2022 Volume 18 Pages 39-47
This paper reports on the results of the 2020 questionnaire-based surveys (N=1605) concerning Year-end and New Year traditions related to food and activity in Japan, in comparison with the 2017 result (N=1665). At the end of 2019, about 70% of the respondents did year-end cleaning and consumed toshikoshi soba on New Year’s Eve, as was the case in the 2017 survey. However, the number of respondents who prepared New Year’s dishes, osechi, decreased in 2020.The most favorite osechi dishes were kamaboko, followed by nimame and nimono. Fish dishes came out on the bottoms. The ranking was the same in the 2017 survey, but the amount consumed decreased in 2020. The most cited reason for making osechi was that it was part of the traditional custom, followed by the belief that it would bring good luck. Households with children tend to make the most effort to uphold the New Year’s tradition than those without children.For those who did not make osechi noted that it required too much time and effort to prepare; the increased accessibility of store-bought osechi; and smaller family size. The period for eating osechi has become shorter in the 2020 survey. In both surveys, many of the participants responded that they cherish “spending time with family” on New Year’s Day. The New Year tradition is a precious opportunity to preserve the Japanese tradition and pass the culture on to the next generation. However, the result of the 2020 survey shows that it is slowly declining, as seen in comparison with the 2017 survey result. The reason why the traditional New Year practice is being neglected may likely be due to pressures from work expectations. We should seriously reevaluate our work-life balance during the holiday season for the preservation of our national traditions.
