Although Shogatsu means January, we generally celebrate it for the first 3 days or the first week of January. Shogatsu is the most important days for the Japanese. Schools and businesses close for one to two weeks, and many people who live away from their families return home to spend this time with their families. To prepare for shogatsu, a general house cleaning is done, and New Year's pine and bamboo decorations, sacred straw festoon, and round mirror-shaped rice cakes are set out. On New Year's Eve, bells speeding the old year are rung at temples and the New Year is welcomed by eating year-crossing noodles. On New Year's Day, many wear Japanese-style garments and people go for the first temple or shrine visit of the New Year and pray for health and happiness in the new year. Shogatsu is also enjoyed by reading New Year's cards and by children receiving New Year's gift.
Osechi-ryori are special side dishes eaten on the first three days of the new year. A tiered lacquer box is abundantly loaded with multi-hued side dishes, grilled or boiled dishes and vinegared dishes. It appears that present-day osechi-ryori was developed with the particular practice of keeping it as is for a while, because it is splendid to look at, and also out of consideration for reducing housewives' work for three days. There are some regional differences but osechi contents are essentially fixed. Those contents are respectively charged with wishes: for example, sea bream(tai) is "auspicious"(medetai), herring roe(kazu no ko) indicates "the prosperity for one's descendants", and sea tangle roll(kobu maki) means "happiness"(yorokobu).
Shimekazari decorates doors at New Year and serves as a charm against evil spirits. The sacred Shinto rope is hung to indicate a purified place for receiving divinities. The shimekazari is made by attaching good luck charms like bitter oranges, ferns and lobster to the sacred Shinto rope. The good luck charms each have significance, the bitter oranges, for example, indicating prosperity of one's descendants. When the New Year period ends, the New Year's pine and bamboo decorations and the other decorations are taken to Shinto shrines and burned.
Kadomatsu are decorations made with assembled pine branches enhanced by stems of bamboo and sprays of plum trees. During the New Year period, a pair of them, one for each side, are placed in front of the house gate. In Japan pine, bamboo, and plum trees are taken as good luck, and pine in particular has been regarded as meaning longevity and valued since ancient times. Originally, kadomatsu were for receiving the year god, but in these days they are mostly considered just as another set of New Year's decorations.
Hatsuyume refers to the dream that occurs the night of New Year's Day to the morning of the 2nd. If it is an auspicious dream, it is said that that year will be a good one. Good dreams, counting from the top, are said to be "Mt. Fuji at the first, hawk at the second, eggplant at the third." To have a good hatsuyume, a picture in which the Seven Gods of Luck have piled gold and silver in a treasure ship is placed under the pillow, or a picture of a baku(an imaginary animal that eats dreams) is placed there to have bad dreams eaten, but these practices appears to have gone out of fashion.
Zoni is a soup with rice cakes(mochi) and vegetables, and is an essential dish for celebrating the New Year. In the Kanto area, zoni is generally prepared as a clear soup with square mochi, while in the Kansai it is made with bean paste and round mochi. But the seasoning and other ingredients are different according to each region and household. It is the special feature of zoni to bring out the richness of local color with additional ingredients, like fish, chicken or special regional items.
Kagami-mochi is a set of two round, flat rice cakes, one large, one small, about 10-20 cm in size stacked on a stand. At New Year, they are displayed in the alcove and offered to the Shinto and Buddhist deities. In Japan there is the old belief that at New Year the revered divinity known as the year god(toshigami) visits homes and the original significance of kagami-mochi was as worship offerings to the year god. Recently, however, few people are aware of such practices and kagami-mochi has become just another New Year decoration.
Kagami-biraki is an event that occurs when round mirror-shaped rice cakes (kagami-mochi), which have been on show in the alcove, are taken down on January 11 and eaten. Originally, this occurred on the 20th, but with the death of the third Shogun, Iemitsu, in the Tokugawa shogunate, on January 20, 1651, it was changed to the 11th. By the 11th, kagami-mochi hardens and cracks, but, since it is a good luck charm,"cutting" it with a sharp edge is avoided and it is split open by hand or with a hammer. It is called kagami-biraki(literally, opening the mirror,) because the mochi is split opened.
In Japan rice porridge(kayu) is one way to prepare rice(add lots of water to rice and boil until soft). And there is the custom that on January 7 kayu is eaten which has been enhanced by the seven spring herbs, such as Japanese parsley and shepherd's purse. Eating kayu on that day is said to ward off all kinds of diseases.
In some regions, seven spring herbs are served in rice and vegetable porridge or soup with rice cakes and vegetables, or they are substituted with red beans.
January 15 is Seijin-no-hi. It was established as a national holiday in 1948. On this day, those who have turned 20 are blessed and a coming-of-age ceremony is held. Most women attend this ceremony in a colorful, long-sleeved kimono.
In Japan, on turning 20, one is recognized as an adult. The age of 20 is an important juncture when one is granted full rights as a citizen, beginning with the right to vote. Drinking and smoking are also approved from this age.