And the Angels Sing...

... a new post has arrived.

A long, long time ago (about a month and a half) in a bed far, far away (Kumamoto, Japan), I awoke unusually early on New Year's Day.

My use of the phrase 'unusually early' is, of course, relative. Compared to my usual wake up time during a school week, it was rather late. Compared to my usual wake up time for a holiday or the weekend, it was only a little early. Compared to my usual wake up time for New Year's Day, it was unusually early.

Whereas Americans traditionally celebrate making it through one more year by participating in a night of debauchery on New Year's Eve before waking late the next day to begin the New Year with an earnest intent of improving and 'being good,' Japanese focus on the coming year by celebrating a series of 'firsts' on New Year's Day: Hatsuhinode - the first sunrise of the new year, hatsumode - the first visit to a shrine, and the completely unAmerican celebration of shigoto-hijame - the first work of the new year.

Anyway, I set my alarm early because I was invited for osechi-ryori by my neighbor, Endoh-san. Osechi-ryori, often shortened to osechi, is the traditional first meal of the new year and when many of my friends and acquaintances found out I had no plans for New Year's Day, they were dismayed at the thought that I would miss osechi or that I would eat it alone. However, osechi is a very special occasion for family and not something an outsider is casually invited to. Endoh-san, though, doesn't have family in the area and was happy to share her first meal with me.

The tradition of osechi-ryori started in the Heian Period (794 - 1185) and the dishes that compose this traditional meal haven't changed much since that time. So you can image how delicious it is. Arranged in special boxes called jubako, they are usually purchased already made and each food inside has a special meaning. They include:

Kamaboko - broiled fish paste. Colored red and white, the color and shape of the kamaboko are reminiscent of the rising sun, the traditional symbol of Japan.

Kazunoko - herring roe. The kanji for Kazunoko means numerous children and is basically a symbol of fertility.

Kondu - a kind of seaweed. Through odd connections in its kanji, this symbolizes joy in the New Year.

Kuro-mame - black soybeans. Mame also means "health" and this symbolizes a wish for health in the New Year. These are actually pretty good.

Daidai - Japanese bitter orange. The kanji for this fruit means "from generation to generation" and symbolizes a wish for children in the New Year. This is the most prominent symbol of the New Year and is found in almost all New Year Decorations and shrine offerings. These are also found year round in Japan and are delicious.

Boiled vegetables such as carrots cut into the shape of lotus blossoms symbolizing beauty and strength through adversity, mushrooms cut into hexagons reminiscent of a turtle's shell symbolizing long life, and bamboo shoots to represent renewal.

Our jubako also included shrimp, konnyaku, and sweet omelette; as well, as a Kumamoto specialty, lotus root boiled and covered in spicy mustard then fried. The lotus root with its pattern of holes circling one central hole is reminiscent of the symbol of the Hosokawa clan, the last and longest ruling clan of Kumamoto.

The final course of our osechi was ozoni, a soup with the mochi rice cakes that we made during mochitsuki. Though ozoni can be found on every family's osechi menu, the style of the soup can differ greatly. According to Wikipedia, a soup of clear broth is popular in eastern Japan (for Americans, that's anywhere north of Tokyo), while miso broth is traditional in western Japan (south of Tokyo). Endoh-san said that some regional styles included pork or beef; tofu and a variety of vegetables also can make an appearance in the ozoni. For our ozoni, Endoh-san said that she made it as her mother made it which was in the style that Endoh-san's father grew up with in a small town north between Tokyo and Kyoto. It was a very traditional miso broth with seaweed and mochi.

Osechi-ryori is not made of food alone, however. Just as important as the food we eat for the first meal of the New Year is what we drink. Now, I had brought a bottle of wine as a gift of appreciation to my hostess, but I had absolutely no intention of uncorking it for our meal. It was ten in the morning for heaven's sake!

We didn't drink the California red as it turns out. Apparently, it is traditional to begin the New Year by drinking sake. Much as Americans drink champagne on New Year's Eve as an indulgence or a reward for for the previous year, Japanese drink sake on New Year's Day as a hope or promise for the coming year. I sincerely believe that this difference in celebration reveals something profound regarding the Japanese versus American perspective, but I'm not quite sure what.

