You've probably heard of the Seven Lucky Gods who came to Japan from China on the takarabune, or treasure ship. They are believed to visit at New Year's, bringing with them joy and good fortune, so you'll often see these jolly characters represented in pictures or displayed as figurines near the end of the year.
I live in a house on the port of a small Japanese island, and I can tell you that no takarabune has come our way at New Year's for a long, long time. And looking at Japan's economy, infrastructure, national debt and aging population, the nation as a whole doesn't seem to be having much luck either. Perhaps the takarabune sank, or the gods got off at the Senkakus on their way here last time. I suspect they're not going to make an appearance this New Year's either.
The only encouraging events recently have been Tokyo's clinching of the 2020 Olympics and Mount Fuji winning World Heritage status. The jury is still out on "Abenomics," and with the lay-judge system now up and running, who knows what will happen there.
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