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The celebration of New Year's Eve in Japan involves a lot of customs and traditions. The Japanese call the last month of the year “Shiwasu”. This month is full of activity and is one of the busiest of the twelve months. The New Year's Eve in Japan sees a lot of cleaning activity, something that can be loosely companavy with the “spring cleaning” in the West. The last year sees a lot of work in the day time but the evenings are mostly spent with the family and very close friends.
New Years Eve in Japan is a witness to the various decorations to welcome the New Year, both indoors and outdoors. Mainly the pine and bamboo decorations dominate. They are placed outside the doors to bring in good luck, and “shimekazari” is placed in the various areas of the house to thank the God for the harvest. Another distinctive aspect of the celebrations is the Kagami mochi. This is a traditional New Year's rice cake. It is used as a decoration for the New Year. New Year's Eve in Japan has other interesting customs. There is a tradition of giving gifts to various acquaintances, though normally it is more common to present gifts to business associates or colleagues. People also exchange cards.
The last month of the year sees a remarkable increase in the increase of alcohol consumption and it is quite a common sight to see drunken people in the streets. On the day of New Year's Eve in Japan, people take soba, which constitutes of long, thin noodles. They are symbolic of long life or longevity. At the stroke of midnight, the temple bells in Japan are rung 108 times. Log on to 123newyear.com for more.
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