The kanji 初 (はつ) means first and if you’re in Japan in January it’s likely you’ll hear it a lot. Some of them you might find obvious, so don’t hit me with your fist (or any other thing that’s hard). Also, make sure you append “of/for the year” to the end of each of these so I don’t have to write the same thing over and over again, it doesn’t look good from a design standpoint.

初音 (hatsune) – First sound
初空 (hatsusora) – First sky
初日 (hatsuhi) – First sunrise
初夢 (hatsuyume) – First dream
初姿 (hatsusugata) – First time wearing kimono
初湯 (hatsuyu) – First bath
初売り (hatsuuri) – First time selling goods
初釜 (hatsugama) – First tea ceremony
初詣 (hatsumode) – First temple visit
初場所 (hastubasho) – First sumo match
初花 (hatsuhana) – First blooming flower

There are other firsts that happen throughout the year, but pretty much all of the big ones happen in January, sometimes you’ll do many at the same time. Out of all of the firsts listed, the biggest/most important one is definitely hatsumode. Most Japanese people have their first temple visit within the first few days of the new year. In the Mie area, many people make their first temple visit of the year at Ise shrine because well, read about it.

The Ise Grand Shrine in Japan (which is actually a series of over 100 shrines) is the most sacred shrine in Japan. It is dedicated to Amaterasu (the Sun goddess) and has been in existence since 4BC. The main shrine is alleged to hold the most important item in Japan’s imperial history: the Naikū (the mirror from Japanese mythology which eventually ended up in the hands of the first emperors). The shrine is demolished and rebuilt every 20 years in keeping with the Shinto idea of death and rebirth (the next rebuilding will be in 2013). This ranks very high on the list of places you will never go because the only person who can enter is the priest or priestess and he must be a member of the Japanese imperial family. So unless we have a Japanese prince or princess reading the site, no one here will ever see anything more than the thatched roof of the Ise Grand Shrine.

I, being ever so Japanese, have not been to a shrine at all this year (even though it’s almost the second month of the year). I blame it on laziness, but it could always be some demi-god who wants to hold me down and keep me from reaching my true potential. I guess we’ll never know without the help of the Japanese ghostbusters.

Before the New Year is officially rung in, things can go a bunch of different ways. Some people will go to a bar (or club or whatever) and party until midnight/6, families will probably just stay home watching TV. Annoying, racist, cranky old men yearning for the past might have some special soba noodles (which is supposed to be a symbol of long life), but they will die when they eat hot mochi (餅, もち, they call it a rice cake, but it’s a chewy rice thing. sometimes there’s bean paste inside. it’s actually tasty); cranky man is dead (applause). Since celebrating beforehand is relatively recent, and is mostly catered to a young audience, the different stuff really happens sometime on and after January 1.

If Georgia O Keeffe was a chef.

People will usually go to a temple some time during the 1st. This is something that can’t wait for some people, so they’ll go to the temple right after midnight. They ring a bell and everyone starts a spontaneous, but well choreographed, dance. The next day they’ll begin to eat stuff from a big box. The stuff in this box is called osechiryori (お節料理, おせちりょうり) and it’s mostly just a bunch of little foods that each have a meaning. There’s a ton of them and I’m not going to tell you the meaning, but you can click and see for yourself.

Look at us. We mean something dammit!

New Years in Japan isn’t really a festival, but a bunch of little things that each have their own meaning (all good, except when you choke and die).