Japanese New Year Celebration

I remember how we celebrated the first day of January in 2001 in Tokyo, Japan. It was like a second honeymoon to my nuptial partner and me. The entire 2001 was full of enjoying Japanese culture and tradition.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu (明けましておめでとうございます) is a formal way of expressing best wishes for a new year that means “Congratulations on the start of the new year.”

Informally, we can say, Akemashite omedetou (明けましておめでとう).

We may also say, Shin nen, Omedetou Gozaimasu! "Shin nen" means new year.

In Japan, cleaning the home is customary before the new year

Everybody would wish that the homes should be clean before any celebration. Japanese society is very particular about cleaning all the belongings in a home. They clean the furniture, rooms, and utensils- everything needed every day.

Japanese citizens visit a shrine on the first day of the year

Image 01: Screenshot Jindaiji Temple, Tokyo, source: https://www.jindaiji.or.jp/en/

We took a bath and visited the local Jindaiji temple in Chofu, Tokyo, early morning. We lighted a candle and an incense stick outside the temple.

Image 02: Screenshot Jindaiji Temple, Tokyo, source: https://www.jindaiji.or.jp/en/

Then, we went up the stairs and watched the ceremonies from outside the temple. We bowed down and expressed our respect to Lord Buddha. We prayed for about half an hour.

Eating traditional Japanese food is also a part of the celebration

Image 03: Japanese food (sushi) Photo by Kim Cruz from Pexels

We ate sushi in a traditional Japanese restaurant in the Jindaiji area of Chofu. Natural water streams around the restaurants with traditional wooden structures enhanced the place's natural beauty. There were colored fishes in the pond around the temple area.

Noise creation is not encouraged during the new year celebration

We make tremendous noise during new year's eve almost everywhere globally, but Japanese tradition doesn't support/encourage making noise. They expect new year's eve to be celebrated quietly and maintain peace in the surroundings. The police patrols watch around the city to see that a perfect peace prevails.

Japanese place decorated green bamboos beside the entrance

When I first saw the pieces of green bamboo encircled and decorated at every gate of Japanese homes, I was surprised. Then, my Japanese friends informed me about it. They consider green bamboos sacred and lucky for a new beginning.

Happy New Year 2022

Image 04: Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

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Postscript

I visited the University of Electro-Communications, Chofu, Tokyo, on a Japanee Government Scholarships for a research study from Oct 2000 - Mar 2002.

I and my partner thoroughly enjoyted our stay in Japan. We made so many friends from around the globe - Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgeria, China, Chille, France, Mexico, Phillipines, Russia, South Korea, Srilanka, Switzerland, Tunisia, etc. It was an amazing experience.

Unfortunately, we lost all the digital photos on a hard disk, which crashed due to sudden power spikes in 2007! Some film photos are still loitering in our old suitcases, or bags if we can find them somehow!

May I wish to get your frank opinions and counter views?

Cheers!

Lead Image: I created the animation with my texts and the Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels, which also appears above. Sources of all other images are mentioned below the respective images.

Disclaimer: All texts are mine and original. Any similarity and resemblance to any other content are purely accidental. The article is not advice for life, career, or business. Do your research before adopting any options.

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January 01, 2022