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Namahage, the troll type of demon-like beings with blue or red skin are local northern Japanese folklore of Oga in Akita Prefecture.Nowadays, the event is mostly held on New Year’s eve. The young men in the village dress as Namahage, putting on huge oni (demon) masks and traditional straw capes (mino), carrying massive ax-sized knives, go door-to-door making rounds of people's homes, admonishing children and wives who may be guilty of laziness or bad behavior.“Are there any naughty kids around here?” they shout in a loud deep voice. Children get terrified and burst into tears by thinking they will get...

  If you have lived in Japan, or have Japanese neighbors, you might have seen 2 round-shaped objects with a mandarin on top of it around New Year.  It is called Kagami mochi, and is made up of two layers of round mochi (rice cake) topped with a mandarin. “Kagami” means “mirror” in Japanese, and it is often said that its shape resembles a bronze mirror, which was considered a treasure by the ancient Japanese. Two rounded small and large mochi represent ”Moon (yin) and Sun (yang)” and are also know to be representative of “husband and wife”. It is believed by double...

   What is Osechi?Osechi is a traditional New Year’s holiday food box in Japan since Heian Period (794-1185). Originally, it was considered taboo to cook meals on a hearth during the first 3 days of the New Year, so stackable boxes filled with long-lasting food items were prepared by December 31 for consumption over the first three days of the year.Whether you’re in Japan at the moment or thinking about visiting in the future, New Year’s is a great time to take part in some unique events and learn more about the finer aspects of Japanese culture. Wherever you are,...