Happy 2020!
Jess here! Did you have a great New Year’s celebration?
New Year’s tends to be a pretty important time for many people in Japan. Though of course there are parties and countdowns, it’s not limited to December 31st and the 1st of January—New Year’s (or oshōgatsuお正月) lasts for at least a week into January, and is also a time for people to travel back to their hometowns to spend the holidays with family. It’s also a good time for cleaning out old things, playing traditional games, and eating big fancy meals with your loved ones. For someone like me, who hails from the US, it’s like Christmas, New Year’s, spring cleaning and Thanksgiving all rolled into one!
