New Year's Day

kadomatsu(pine decoration)


(c) .foto project

Wish you the compliments of the season.

新年のご挨拶を申し上げます。



I hope this year will be a good one.

今年は良い年になりますように。













kagami-mochi


(c) .foto project

There is not a fixed phrase"Akemashite Omedeto" written on the New Year's cards that I received today. Many poeple write New Year's cards without a phrase to celebrate the New Year.
















Ready-made New Year's dishes including many untraditional ingredients are set in three-tiered boxes.
Most of the ready-made New Year's dishes are sold frozen and we thaw them at room temperature.



a box of sweets with mayudama(繭玉)



confction called nanten(南天:Nandina or heavenly bamboo)

Nanten is an auspicious plant because ancient people associated a phrase "Nan wo Ten-zuru(難を転ずる)" which means to overcome difficulties or to get out of trouble with its name "Nanten."



Nanten(南天)



This is the year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac.


This confection have the shape of a kite. The word "龍(dragon)" is written on a sheet of white nerikiri that is placed on kite-shaped yokan.



a picture of dragon in Kennin-ji Temple(建仁寺双龍図)



Sweet bean paste buns have the shape of a traditional Japanese handball that colorful threads are wound around.