Omisoka / Oshogatsu

Toshikoshi Soba, made from a buckwheat flour, is a dish eaten annually on Omisoka (New Years Eve), wishing for living long like a noodle and cutting run of bad luck because soba noodle breaks more easily than other noodles. Japanese New Year is called Shogatsu or Oshogatsu. Since 1873 in the Meiji era, the official New Year has been celebrated on January 1st due to Western influence, instead of the New Year based on the lunar calendar (a.k.a., Chinese New Year). Osechi Ryori are the traditional foods enjoyed on New Year's day in Japan. They come in an assortment of colorful dishes packed together in special boxes called jubako, which resemble bento boxes. Every dish of these traditional foods has special meaning in welcoming the New Year.