New Years Food

One of the things that you are supposed to do for the new year in Japan is eat lots of good food! Here is just a sampling of what was on the menu...

(Family picture before the feast!)

(This is the layout of the table that we set. The black thing in the middle is a sake serving thing. Prior to the meal, everyone had to take a sip of sake, from the youngest to the oldest, served by the "head of household". The sake had some herbal thing in it, and it wasn't very tasty at all. Everyone grimaced when they had to take a sip...)

(Nimono - A variety of root vegetables and shitake mushrooms, simmered in soy sauce for flavor, garnished with green beans. This is one of my favorite dishes!)


(Fresh crab = yum!!)

(From the lower left corner of the tray: Kazunoko - pickled herring row...not a favorite but I will eat it; Sweet chestnut mash thing - it's like dessert!; Kuromame - black beans that have been cooking for days; Tsukemono - picked radishes; Ikura - a cone of salmon eggs wrapped with a picked turnip.)

(char siu pork garnished with kamaboko (fish cake) slices...both were very delicious!!)

There was also a lot of sashimi, but I don't think I got a picture of it. In any case, it was delicious as well! At the end of the meal we had ozoni, which is chicken soup with some spinach and carrots and ball of mochi (rice cake) or two. It is very filling, and it topped off a very good meal. I was very very full for the rest of the day, and I felt like I was off to a good start to the new year =)