Anyway, when I arrived at Endoh-san's apartment, she had already opened a new bottle of sake and in the spirit of 'It's after five somewhere in the world,' I happily accepted my glass. Now, as I wrote previously, etiquette in Japan has it that you must fill your neighbor's glass and never your own. So, in the almost 3 hours that Endoh-san and I sat on the floor at her dining table, enjoyed the traditional foods of osechi and talked, we finished the bottle of sake. An indulgence, indeed!

Ito-san, the lady I sublet from, joined us around 1 pm after having osechi with her elderly parents. We all enjoyed a cup of green tea and some conversation before Ito-san and I left for hatsumode, our first visit to a shrine in the New Year, or I should say our first visit to shrines - plural - in the New Year.

First, we visited the Kato shrine at Kumamoto Castle. Though it was about 2 in the afternoon and pilgrimages to visit shrines begin at midnight on New Year's Day for many people, we still found a crowd of several hundred making their way to the shrine. Stands lined the entrance to the shrine selling all kinds of street food - takoyaki, grilled squid, and Japanese versions of hamburgers and hot dogs - as well as traditional shrine offerings. The most popular offering I noticed was a blunt arrow which Ito-san explained people would place in front of their family shrine at home which would protect the home and family from harm for the coming year. The arrow would remain for the entire year until next hatsumode where the family would purchase another arrow to replace it.

Our next stop was a small shrine just off Kamitori, which unlike the Kato shrine at Kumamoto Castle, is a good example of folk shinto. This shrine is dedicated to a politician of the early Meiji period who was disgraced in Edo - modern day Tokyo - and basically exiled to Kyushu where he became an honored scholar and poet. Today, this shrine is popular with artists and somewhat paradoxically, students eager to pray and make an offering the night before a big exam in hopes that it will help. There were no food stands here or people selling small charms and shrine offerings. And with only a handful of people visiting, this was both Ito-san's and my favorite shrine.

Finally, we walked the short distance to Fujisaki-gu Shrine, the seemingly opposite of the folk shrine we had just seen. The 'gu' at the end of Fujisaki-gu indicates that this shrine is a state shinto shrine. Not surprisingly, this was the most crowded shrine of the three and the one suffering from the most commercialization. And though I rolled my eyes at the commercial intrusion of this ancient religious rite, I do have to admit that I got some of the best fried potatoes I've ever had at one of the food stands there.

Well, after suffering the crowds for hatsumode, Ito-san and I returned to Endoh-san's apartment and rejoined her for hatsugama, the first tea ceremony of the New Year. To something of a surprise to me, the average Japanese person does not know a whole lot more about a traditional tea ceremony than I do. Ito-san and I were both novices to the practice. Thankfully, Endoh-san had taken classes and was fully prepared to walk us through.

Did you know that a traditional tea ceremony will last several hours and included a full meal? Our tea ceremony only lasted about an hour and was very relaxed. Endoh-san explained the purpose and symbolism of each step and told about all of the rules governing behavior at a tea ceremony. And there are a lot of rules: who can talk, who you can talk to, when you can talk, how to give and receive and from who you can give and receive. It's crazy and made me completely understand why someone would have to take several classes to learn and a lot of practice to master. The tea was delicious, however, and the sweets were good as well.

It was around seven o'clock when I finally returned home exhausted and ready for a good ole' American meal of popcorn and Coke.

Though the prospect of spending New Year's Day alone wasn't nearly as dreadful for me as it seemed to by Japanese friends, I was incredibly appreciative to Endoh-san and Ito-san for spending the day with me and sharing their fascinating customs.

Album(s) currently playing on my IPOD - Bob Dylan's 1966 Blonde on Blonde, Jeff Buckley's 1994 Grace, and Josh Ritter's 2002 Golden Age of Radio.

Current reading material - Julian Barnes' 1989 novel, A History of the World in 10 1/2 chapters. Slightly irreverant, incredibly witty, and curiously optimistic in the way that only a true cynic can be. I love it.

- Jenny

Down For Repairs

Sorry I haven't posted recently. Almost 2 weeks ago, my hard drive performed the task all hard drives are destined to perform. It crashed. It blowed up. I cried.

Since then, my attempt to first fix it - and when that proved not quite impossible, but rather improbable - then to purchase a new one, has become a veritable three-ring circus with me playing the role of bewildered ringmaster standing dazed in the center ring.

So, you'll have to wait just a bit longer to hear about my New Year. I know that y'all are quivering with anticipation. I promise, it will not live up to all of this hype ;)

- Jenny