Happy New Year! A Look at New Years Flavors from Japan

When you picture New Year’s celebrations in the West, you might picture fireworks, parties, and champagne, but what do you picture when it comes to celebrating the New Year in Japan? Within Japan, Shogatsu, or the New Year, is widely considered the most important holiday of the year, but it’s much more family-focused than the loud celebrations found elsewhere. So today, we’re going to cover the delicious and meaningful food culture that defines the Japanese New Year!

Because of its cultural significance, the Japanese New Year is deeply rooted in tradition, and nowhere is this more apparent than in osechi ryori. These are special boxes of traditional foods eaten during the first few days of the year, where each ingredient holds a specific meaning for the year ahead. For example, kuromame, or sweet black soybeans, are eaten to wish for good health and hard work, while kurikinton, a mashed chestnut and sweet potato paste, represents wealth and financial luck due to its golden color.

While these historical dishes are usually eaten as part of a formal meal, their influence extends heavily into the snack world during the winter season. You will often see snacks flavored with soy sauce and dashi to mimic traditional dishes, or sweeter treats like KitKats and chocolates adopting the kinako (roasted soybean flour) and matcha flavors that are popular during traditional tea times in the holidays.

In addition to the fancy osechi boxes, mochi, or sticky rice cakes, are arguably the most iconic food of the season. A specific decoration known as kagami mochi, which features two stacked rice cakes topped with a citrus fruit, is displayed in homes to welcome the New Year gods. Once the holidays are over, this mochi is broken apart and eaten in a variety of dishes, such as ozoni, a savory soup that varies wildly in flavor from region to region.

And of course, as should be expected of Japan’s obsession with seasonal produce, winter fruits play a huge role in New Year’s snacking. The mikan, or Japanese mandarin orange, is a staple of winter, with families often sitting under a heated kotatsu table peeling and eating them by the box-load. On the sweeter side, January also marks the start of the strawberry season in Japan, leading to an explosion of strawberry-flavored chocolates, cookies, and gummies hitting convenience store shelves to celebrate the fresh harvest.

Japan is a country that takes its seasonal traditions seriously, and New Year’s is the perfect time to experience the rich history and deep flavors that make the culture so unique. For those wanting to try this traditional and tasty side of Japan, our bulk candies and snacks come directly from Japanese distributors to wherever you may be in the world, so you can ring in the New Year with Japanese elegance!