Let's get excited with a New Year quiz! General questions about the Japanese New Year

Academic achievement

Datemaki, which resembles a scroll in appearance, is associated with old books and scrolls and thus carries wishes for academic success and increased knowledge. It is especially eaten at the start of the year with hopes for improving studies and learning new things. For that reason, it is a particularly valued dish in households with children or students.

financial luck

Kurikinton is one of the most popular dishes in osechi cuisine, and its vivid golden color evokes gold bars and treasure, making it a symbol of good fortune and increased wealth. Eating kurikinton at the start of the new year carries the hope that abundant prosperity will come to one’s household and oneself. Its bright hue also adds a festive touch to celebratory gatherings.

udon

The noodles considered good to eat during the New Year are udon. In some regions, there is a custom of eating udon for good luck alongside ozoni and osechi dishes. In places like Kagawa Prefecture, there is a tradition called “Toshiake Udon” (New Year’s Udon), where people eat white udon at the start of the year to pray for good fortune and longevity. It carries the meaning of wishing for a year free of illness and for the health of one’s family, making it a festive addition to the New Year’s table.

herring

Kazunoko is herring roe. The kazunoko used in osechi cuisine is considered an auspicious food that symbolizes wishes for fertility and family prosperity, making it an essential ingredient for the Japanese New Year. Because herrings lay a large number of eggs, their roe, kazunoko, is eaten with the hope of being blessed with many children. Its popping texture is also distinctive, and it has long been cherished as a traditional New Year’s dish in Japan.

A wish for layers of good fortune and auspiciousness to overlap

Stacking osechi dishes in layered jubako boxes carries the wish that good fortune and auspiciousness will come in many layers. In traditional Japanese culture, “layering” itself holds meaning, embodying the hope that a family’s happiness and prosperity will continue in multiple layers. For this reason, the practice has been passed down not only for visual beauty and preservation, but as a distinctly Japanese custom that values auspiciousness.

As many times as you like

Omikuji are fortune-telling slips drawn at shrines and temples, and there’s basically no set limit on how many times you can draw one. Even if you don’t like the result you got the first time, drawing again isn’t considered rude. However, it’s generally recommended to avoid drawing repeatedly in quick succession for the sake of good manners. The idea that “you can draw omikuji as many times as you like” exists because there’s no official rule. What’s important is not to get too carried away by the result and to welcome the New Year with a positive mindset.

New Year’s courtesy visits

“New Year’s visits” (toshikoshi/nen-shi mawari) is a traditional Japanese custom of going from house to house during the New Year to greet relatives, acquaintances, and colleagues. It is an important practice for expressing gratitude to those who have helped you and conveying your hopes for continued goodwill in the coming year, and it has been observed across Japan since long ago. This custom also plays a role in strengthening personal connections.