{"id":28797,"date":"2018-12-29T16:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-12-29T16:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=28797"},"modified":"2023-05-31T01:39:15","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T01:39:15","slug":"osechi-ryouri-the-japanese-new-year-delicious-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/osechi-ryouri-the-japanese-new-year-delicious-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Osechi-ry\u014dri: the Japanese New Year\u2019s meal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celebrating New Year’s in Japan isn’t complete without taking part in the traditions, including enjoying a traditional Japanese New Year\u2019s meal. Called osechi-ry\u014dri<\/em> (\u304a\u7bc0\u6599\u7406), this meal is all handmade, with each piece thoughtfully added with meaning in order to ring in the new year.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn more about osechi-ry\u014dri, the Japanese New Year’s meal full of history and culture.<\/p>\n

\"Osechi<\/h2>\n

Where did this Japanese New Year\u2019s meal come from?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

New Year\u2019s Day was one of the original five seasonal festivals in the Imperial Court in Kyoto, so you know this was a big day. The first three days of the New Year were sacred and it was taboo to use a hearth to cook meals, save for oz\u014dni<\/em> (\u96d1\u716e), a traditional soup made with rice cakes. Since women didn\u2019t cook during the new year, osechi-ry\u014dri was usually made before the first day of the new year.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, osechi-ry\u014dri was only made up of vegetables boiled in soy sauce and sugar or mirin <\/em>\u5473\u9182 (a sweet rice wine used for cooking). As times changed, so did the variety of osechi-ry\u014dri.<\/p>\n

Nowadays it basically means anything made for the New Year, be it fried foods, handmade foods, or takeaway foods. Those pressed for time can head to specialty stores, grocery stores, or even convenience stores<\/a> to get ready-made osechi-ry\u014dri packaged nicely in bent\u014d<\/em>\u00a0boxes.<\/p>\n

A particularly staple part of osechi-ry\u014dri is called toshi-koshi soba<\/em><\/strong> (\u5e74\u8d8a\u3057\u854e\u9ea6), a particular kind of soba eaten on New Year\u2019s Eve. The noodles are usually uncut and left long, symbolising a long life with good luck. If you happen to find yourself in a Japanese household on the 31st<\/sup> and slurping up those delicious soba noodles, just remember: it\u2019s considered bad luck to leave any toshi-koshi soba uneaten.<\/p>\n

\"osechi<\/h2>\n

What\u2019s in this traditional meal?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Osechi-ry\u014dri varies from region to region<\/a>, or even household to household in Japan, based on where you are. Regardless, know that every item has a special meaning according to the way it\u2019s written in kanji<\/a>. Think of these things as a pun, of sorts.<\/p>\n