New Year’s style in Japan

Happy New Years!!!

Most offices and businesses are closed during the first three days of January.
Families and relatives gather to celebrate the new year.

This is today’s menu!
Japanese sushi, Italian, Chinese… with Beer, wine!

This is cheese cake I made 🙂
Yummy!!

On New Year’s Day, people pay a visit to shrine to pray for happiness and good health.
But today was snowy with strong wind and cold so I could’n t go…
I have to go ASAP!
『Omikuji』 is a piece of paper which can be got in the most shrines during the New Year.
You can pick it up at random and on the paper, it is saying how lucky you are.
You might see in shrines many paper fortune is fastened to trees or ropes like this.

There are some explains for this custom and major one is like this.
“If the paper says you’ll have excellent luck this year, you should bring it on your person.
However, if it says bad luck might strike you this year,
you can fasten it up to a tree or a rope in the shrine and you can escape from the bad luck.”
This custom is stem from not only religious belief but traditional behavior.

I wish you a year full of love, joy and good luck!

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Please let me know if you have any comments!
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