Celebrating New Year in Japan

Praying at our local shrine, New Year's

In Japan, New Year's festival started a very long time ago. We celebrate it on the first of January. It's a
public holiday. We celebrate with family in my grandparents' house, because we want to enjoy the start of the year together.

People eat 'osechi' on New Year's Day too. It's a special meal with different foods, and each dish has a meaning. For example, black beans mean good health, and sweetened fish cake means a long life.

New Year's festival is important in Japan because it brings families together to share special wished for health & happiness.

Posted for Ceilidh

How do we celebrate New Year in Japan?

Many people in Japan go to a shrine on January 1st because it is New Year's Day. This is when we celebrate New Year's Day, which is one of the most important celebrations of the year.

Osechi

On New Year's Day, everyone eats traditional food with their families. We always invite our grandparents 
to dinner for Japanese food. We usually eat 'osechi', which is a famous traditional variety of hot and cold delicacies. 'Osechi' has many dishes, like 'konbu', which means celebration, 'Kuroname' which means being able to live diligently and other things.

On the day, grandparents and relatives give money to me and my brother and sister. We watch 'Kohaku Utagassen', when many singers sing their songs on TV. We watch as a family in our grandparent's house, which is in Aomori. New Year's Day is fun, but it's important  to meet and talk with grandparents and relatives. The day makes us enjoy the new year. All in all, it's a wonderful day and a great time for our family.

Posted for Hikari

Ayumi's favourite flying animal

It's a bird. It flies. It is about forty-five centimetres tall. It has feathers. It's feathers are soft. It can fly quietly. It has big eyes. It can hunt mice at night. I like this owl because it is beautiful and cool. I saw an owl at school in Matsumoto.

Ayumi

Pre-teens on future plans

About my sister I