新年明けましておめでとうございます

Shinnen Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

That's how you say "Happy New Year" in Japanese (literally "Congratulations on the Opening of the New Year"), and is said not just after midnight on January 1st, but for the first few weeks of the year. The phrase, or some variation of it (like the more casual Akemashite Omedetou) is said as a greeting on the first meeting of the year of any friend, family member, or coworker, or any other acquaintance one should happen to bump into.

Greetings are also sent by mail, in the form of nengajo (New Year's postcards). Nengajo can be purchased pre-printed, or ordered custom-made, or printed at home. Hanko (rubber stamps) and Print Gocco (a low-tech but much beloved home printer) were once popular ways to produce nengajo at home, and I still make mine with hanko. But with the ubiquity of home computers, digital cameras and high-quality printers, most home-made nengajo are now created digitally. They usually feature a family photo, a picture of the kids, or even a portrait of the family pet. Nengajo also must feature the new year's juunishi (Chinese zodiac animal) in some way. Not surprisingly, since 2006 is the year of the dog, everybody pet dog in Japan was featured on this year's nengajo.

Next year is inoshishi-doshi, or the year of the boar, and I struggled to come up with an interesting design for our 2007 nengajo. Boars are not particularly attractive creatures, and although many hanko featured uribou (baby boars, which are actually adorable), we don't really go in for cutesy nengajo. So when I came across a stamp featuring an inoshishi in the form of a hanafuda card, I knew I had found my hanko.

Hanafuda is a traditional card game often played at New Years. The rules are incredibly complicated and games can last forever, but the cards themselves are beautiful and I've become a big fan the game. I'm still not very good at it, but I'm getting better every year.

Anyway, in the picture above is this year's nengajo, with a deck of hanafuda in the background. If you've never seen a nengajo you might find the design to be on the simple side, but post cards are a bit different here. Messages are written on the front, with the backs used for addresses only. So there needs to be enough space on the front of the nengajo to write individual greetings.

Unlike Christmas cards, which are sent and delivered before Christmas, nengajo are delivered on New Years Day and in the days following. So don't worry if you haven't gotten yours yet, it's likely on the way!

Comments

[Tamara]

I just want to say how much I really love your blog. The food always looks amazing! And the links and insider info about life in Tokyo are really great. Oh, I tried the Miso and Butter Potatoes...I agree, miso and butter are great together.

Shinnen Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

[Anne]

Akemashite omedetou to you Amy. I'm looking forward to reading your blog in '07.
Also, congratulations on your nomination for a Food Blog Award! I hope you win your category- you certainly deserve it.

[Kat]

Beautiful nengajo. Happy New Year!

[Jenn]

Happy New Year!

I am very impressed with your nengajo. I made my Christmas cards, but after that effort couldn't be bothered with nengajo, so I just bought some- it is hard to find traditional ones, isn't it? Good job!

[Amy]

Thank you Tamara, that's really nice to hear. I'm glad you liked the combination!

Thanks a lot Anne! The other blogs are really great so I'm not getting my hopes up, but a vote would be highly appreciated!

Thank you Kat! Akemashite Omedeto to you too!

Jenn, thanks. I tried to make both Christmas cards and nengajo one year and it was way too much work. I recently discovered that Unicef cards are available in Japan, so from now on it will be Unicef for Christmas and home made for New Years.

[Lulu]

Your Nengajo is fantastic!! I am wanting to make some for next year...since I completely forgot this year, and if I want to remember to do it for the end of the year then trust me I need to start thinking about it now!!!

Loved your wrap up of the ski trip too!!! Your photos are delightful as always.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu to you and your husband!

[Amy]

Thank you Lulu, and Akemashite Omedetou to you too!
I always vow to do my nengajo early, and usually manage to buy my stamps and settle on a design by November. But I never get around to actually making them until late December, and will often spend New Years Eve frantically addressing them...

If you want a head start on next year's design, I think 2008 will be the Year of the Rat.