So what is typically done during the New Year in Japan?

I really love all the traditional New Year celebration in Japan. Apart from the already introduced Osechi Ryori there are so many things to enjoy and to do. Although there are many activities to be done, all is enjoyed in a leisurely pace. The first step towards New Year starts already before the year end. Originally with a truly big cleaning the home should sparkling including the darkest corners latest by December 31. The goal of all this cleaning is to welcome the deity of the new year the Toshigami-Sama (年神様). This originally had religious significance, as it was believed that the God of the New Year visits each household which welcomes them. Of course with these expectations to have a god or potentially several gods coming home for a visit, the house has to shine. In addition to Toshigami-sama there is another group of gods that can be expected coming to respective, suitable homes: The Seven Gods of Fortune (七福神 Shichi Fukujin). Usually they arrive on their treasure ship as depicted below. These seven gods can be visited as well at their respective shrines at the New Year (article with pictures will follow).

Then after midnight with the start of the year typically soba is eaten, but at our home the traditions are a bit different. We have home-made udon. To make udon from scratch is rather time-consuming, but having something so delicious to start off the year, no matter how hard the effort, it is still my favorite way to welcome the New Year.

Another activity at the start of the new year is to write some calligraphy with a personal motto. In my case I have used a rather aggressive approach: Furinkazan (風林火山) which actually means “Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain”.

Takeda Shingen (Sengoku period daimyo) became famous with this battle approach: “Move as swift as a wind, stay as silent as forest, attack as fierce as fire, undefeatable defense like a mountain.” Personally I prefer some adaptions for a more peaceful approach of “either acting quickly or relax like being in a forest, plus not being afraid of taking actions or otherwise being unmovable when no action is necessary”. It might be a too free personal adaptions, but I still like the concept.

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Ah, Osechi Ryori!

Days have already passed since the change to the year of 2013 and the marvelous Osechi Ryori is already digested. As I had promised earlier, I am posting the actual picture of this years feast. It was as delicious as expected and it was more than two truly hungry people can eat. Traditionally special rice wine is drunken with Osechi Ryori, but at our home we have a different tradition. Usually we either select a one of a kind champagner or white wine, meaning we are only willing to pay that much for this special beverage once a year. This year it was a special white wine from New Zealand, which tasted perfectly with the rather sweet and strong-tasting food.
The actual Osechi this year had three layers:

Most impressive this year was the quality of the fish or vegetables. I will not forget the softness of the bamboo sprout!

Additionally the fish cakes (red and white) and the small sweetish fishes are my favorite each year.

The good news is that I have to wait now less than one year for the next Osechi Ryori.

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Few more days left to organize the once a year Japanese cuisine highlight: Osechi Ryori!

Personally I think nothing beats or comes even close to the taste of the Japanese New Years dish Osechi (御節料理, Osechi Ryori). Although it is completely different to any gorgeous meal in the West its variety of taste has caught my heart. There are so many different small samples of meat, fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables all available in one dish!
The origin of this special once a year osechi dish is back in Heian period and actually each component has a special meaning to celebrate the New Year (prosperity, good health, good harvest, happiness, prosperity, long life, going on and on). Some of the households still make their whole creation on their own, but I have given up before even trying. I have been spoiled by the sold variety and I cannot imagine how many days it would take me to create the same luxury. The picture above shows a small variety of the offered selection. The choices seem endless. Yes, considering the price for a osechi lacquer box – actually called jubako – the cost can be easily compared to a high-class French meal. You might wonder why to pay so much for just one meal, but I can tell you it is worth the money you spend.
Quite unusual from a Western perspective is the fact that all is eaten cold, because based on Japanese tradition the kitchen should not be used around the New Year’s day. The dishes are prepared in advance with lots of sugar or pickled (added vinegar) in order to preserve them.
I am already exited to get our Osechi Ryori delivered by the end of this month. If you have not ordered it yet, there is still the opportunity to get this delicacy in the next few days at a good department store. The money invested in a proper Osechi Ryori will be directly proportional to the “ahh” and “ohh” that you experience.
Some actual pictures of this year’s Osechi will be added next year.

An already hyper and exited waiting for the year-end Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

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Are we moving forward to move backwards?

The election of the “new” Prime Minister in Japan has occurred and we can start to look back on the most recent election on who represents best the interests of the Japanese society in the Japanese Diet.
Based on a recent survey on gender equality by the Cabinet Office (information based on Yomiuri Shimbun) 51.6 percent of respondents supported traditional roles for married couples. Personally I am surprised that this percentage has increased by 10.3 percentage points from the previous survey in 2009. While some are arguing Japanese society has reconsidered the value of a family since the March 11 earthquake and prefer to value family time much higher, I cannot agree with this viewpoint. Common families have to survive on an increasing tighter budget combined with the continued dark economic outlook, I believe most Japanese simply yearn for the good old times: There was a time when one salary could fully support a family and the common choice was the woman could stay at home. I just wonder how many families can actually still afford to have the wife to stay at home. Or there is another option: Japanese men have become more creative on how to survive on a tighter budget. Based on the Japan Times the pocket money of salarymen is at its lowest level since 1982 with ¥39,756 per month.

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How much do you spend on a luxurious trip in Japan?

