Fun facts you’ll want to share! January trivia and tidbits special

Furisode were originally garments worn by unmarried women.

Expressing something through sleeve length—furisode and tomesode—feels so refined, or perhaps it reflects our reserved national character; in any case, it has a certain charm.

Traditionally, furisode were considered the most formal attire for unmarried women.

These days, many people continue to enjoy wearing furisode even after marriage.

There are even married people who wear furisode at their Coming-of-Age ceremonies.

It’s said the long sleeves were believed to “ward off misfortune” and “invite good matches.” It really has the feel of an old-time custom, doesn’t it?

A football tournament is held in Tokyo every January.

American football fans may already know this story.

The Rice Bowl is a prestigious New Year’s tournament held in Tokyo to determine Japan’s top football team.

It features a head-to-head, all-out battle between the previous season’s No.

1 corporate (adult) team and the university national champions.

You might think the corporate teams have the advantage when facing college players, and in some ways they often do.

But historically, schools like Kyoto University and Nihon University have defeated corporate teams.

Every January, in the bitter cold, you can witness epic clashes so intense that steam seems to rise off the players.

Even if you’re not familiar with American football, be sure to check it out!

It’s considered more auspicious for a datemaki (sweet rolled omelet) to be rolled to the right.

Datemaki is one of the classic dishes in osechi; its mild flavor makes it friendly for children, and its distinctive spiral appearance is part of its charm.

Rolling datemaki to the right is said to be more auspicious, and the ideal is to pack it in the jubako in the shape of the Japanese character “の.” This stems from yin-yang philosophy, in which a rightward spiral is associated with yang energy and is believed to attract positive energy; hence the idea that right-rolled datemaki is preferable.

Keeping this in mind and deciding clearly on the rolling direction and placement can also enhance the overall beauty of the osechi.

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The feathers used for hanetsuki shuttlecocks were originally made from a plant called mukuroji (soapberry).

In this age when digital play is at its peak, we don’t see much of hanetsuki—one of the traditional New Year’s pastimes—anymore.

Even so, you still sometimes see TV personalities playing hanetsuki on New Year programs, getting their faces painted with ink as a penalty for losing and livening things up.

The shuttlecock used in hanetsuki is made from bird feathers, but the round core used to be made from the fruit of a plant called kuromoji.

It’s said that if you peel off the hard skin of this fruit, take out the inside, and whip it up, it even works like soap.

People in the old days really made use of everything!

In the Hakone Ekiden, there was once an instance where a rickshaw puller ran as a ringer.

When it comes to major sports events during the New Year, the Hakone Ekiden comes to mind—both the competitors and the spectators seem to have a passionate spirit, don’t they? In a past edition of the Hakone Ekiden, there was an incident known as the “rickshaw runner incident,” in which a rickshaw puller was used as a ringer.

This scandal, caused by Nihon University in 1925 (Taisho 14), has been passed down as a curious episode.

A humorous detail is that the rickshaw puller supposedly gave himself away during an overtaking move by exclaiming “Arayotto,” revealing his true identity.

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