have long whiskers and their lower back (tail) bends when they are boiled, people look at them as old men. So they symbolize longevity.

Date Maki
Sweet rolled omlette

Date Maki is an egg dish that was originally created from a foreign confectionary called, Castella. Since it looks like rolled books in the old times, this dish is to wish for gaining knowledge in the coming year.

Kuri Kinton
Chesnut gold mash

It is a dish with cooked sweet chestnuts. Since the color of the dish is yellow like gold, it is to wish for good luck with money!

Kazu no Ko
Salted herring roe

Salted herring roe that is typically marinated in dashi stock or sun dried. A numbers of roe are usually connected, so the dish symbolizes a prosperous future and fertility.
boss
What do you think? Each ingredient has its own meaning and wishes for the New Year.
saori/smile
After thinking about Osechi properly again, I realized many wishes were filled in the box of Osechi cuisine!
boss/smile
True! Oh, there is one more factor to make Osechi. We have to add ingredients that each family member likes!
saori/high
Yes!! That is important! You don’t want to eat the same things for three whole days! So, you have to add some of your family’s favorite items! (I usually add some meat in Osechi every year!!)
boss
There are many standard ingredients for Osechi but each family has their own choices as well. Our family likes smoked salmon, so we usually have many smoked salmon in our Osechi!

You can’t forget this!
The main character of the special dish for Japanese New Year is definitely “Mochi”!!

boss/smile
Osechi is the standard for Japanese New Year cuisine, but we cannot forget “Mochi” as well.
saori/question
Oh, by the way, why do we eat Mochi in the New Year? I forgot!
boss
There are various theories about eating Mochi. One said that it was originally from a celebration ceremony in Heian era. Eating hard Mochi was to wish for strong teeth, bones and good health. Another theory was that the Japanese believed that the God for harvesting/happiness dwelled in Mochi. So, eating Mochi was to receive power from the God!
saori/smile
Wow! That’s interesting! Eating Mochi is to wish for health and happiness! I didn’t know that!
boss/smile
That’s right! Mochi is made of sticky sweet rice. The rice is usually steamed, pounded and shaped. You can roast it or put it in soup and cook. Everyone has their favorite way of eating mochi. For me, I prefer to roast it and dip it in soy sauce!
saori/closeeye
Omochi is pure carbohydrate and high calorie! So, I try not to eat too much this year, but I prefer to eat it in a chicken soup!
boss
Okay, now we are coming back to the beginning of this article.
So, the Japanese usually eat the special New Year cuisine during the first 3 days of the year. The dishes are pre-made around the end of the year so that everyone does not have to cook during the holiday. We eat a lot and relax, then start working with full of energy from January 4th! Everyone! Let’s work hard to offset the amount we ate during this holiday!
saori/fedup
Oh my goodness!
I tried not to eat a lot this holiday, so I don’t have to work too much! I work hard but not super hard!
saori
I wonder what kind of food you eat during this holiday. If you can answer me with pictures, I would really appreciate it!Okay, let’s eat tasty dishes and stay healthy this year!
saori/smile
Okay!That is all for today! I will see you in the next article!
See you soon!

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