New Year’s Celebrations

I’ve lived in Tokyo for nearly fourteen years, but I have only been in Japan for New Year’s a few times. Usually, I travel back to the US to spend Christmas and New Year’s with my mother, sister, and aunts. Our celebrations are usually pretty quiet. On New Year’s Eve, we’ll usually stay up until midnight and have a glass of champagne before going to bed. There are often fireworks nearby, but we don’t go to see them up close. My mom and sister used to have pet dogs who would always get scared hearing the fireworks. We don’t have many family traditions, but my mom insists we have mimosas with breakfast on Christmas morning.

When I was younger, New Year’s celebrations were much more exciting. I would often get together with friends to stay up late drinking. We would always turn on the TV to watch the countdown just before midnight. It’s traditional in the US for everyone to drink a glass of champagne at midnight while toasting the new year. Couples will often kiss when the clock strikes 12:00. When I talk to friends in Japan, they’re often surprised to learn that New Year’s is a popular day for parties in the US. In the US, Christmas is usually a quiet holiday to spend with families and New Year’s is a popular day for parties, while in Japan it’s usually the opposite. Some people are surprised to learn that while January 1st is a national holiday, most people go back to work on the 2nd.

Last time, I stayed in Japan for New Year’s. My mom was taking a long cruise so my sister and I couldn’t visit her. Fortunately, I was able to spend the holiday with friends. Two of those friends are a husband and wife who recently built a house. They were excited to have guests over. There were four of us, so we had a nice evening playing board games and eating good food. One of my friends loves to cook, so he made a very nice hot pot with a lot of mushrooms and tofu. At midnight we put on a livestream of a temple. I learned that in some places it’s traditional for visitors to go to a temple and ring a large bell 108 times. In the morning, we visited a small local shrine. We were surprised to find that a group of local residents had gathered together there to celebrate New Year’s. They gave us some warm amazake.

I think both styles of celebration have their merits. I think it’s nice in Japan to have some time where things are so quiet. Since everyone is on vacation and most places are closed, you can relax without feeling like there’s something else you need to be doing. On the other hand, in the US it’s nice to have a holiday that’s mostly just for parties. Since everyone knows they will have the next day off, it’s a good chance for busy people to get together.

Joe

Vocabulary

insist (verb) - to strongly request something

mimosa (noun) - a drink made from champagne and orange juice

countdown (noun) – the activity of counting from a certain number to zero, usually for a big event

toast (verb) - to celebrate or honor something just before drinking alcohol

livestream (noun) - a video that shows something as it is happening

merit (noun) – a good point or positive thing