When New Year’s rolls around in Japan, the celebrations look different from the parties held in many parts of the world. In Japan, the New Year’s season is family-centered, with relatives gathering together to feast, rest, and spend time together. Of course, no family gathering is complete without food traditions, and in Japan New Year’s Day brings the arrival of osechi ryori (おせち料理). These boxes are packed with assortments of countless dishes, beautiful arrangements packed with symbolism for the year ahead. While many locals are more likely to praise osechi for the appearance and meaning of the food than the flavor, eating osechi is still a beloved part of the New Year’s holidays for families across Japan! Discover what’s inside these glossy stacked boxes, so you can join in on the tradition in Japan!

What Is Osechi Ryori?

The term osechi ryori refers to a set of traditional Japanese New Year foods served in small, artfully prepared portions. You’ll usually find them arranged in jubako (重箱), tiered lacquer boxes made just for fine dining, a little like ultra-fancy bento boxes. Each tier holds different foods, and while the exact contents can vary, all together each diner will often get well over a dozen different dishes. While more traditional families will prepare their own osechi ryori ahead of time, in the final days of the year, the quantity, variety, and focus on aesthetic food presentation make it a challenging prospect. These days many families will order prepared osechi from grocery stores, restaurants, or department stores – and often pay a premium for the privilege.

The roots of osechi go back centuries, beginning as offerings and ritual meals offered to deities and enjoyed as sacred food in the deep past. Those traditions evolved into feasts for Japan’s seasonal ceremonies, and became especially associated with New Year’s celebrations during the Heian era (794-1185) and later aristocratic culture. What hasn’t changed much over the years is the idea that osechi is a meal to welcome the new year with gratitude, hope, and (ideally) a little extra luck.

Celebrating the New Year in Japan: Food & Traditions

Since the New Year is an opportunity to slow down and be with family, Japanese traditions are a far cry from the sparkling parties found overseas. Nengajo (年賀状) are New Year’s cards (a little like Christmas cards) sent to friends, relatives, coworkers, and other acquaintances – sometimes hundreds of them. Instead of spring cleaning, the end of the year is also when Japan engages in its big clean, or “osoji” (大掃除), meant to purify the home and ready everyone for a fresh start in the new year. When New Year’s Eve finally arrives, one long-loved custom is toshikoshi soba (年越しそば). The long buckwheat noodles symbolize longevity, and each bite “cuts off” the hardships of the past year. Once January 1st arrives, osechi takes center stage, as families settle in to relax and feast on food that’s meant to bring good fortune.

Common Osechi Foods and What They Mean

What makes osechi special isn’t just the presentation, and it’s certainly not the taste – it’s all about meaning. Every dish represents a wish for good luck, health, prosperity, or happiness in the coming year, presented through a mix of straightforward symbolism, playful wordplay, or even old farming and court traditions. Every region and household does osechi its own way, but there are dishes you’ll see again and again!

Kuromame (黒豆): Sweet Black Soybeans

These glossy black soybeans simmered with sugar and soy sauce represent health and diligence. In Japanese, the word for bean is “mame,” which is also a word for hardworking, consistent, and generally well. Japan loves its puns.

Kazunoko (数の子): Herring Roe

The firm golden clusters of herring eggs often come marinated in a light dashi-soy brine, as a strong symbol of fertility and prosperous descendants. The sheer number of eggs makes the meaning clear!

Kurikinton (栗きんとん): Chestnut & Sweet Potato Sweets

This rich, sweet paste of mashed sweet potato and chestnut actually represents wealth and financial luck, a meaning inspired by the golden color of the sweet treats.

Tazukuri/Tatsukuri (田作り): Candied Sardines

Clusters of dried sardines cooked in a sweet-and-savory glaze, these little fish call for a plentiful harvest, a connection that was clear to farmers in previous eras – sardines were historically used as fertilizer.

Ebi (海老): Shrimp (Prawns)

Often simmered in sake and soy until pink and curved, shrimp are believed to bring longevity, due to the bent shape reminiscent of an elderly person’s back, stooped after many years of life.

Keeping Osechi Traditions Alive

Traditionally, many of the dishes eaten as osechi were made to keep well for a while, so they could be eaten at home during the first few days of January, while families took a little time off. A lot has changed since the days of worrying about food spoiling immediately – we’ve got refrigerators, and many people order food in anyway. But even with modern life speeding up, osechi remains one of Japan’s most beloved New Year traditions. It’s not just about tasting a bunch of little dishes – it’s about sharing hopes for the coming year with your favorite people, just as the people of Japan have been doing for centuries! If you find yourself in Japan during the holiday season, treat yourself to a jubako box and try a bite of everything (just make sure to reserve one in advance, since the fancy boxes are virtually impossible to buy last-minute). With every bite, you’ll be joining in on a treasured Japanese holiday tradition!

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