First Day is for Me

When I think about it, I have spent pretty much every single New Year's Day in Japan by myself doing everything I feel like doing which is absolutely not having any itinerary, plan, schedule or time commitment. I wake up when I feel like it, I stay in my comfy clothes all day, I eat what I feel like when I feel like it and I treat myself to the kind of day you sometimes don't often get to indulge in. And that's exactly how I spent today. I do enjoy my morning

"o-zoni which is a soup with rice cakes in them that is traditionally eaten on the first day of the new year. I also celebrate the New Year with the traditional "osechi ryori" which is a variety of different Japanese food each eaten for a specific reason such as for good health, good fortune, longevity,etc. There were years in the past where I actually spent New Year's Eve cooking and trying to prepare the osechi ryori myself, but now I just buy the pre-made food that they have specially packaged at the local grocery stores.

One of the popular things to do here in Japan on New Year's Day is watch the first sunrise. Ooops. I slept through it again this year. Another popular thing to do is receive New Year cards known as "nengajyo." People send them out usually before Christmas so that they can be delivered on New Years Day. I used to be very diligent about making and sending cards out. But if there is a death in your immediate family, you don't send out the cards and you let people know not to send you any as well. So after my dad passed away, I just stopped sending them altogether. Plus, I have moved around so much in Japan that I think I just lost track of who I've sent announcements out to and who I've simply lost touch with. I admire how faithful some friends and colleagues are to make sure cards get out on time to everyone. It's a tradition that I respect, but one that I believe you don't necessarily have to follow. I am not someone who will follow along with everyone just because it's obligatory or expected. And to be quite honest, I don't have the financial resources to afford to send all the cards I would need to. Since I started working at my current school, I receive over 200 cards. I'm extremely touched and honored, but if I had to send cards to all my students, I'd be broke.

I spent most of today cleaning and organizing the bathroom area. I did pretty well, but I still have a lot to do.I also binge-watched Season 2 of Sequester. Props to former BB contestant Audrey for creating such an innovative reality show with some interesting twists and challenging competitions! Season 3 is now in progress and I'm caught up with the current season and can't wait for the next episode.

Right now I'm doing some dubbing. I found my old dance tapes and am finally putting them on DVD. They're pretty funny to watch. Okay, I'm going to get this published before finish watching these tapes.

xox

My grocery store New Year's food ("osechi ryori")

New Year sweets to enjoy with green tea