Having an upcoming two-day trip to Yamanashi area this weekend I was happy to find some figures on how much is usually spent by Japanese for a pricier local hotel or ryokan stay. Based on a review done by Nikkei Shimbun (618 participants, half male and half female) the result showed with 39% percent the typical amount spend for a stay including dinner and breakfast lies in the range of JPY 10,001 to 20,000.
In my case the goal will not be on the excellent food provided at the place we stay, but much more having access to a private outdoor rotenburo (outside hot spring bath). I cannot wait to soak in the hot water and relax. For sure I love to be pampered with amazing local specialities at a ryokan, but for this trip we would like to focus on tasting local Udon unique to the Yamanashi prefecture. We will be focusing on two very specialities: One is Yoshida Udon close to Mount Fuji (described as tender and chewy at the same time) and then another version of Udon: Hoto (flat udon noodles in a thick soup, related to Udon, but actual preparation of the Udon itself is different).
Coming back to the money spent for accommodation; in our case we will have no food included and will be staying for JPY 10,000, which is reasonable considering we will have our hot spring bath for ourselves. In general the Nikkei Shimbun review found:

Up to JPY 10,000: 7 percent
JPY 10,001 to 20,000: 39 percent
JPY 20,001 to 30,000: 37 percent
JPY 30,001 to 50,000: 12 percent
More than JPY 50,001: 1 percent
Not traveling: 4 percent

For sure Japan is a country of travelers, because there were only 4 percent who did not spend money on accommodation!
I hope the upcoming travel will be a unforgetable experience, because the timing is right to see mountains full of fall colors, eating wonderful udon, plus having a relaxing spa experience combined with a promising Inka exhibition. What could I wish more!

Wishing you a wonderful autumn,

Sibylle Ito (伊藤シビル)

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What kind of plant would you like to grow?

200 Japanese kids in the age range of 10 to 14 years had been asked on a recent survey of the Nikkei Shimbun about what kind of plant they would like to grow on their own. I believe this questionnaire originates from a Japanese school habit, when the students are asked as a part the summer holiday homework to take care of a certain plant. Although Hydrangea as shown on the side becomes very popular in Japan during early summer – especially rainy season – the choices made by the children seem very interesting to me.
Number one was strawberry, which was for me very surprising, because I had assumed the children would be trying to let something grow that is in season in Summer. Looking at the product offerings in the stores, the high season for strawberries in Japan is in the winter (vinyl house farming). On the other hand, potentially, because strawberries are not found in the stores in summer, the desire to plant some of their own makes sense. The ranking follows as below:

1. Strawberry
2. Rice
3. Tomato
4. Corn
5. Cucumber
6. Water melon
7. Muscat melon
8. Grape
9. Potato
10. Clementine

I do not know what your favorite might be, but if I had a chance now I would love to have some “tororo” or “nagaimo” (Japanese yam: lit. long yam, 長芋) on my own. Unlike any yams that I had known, this yam when grated creates some sticky, slimy foam like mash. In case this made you curious for some recipe or pictures, don’t hesitate to have a look at the janechannel. I love this yam so much, if I had to be born again as a plant I believe I want to become a Japanese yam

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A helping hand is badly needed in Japan

Today I stumbled upon some further news that makes me again speechless. Personally I had been impressed about growth of kizuna (絆, Japanese word meaning “bond with others”) after the disaster of last year. So many people were volunteering or just simply trying to make life easier for everyone. Now as time has passed it seems that quite a bit of people are falling through the cracks, even though Japanese society still values and practices kizuna.
According to an article of Mainichi Shimbun in the aftermath of the last year’s disaster a government-subsidized free telephone consultation service was started. In the meantime due to increased social problems the line got so overloaded, that only after 20 attempts on average a person can get to talk to a consultant. About 20,000 calls are received per day, but only about 1,200 of them get connected. Based on the Mainichi Shimbun article this 24h service is called “Yorisoi (staying together) Hotline” and is operated by the Shakaiteki Hosetsu (social inclusion) Support Center. Calls about issues like poverty, unemployment and bullying are supported. In the meantime 38 call centers located throughout Japan were created.
Most shocking for me is that based on the information from Mainichi Shimbun about 70 percent of problems concern basic needs of a human being: Poverty and solitude, with many of the callers in their 30s to 50s. Examples are: “I lost my house after I became unemployed,” “There is no point in living” and “I just wanted to talk with someone.” While there is in the media the bashing of Namapo, reading these cited examples hurts my heart. A man in his 30s had lost his job, applied for welfare, but when calling for help at this hotline, he said: “I have no money and haven’t eaten anything for days.” Due to the worn out voice, the consultant judged right that the man was in a life-threatening condition. Contacts then from a local support center delivered some food to the caller. The man was truly grateful, especially as “no one had helped me before even though I consulted some offices.” The overview below shows the common reasons why someone is calling the support center (graph from Mainichi Shimbun)

Other support function are:
- 20% of consultations are about suicide (link to previous article on this blog)
- 6% of consultations are about violence against women and sexual issues.

It hurts me that the Japanese society, who is known globally for friendliness has ended up at a stage where so many people are starving, lonely, unheard… simply left on their own. I am left wondering how many people are falling through the cracks and no one in their environment might even know.

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