osechi for the New Year

This was my second New Year's Day in Japan although this time, I had just landed the night before, late on New Year's Eve. The flight had been delayed mostly due to the snow and the frigid temps in New York. We had to wait to be de-iced before take off.

After a quick shower and some soba noodles to welcome the New Year, we headed to bed and had osechi in the morning. Osechi are traditional Japanese food that come nicely arranged in boxes. My wife explained that they were originally pickled type dishes that lasted a few days so wives didn't have to cook over New Year's.

These days, some families make their own osechi, while others purchase theirs. Two or three people can share one box. As with last year, my wife had the task of apportioning the yummy dishes into individual plates so everyone gets a taste of everything. I think I enjoyed it even better this year, and I was stuff and satisfied. :-) 

Studying my Japanese while my wife got the osechi ready.