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April 01, 2025
 

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O SHOGATSU

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Oct 14, 2016
'Kuri': The nutty staple of ancient Japan
Fresh chestnuts are one of the few things in Japan that are truly seasonal and not available year-round like so many other food products these days. Chestnuts (kuri in Japanese) have been consumed here since prehistoric times. Charred chestnuts that are more than 9,000 years old have been found in and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 2, 2016
House of cards: Can traditional New Year’s greetings survive in modern times?
On Jan. 1, legions of Japan Post Co. employees delivered millions of nengajō (New Year's cards) to homes nationwide.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 2, 2016
Postal workers nationwide do whatever it takes to deliver New Year's greetings on time
Waking up on Jan. 1 is a little like waking up on Christmas morning — there's a palpable sense of excitement in the air as you reach into your post box to discover who has (and who hasn't) sent you a New Year's card.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2016
Spirits and turnout high as New Year's crowds throng to shrines and temples
People wishing to make a fresh start on New Year's flocked to major shrines and temples across the archipelago Friday morning in the annual ritual known as hatsumode (first visit of the year).
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 24, 2015
Meiji Shrine: grounds to ring in the year
As a relatively new place of worship, established less than a century ago in 1920, Meiji Shrine was originally based around the concept of wakonyu014dsai — a belief that treasured the Japanese 'soul,' while still embracing influences from the West. Its unusual omikuji, therefore, is not the only unique feature of the shrine.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 24, 2015
Getting the year's first prayer in
Whether we are Buddhists, followers of Shintoism or atheists, the first thing many Japanese do on ganjitsu (New Year's Day) is go to their local shrine or temple for hatsumōde, a symbolic first visit of the year. If it's not done on Jan. 1, it will likely happen shortly after.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2015
Staying up all night to get lucky (bags)
New Year's in Japan means fukubukuro (literally, 'lucky bags'). In a tradition kickstarted by the Matsuya Department Store almost 100 years ago, retail outlets offer mystery grab bags to the shoppers who are willing to buy blindly in hopes of scoring a bargain.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NAGOYA RESTAURANTS
Dec 30, 2014
Head to a temple for a New Year's meal
Although there are countless places to visit on New Year's Eve, one of the liveliest is Osu Kannon, a temple that is busy most days of the year and packed to the brim during the holidays.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NAGOYA RESTAURANTS
Dec 30, 2014
Take part in tradition at Futaba
While many osechi ryōri (traditional New Year's dishes) are not exactly adored by a lot of people, there is one simple meal that seems universally loved: toshikoshi soba.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 26, 2014
Digital tack taken to revive interest in New Year's cards
The tradition of sending "nengajo," or New Year's postcards, has been in decline as people turn to the Internet, social networking and digital gadgets like smartphones instead of putting pen to paper.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 18, 2014
Navigating Japan with a family at New Year's
Let's be honest. We're adults. New Year's in Japan can be a bit hectic. And then static. It's one of the longest, if not the longest, holiday periods in the year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Dec 16, 2014
Ring in the new year with refinement
The quintessential washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine dish, is nimono — vegetables and other ingredients simmered in a broth of dashi stock, sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce or miso. Nimono can be made in advance and served warm or cold, saving the cook some effort.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2014
Tokyo department stores to target foreign tourists with lucky bags this New Year
Are you feeling lucky?
CULTURE
Jan 1, 2014
Lucky food, charming decorations and visiting deities: welcoming the new year with history and tradition
Wearing kimono, getting together with family and friends, and not working for the first three days of a new year. Shogatsu, or New Year's, is when Japanese generally work less than the rest of the world.
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
Alert raised for volcano in southwestern Japan
Shinmoedake, a volcano located between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in November 2019
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
Who among the opposition would join the ruling coalition?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air
Scenes like this snow-covered bridge leading to the village of Shirakawa-go are what make the Three-Star Road worth traveling — its name notwithstanding.
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.

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