If you’ve been to Japan or are familiar with the culture, you may know that New Years is THE biggest holiday in Japan. From decorations to foods, they have very unique and beautiful traditions for the holiday. However, if you live outside of Japan, you may feel like it’s almost impossible to have the same type of celebration in your country since those specific things needed for the holiday are rarely available in foreign countries.
This year was my first time celebrating Japanese style New Years (Oshougatsu) with my little family here in the States, and I’ve learned so much from the experience and wanted to share them with you. So here are the three easy ways to celebrate Japanese New Years when living outside of Japan!
Look for Japanese New Years Decorations from Daiso
Daiso is a famous Japanese dollar store and located in several States here in America. This past year I learned that not only are there some Daiso stores in the States but they also ship your order as well. So if you can find Daiso in your country, there is a high chance that you can order some New Years decorations from them online! I was very fortunate that my sweet mother in Japan was able to send me and my family a package before Christmas last year and included some New Years decorations in it. They brought so many great childhood memories of celebrating New Years with my family!
The bamboo and Mochi (Japanese rice cake) decorations are must haves for Japanese New Years. (I’ll create a separate blog post to explain meanings of the decorations another time.) And you may spot a cute little tiger next to them. Did you know that 2022 is a year of the tiger according to the Chinese zodiac sings?
My mother was able to grab all of these decorations from Daiso in Japan, and from what I saw on Daiso USA’s Instagram account, it looked like Daiso stores in the States had them in stock as well! So definitely check and see if there is a Daiso store in your country and what kind of New Years decorations they carry. I would definitely start checking in November!
Find Jubako on Amazon
Jubako is a set of special containers/boxes people in Japan use to pack their special New Years foods (called Osechi) for New Years. Never in a million years did I even think to find Jubako on Amazon, but last year I randomly decided to see if I could find one there, and lo and behold…. I FOUND THEM.
I’m not gonna lie, I was completely shocked when I saw the price of this specific one. It was so affordable that I was actually a little scared to see it in person. lol But I was so pleased when I opened the package! (Here is IG reel/video of when I opened my Jubako!)
The word “Jubako” means “stacked boxes” in Japanese, and I think you can see why it’s called that way in this picture. It’s literally a big square container/box stacked on top of each other. Usually Osechi foods are beautifully packed in these boxes for New Years (my Osechi post is coming soon), but you can also use it to pack snacks or for any other special occasions/holidays as well!
Purchase Mochi from the Asian Stores
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake and commonly used in a dish called “Zouni” (Mochi with vegetable or dashi broth soup) during New Years in Japan. It’s very soft and chewy but doesn’t have a lot of flavors on its own, so it can be used in many different kinds of dishes.
If you can find Asian stores in your area, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a bag of Mochi especially before New Years.
I’ve also seen some people make Mochi with a stand mixer or bread machine at home, so if you already have those kitchen equipment, you might be able to make your homemade Mochi! Growing up in Japan, making Mochi was a big part of New Years preparation with my family, and it’s something I would love to experience with my children as well.
I’ve lived in the States for the past 10 years, and celebrating Japanese style New Years never seemed possible in my mind for the longest time (especially living in the area with limited access to Asian stores and what not.) But I was very surprised to find out that there are still some ways I CAN celebrate the holiday with my family here and that it is very much possible to pass down the culture to my children in some simple but fun ways.
I hope this post was helpful and gave you some ideas to celebrate Japanese New Years with your family! More posts about Japanese New Years to come very soon, so stay tuned!