I spent New Year in Japan this year and have just come back to London. It was pretty cold there, with lots of snow in the north part of Japan. Some ski resorts even had to close as there was too much snow! I do feel sorry for the poor skiers. The ski resorts don’t open when they haven’t got enough snow, and now they close when there’s too much!
When I was there at New Year I was having a relaxing time with my mother and my family, and I also joined a Hatsugama (the New Year’s Tea Ceremony Party) at my old teacher’s house.
At the Hatsugama we had a cup of Koicha (strong tea) with a special cake and special lunch. The last course was Usucha with some sweets. My teacher is very traditional and we shared a cup of Koicha with five guests, which is the traditional way it’s been done for 400 hundred years. Since Covid, however, some teachers haven’t been sharing the cup in this way. It takes roughly 3 hours to enjoy all the whole process when you’re in good company at a proper New Year’s tea party.
On New Year’s Day we have Ozoni, which is mochi with some soup. Each area of Japan has a different type of soup. The kind of white miso soup is the traditional soup served in Kyoto, and the one that my teacher served us. Ozoni is a dish eaten to express gratitude to the New Year deity, and to pray for a good harvest and good health for the family in the New Year.
When eating in Japan, I had many more fish and vegetable meals than I do over here. Some of them were very elegant looking too!