Fun facts you’ll want to share! January trivia and tidbits special
There are surprisingly many things about New Year’s customs and January-only traditions that we think we know but actually don’t.
From the wishes embedded in osechi cuisine and the true identity of the fruit placed atop kagami mochi, to things you shouldn’t do during the New Year period, January is full of trivia and fun facts that can liven up conversation.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of general-interest trivia and tidbits related to January.
Why not bring them up as topics during family gatherings with relatives over the New Year?
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Fun facts you’ll want to share! January trivia & tidbits (21–30)
The world’s oldest spinning top was discovered in Egypt.
Tops have been played with since ancient times, but in fact the oldest known tops were found in Egypt.
The excavated ones are thousands of years old and were small tops made of wood or clay.
Tops are toys that both children and adults can become absorbed in just by spinning them by hand, and they were a source of fun for people long ago as well.
Moreover, they weren’t only for play; they were sometimes used as offerings to the gods or as tools for divination.
Learning about the history of tops, which are still loved around the world today, makes you feel a bit like you’ve taken a time trip, thinking, “Children in the past played in the same way we do.”
Kurikinton in osechi cuisine symbolizes good financial fortune.
Kurikinton, one of the dishes in the New Year’s osechi cuisine, looks like a small golden mound and has a sweet, fluffy texture.
In fact, kurikinton isn’t just a treat—it carries the meaning of bringing good fortune with money.
Because its yellow or golden color evokes gold coins, it symbolizes wishes for wealth and financial blessing.
Both children and adults can feel a little excited as they eat it at New Year’s, thinking, “I hope we won’t have money troubles this year.” Kurikinton is a symbol of happiness that’s delightful in both taste and appearance!
If it’s after around January 7, it’s no longer a New Year’s card but a winter greeting (kanchu-mimai).
Do you know by when it is considered courteous to send New Year’s cards so they arrive? Generally, it is proper to mail them between December 15 and 25 so they are delivered by January 7, the end of the New Year period called “Matsu-no-uchi.” Matsu-no-uchi refers to the time during the New Year when festive decorations are displayed, and it is believed that the New Year deity stays in each household during this period.
Therefore, it’s best for New Year’s cards to arrive within this timeframe.
After January 7, it becomes the season for sending “Kanchū-mimai” (midwinter greetings), so please take care.
In osechi-ryori, the black soybeans (kuromame) embody the wish to live diligently and in good health.
Kuromame (black soybeans), an essential part of New Year’s osechi cuisine, actually carry a deep meaning.
The word “mame” conveys a wish to live diligently and healthily, hoping one will spend the year in good health, working steadily and energetically.
“Mame” also means being spirited and industrious.
That’s why both children and adults, while eating kuromame, naturally feel, “Let’s do our best again this year!” As you savor them, you also partake in wishes for happiness and health—making this a dish believed to bring good fortune.
When New Year’s lottery postcards first went on sale, the grand prize was a sewing machine.
New Year’s greeting cards are steadily losing their place to emails and messaging apps.
Digital New Year’s cards are appreciated, of course, but there’s a special kind of joy in receiving a handwritten card on New Year’s Day.
The idea of adding a lottery to New Year’s cards began when the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Finance brainstormed ways to revive interest in them after the war.
It’s nostalgic to remember how we’d cherish the cards even after the holiday, waiting for the drawing day with a little flutter of excitement.
The top prize back then was a sewing machine.
Nowadays, you can even choose cash or electronic money.
On the day when people eat seven-herb porridge (nanakusa-gayu), there is also a custom called “nanakusa-tsume” (seven-herb nail trimming).
Speaking of Nanakusa-gayu, it’s a Japanese custom of eating rice porridge made with the seven spring herbs on January 7.
Nanakusa-gayu is meant to wish for good health and to give your stomach and intestines a rest after the New Year festivities.
Did you know there is another custom on January 7 called “Nanakusa-tsume”? In this custom, you soak your fingertips in the leftover broth of the Nanakusa-gayu to soften your nails, then cut your nails for the first time in the new year.
It is said that performing Nanakusa-tsume wards off evil and prevents illness.
Although not widely known today, why not do your first nail trimming of the year on January 7 and pray for a year of good health?
The first work of the New Year is called “Goyōhajime.”
In Japan, when the New Year begins, companies and government offices hold an event called “Goyō-hajime.” It’s pronounced “goyō-hajime.” This refers to the first working day of the new year and has the same meaning as “shigoto-hajime” (the start of work).
In the past, it was an important day when government offices and shops, which had been closed during the New Year holidays, would fully resume operations.
There is also a custom of exchanging greetings and visiting shrines to pray, “May we complete our work safely and smoothly this year as well.” It’s a day that can make the start of the new year feel a little special, both for children and adults, if you know about it.