NENMATU 年末 end of the year in Tokyo

2010 is ending soon, but hmmm, what happened to my new year's resolutions?
Well, carry overs aren't the useful method for accounting only :)

So NENMATSU is pretty busy in Japan. People usually end the year's work on Dec 29th, getting ready to return to their hometown -SATOGAERI （里帰り）/ KIKYO　（帰郷）-
, fly off for short vacations, or just stay in Tokyo like me. NENMATSU in Tokyo's nice and empty, trains with empty seats even around rush hours.

And what we do in NENMATSU? Here's my list.

1) OHSOHJI (大掃除)　massive cleaning up to clean up this year's mess and
for fresh new year. It's been said that we clean up to for TOSHIGAMI sama （年神様)
a god of harvest and fortune who visit every cleaned up household, with KAMIDANA （神棚）, on new year's.

2) OSECHI(お節)　New Year's Dish(or more like BENTO) preparation.
I've read some where that is was developed to give break for hard working housewives in Japan. OSECHI, is filled with food symbolising good luck,
 but also that had been cooked to last few days. Making dishes
at the end of the year that last for the New Year's holidays enable
housewives to stay away from the kitchen!

3)Purchasing TV guides, with NENMATSU special TV shows

4)NENGAJO (年賀状) war. This New Year's post cards are like Christmas cards
in the western countries(esp. N America). You send post cards, with
New Year's greetings. You will receive wedding photos, baby photos, from
those got married and gave birth on New Year's day or so.
Japan Post recommends people to post the NENGAJO by the 25th to have
them delivered on the New Year's day, but you can get by maybe till the 27th
from the information I get from my friends :)

Now I am off for more cleaning up...
年神様、きてくれるかな。。。

what we do on TOJI:winter solstice

Christmas is almost here and Tokyo's illuminated for the season.
December is filled with events, both foreign and japanese traditions.

This year, this year's TOJI(冬至) pronounced TOH-JI, is today.
The tradition is originated from lunar calendar from China, but
it has been modified to suit gregorian calendar hence the date of TOJI in Japan
differs from that of China.

There are lots of things we do without knowing the exact reason on such a day.
For TOJI, we take YUZU bath, and eat KABOCHA(japanese pumpkin/more like acorn squash).

So you see a lot of YUZU today at grocery stores in Japan!