[For Elementary School Kids] A New Year’s Quiz Everyone Can Enjoy! Learn surprising fun facts with multiple-choice questions

Meiji era

The custom of “hatsumode” is said to have spread nationwide rapidly in the Meiji era when railways developed and more people began visiting large shrines and temples. Before that, it was common to spend the New Year in devotion to one’s local tutelary deity, which was different from today’s practice of going out on New Year’s Day.

So that I can live a long life

By eating thin, long toshikoshi soba, people express a wish for health and longevity. Because soba noodles break easily, they also symbolize cutting off the misfortunes of the past year. This custom spread during the Edo period and is said to have become established nationwide as a New Year’s Eve tradition.

So that you live straight and righteous

The central bamboo in a kadomatsu symbolizes the wish to “live straight and upright,” as it grows straight. It also expresses hopes that good fortune will enter the home directly.

Because the postal system was established.

With the start of the postal system in Japan during the Meiji era and the ease of sending postcards, New Year’s cards spread among ordinary people. Originally, they served as an alternative to New Year’s visits, mainly to show courtesy to those one could not meet in person. Even today, they are cherished across generations as a custom for expressing everyday gratitude.

You can easily make it at home, and it makes everyone laugh.

Fukuwarai spread widely because it’s easy to make at home with paper and the like, and people can play it while laughing together with family and friends. Playing with a face modeled after the god of good fortune is also meant to invite happiness for the year, and from the Meiji era onward it became established as a household pastime.

So that one can work diligently and stay healthy

“Kuromame” (black soybeans) carry the wish that you will spend the year in good health and vigor. The word mame also means “healthy/energetic” and “diligent.” Since ancient times, black has been considered a color that wards off evil, and because it is believed to dispel misfortune for the year, kuromame has long been valued as an especially auspicious dish in New Year’s cuisine.

By the shrine

In fact, the chance of getting “kyō” (bad fortune) is quite low—at many shrines it’s said to be around 1%. Because only a small number are included, you might not see them very often. Some shrines actually have more “daikichi” (great blessing), while others deliberately include more “kyō” to emphasize caution and self-discipline. With omikuji, what matters more than the result is how you act afterward, so it’s not something to get overly happy or upset about based solely on the luck ranking.