Japanese New Year Food Tour in Shibuya (12/2019-1/2020)

One of the biggest holidays in Japan is Shogatsu (Oshogatsu) or the Japanese New Year, so of course, this Japanese New Year Food Tour in Shibuya goes all out to show you the highlights of this festive season. New Year traditions in Japan are quite unique from other countries of the world. While in Western countries, the New Year is traditionally celebrated with friends and Christmas is celebrated with family, in Japan, Christmas is for lovers and Shogatsu is a time to celebrate together with family. From the tradition of Hatsumode (the first shrine visit of the new year) to eating soba noodles and Osechi Ryori (Japanese New Year cuisine) to a Kanpai party with friends, this Japanese New Year Food Tour in Shibuya will let you in on a whirlwind of an evening covering all the highlights of the Japanese New Year. Perfect for a food tour, the New Year holiday in Japan is a major foodie celebration, the time of year when many symbolic traditional foods emerge, like Toshikoshi soba noodles, which symbolizes long life; and osechi ryori, a special type of traditional Bento box which has been apart of Japanese New Year traditions for centuries. But don’t be fooled, Osechi is nothing like your average convenience store lunch Bento. Traditionally, it is served in three tiers of beautiful, handcrafted lacquerware boxes, each with different compartments for colorful, seasonal dishes. Kuromame (black soybeans) symbolize health, as “mame” means health in Japanese and Konbu (kelp) sounds like “yorokobu” the Japanese word for “joy,” so it is eaten for happiness.