Suddenly Horses

Forget Christmas cards, we’re all about the nengajou here at Gaiwa.

Nengajou (年賀状) are postcards for the New Year in Japan; they’re collected at the post office before New Year’s and delivered on the first day of the new year. Nengajou are often decorated with the image of the next year’s Chinese zodiac, and you have the choice of buying pre-decorated cards or drawing your own. If you’d rather not buy your nengajou or draw your own there are many templates available to download and use for free online.

2014 is year of the horse, so you’re going to be seeing adorable horse souvenirs, cards, and more throughout the next year no matter where in Japan you go. They’re going to be especially abundant in the beginning of the year, but slowly dwindle down until December where the next year’s zodiac will be put on display instead.

Image source.

During New Year’s in Japan, you will be able to see decorative items of more than just the zodiac. Businesses and rich families decorate their verandah with a pair of kadomatsu, which are circular bamboo cut sharp, surrounded with green leafed pine branches in the centre. The not so rich usually decorate with pine branches and a pair of straw wreath-like ornaments called matsu-kazari. 

                       Image by ジェイド.                                                                       Image source.

There is a specific selection of food that people eat in Japan at New Year’s, it’s called osechi-ryouri (or more commonly referred to osechi). According to Bite-Japan, it typically consists of three dishes called mitsu-zakana (literally ‘three simple dishes’), as well as being accompanied by many other small dishes. Examples of food eaten for osechi are...

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• Kurom
• ame (Black beans) 
• Kazunoko (Herring roe) 
• Gomame or Tazukuri (Dried anchovy) 
• Tataki-gobou (Beaten burdock) 
• Kinton (literally ‘a block of gold’) 
• Kamaboko (Fish sausage) 
• Ebi (Lobsters, prawns, shrimp) 
• Tai (Porgies) 
• Kobumaki (Tangle roll)

Image source.

For those of us who like to spend New Year’s Eve inside, there are many TV specials to celebrate the New Year. Two of my favourites are Gaki no Tsukai (a comedy series most well known for its batsu-games), and NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen (or Kouhaku). Kouhaku splits the year’s most popular bands and artists into competing teams of ‘White’ and ‘Red’; the White team is comprised of only male artists or male lead bands while the ‘Red’ team is only female (or bands with female vocals). The team with the most votes by the end of the night wins, and Team White is currently ahead of Red with 34 wins of 64 shows.

Depending on where you are in Japan, and what time you decide to venture from your homes, it can be very cold to go ring in the bell for New Year’s. Bundled up in a fluffy coat, a scarf, and gloves it can seem like too much effort to go out into the winter air and walk to the nearest shrine, but it is definitely worth the trouble. You’ll see people going up by themselves or in pairs, parents lifting their children up to reach the rope, and hopefully you’ll manage to hit the bell yourself. It’s a little bit embarrassing, otherwise.

Image by アナ.

After hitting the bell (or not), you can walk further into the shrine grounds to receive some amazake (a sweet non (or low) alcoholic version of sake) which will warm your hands far more than the rope burn did. Once you’ve received your amazake, it’s time to try for your first omikuji of the year!

Omikuji are written fortunes and you can draw one from a box after donating 200 yen. 

They come in 12 different levels: (Source)

大吉	Dai-kichi	Great blessing
中吉	Chuu-kichi	Middle blessing
小吉	Shou-kichi	Small blessing
吉	Kichi	Blessing
半吉	Han-kichi	Half blessing
末吉	Sue-kichi	Future blessing
末小吉	Sue-shou-kichi	Small future blessing
凶	Kyou	Curse
小凶	Shou-kyou	Small curse
半凶	Han-kyou	Half curse
末凶	Sue-kyou	Future curse
大凶	Dai-kyou	Big curse

When the prediction you receive is bad, it’s typical to tie it to tree branches or the metal wires that are put up for visitors to do so. This is in hopes that the bad luck will stick to the tree rather than yourself. On the other hand, if you receive a good fortune and tie it to the tree this can give the fortune greater power.

For those of us not in Japan, what are your plans for bringing in the New Year? What fortune level would you like and what one do you expect? How committed are you to your resolutions? Do you have any resolutions? Or have you resolved to make them no longer? Let me know in the comments below!

Other sources: Writing Nengajou, 50 Years of NHK Television, Kouhaku Uta Gassen Wiki, GoJapan