Message from Shawn Iguchi

Happy New Year!

We still have another six hours till New Year.

But anyway I appreciate you for visiting my blog maniacally in 2016. Haha. And I wish you the very best of happiness in 2017.

Speaking of New Year, I never knew Japan was a very different country from the rest of the world until I lived in the US.

What surprised me most was that there was no custom of celebrating New Year like the way Japan did.

You might be thinking that East Asian countries were the same, but again, Japan is a totally different country from those China and Korea even in religion and custom.

For example, Japan China and Korea have Buddhism but Japanese Buddhism has different practice and custom. The best example is how those three countries celebrate New Year.

Japan celebrates December 31 and first three days of January. Usually most of companies take holidays for about a week whereas China Korea Hong Kong Taiwan Vietnam and Mongolia celebrate New Year for about a week between the last week of January and the middle of February.  This New Year custom comes from Buddhism.

But why only Japan has to be different again even from the rest of Asia? Well, what sets Japan apart from the rest of Asia is that Japan has Shinto (Shin-tow) the Japanese original religion. It’s very unique that Japanese people have two religions although I didn’t realize that until I lived in the US.

On December 31^st before twelve midnight, people visit both Shrines (Shinto) and Temples (Buddhism) waiting for the moment of New Year. When a clock hits twelve midnight, people throw money in the place which is provided right before shrines and temples to make a new year wish. Both shrines and temples are doing the same practice simultaneously. Isn’t this funny? 

In addition to that, Japan celebrates Christmas too. Hahaha. So on December 24 and 25, people in Japan enjoy the atmosphere of Christmas. It’s not like Japanese people are celebrating the birth of Jesus but are recognizing Christmas the same event as Halloween of western culture. Christmas is known in Japan as an event when Santa Claus comes to give a present to children so that parents sneakily give presents to their children after they go to sleep on behalf of Santa Claus.

Then, as soon as it becomes December 26, the entire towns and cities change the atmosphere to New Year mode. And this New Year atmosphere lasts until January 15.

 So from Christmas till January 15, the entire Japan is engulfed in a lot of celebrations.

Chinese people don’t celebrate Christmas. So even in the eyes of Chinese and Koreans, Japan is a totally different country from them.

A lot of tourists are in Japan now hoping to experience the unique New Year celebration.