How do the Japanese spend the end-of-year holidays?

In France, as in Japan, there are as many ways to celebrate the end of the year as there are families! Each has its own customs and traditions, and there isn't one single correct way to celebrate Christmas or New Year's. That said, there are some striking differences between France and Japan. Here are a few examples.

The month of December

The shelves are full of Christmas items, posters offering to reserve a “Christmas Cake” are up, and “Last Christmas” is starting to echo through the shops: no doubt about it, it’s December! Christmas-related events abound: small markets near shopping centers, special attractions and illuminations in major cities…

Meanwhile, Japanese people often get together in the evenings with colleagues, work partners, friends, or members of a university club. These are called bōnenkai (忘年会), literally "parties to forget the troubles of the year and start the new year off right." It's an opportunity to have a drink and reminisce about good times.

December 24th: Romantic New Year's Eve

For several decades, thanks to various advertising campaigns, Christmas Eve has been seen as a romantic evening to be spent with one's partner or close friends. It's an opportunity to go to a nice restaurant, admire the city lights, and enjoy a cake ordered in advance from a bakery or supermarket (traditionally, a white cream and strawberry cake).

It's also an opportunity for couples to exchange small gifts. Parents are also increasingly giving their children small presents for Christmas, and KFC's fried chicken has become a true institution for the evening meal, thanks once again to a very popular advertising campaign from the 70s!

December 25th: Christmas at the office

While this day is a public holiday in France and traditionally celebrated with family, the reality in Japan is quite different: many Japanese spend it with their computers and office colleagues. This day is not a public holiday, and if it falls on a weekday, as it will in 2025, everyone works; shops, businesses, and postal and banking services are open. A real culture shock for the French, so attached to spending the day at the table with a bottle of champagne and foie gras!

The evening of December 25th can still be an opportunity to eat a special meal at home and some cake, but once the day is over, Christmas gives way to the end-of-year festivities.

Late December: many preparations for the new year

Christmas celebrations are more commercial than traditional in Japan, and after December 26, stores get rid of Christmas items in no time to make room for the many preparations intended to welcome the first of the year.

These activities include:

• The "spring cleaning" (ōsōji 大掃除) involves thoroughly cleaning one's home to remove dirt and unused items as a new year begins. Furthermore, since Japanese people often gather at their grandparents' house starting on January 1st, it would be considered impolite to welcome family into a dirty environment. That said, the "spring cleaning" isn't always compatible with working and family life, and homes are far from spotless.

• Greeting cards (nengajō 年賀状), which must be mailed before December 25th to ensure they arrive at the recipient's address by January 1st. While in the 2000s approximately 4 billion of these cards were issued annually, this number had fallen to just 1 billion by 2024, and continues to decline drastically, indicating a waning interest in this practice.

December 31st: spending time with family

The Japanese gather with their families to spend the end of the year quietly, but not really in a festive or dancing spirit like in France. Seated around a heated table, the kotatsu , many families watch the television program “Kōhaku Uta Gassen” (紅白歌合戦), where two teams made up of popular singers and trendy talents compete in songs, the women in red on one side, the men in white on the other.

The popular dish for the evening is toshikoshi soba (年越しそば), or "soba for the year," to be eaten before midnight. These noodles are easily cut to "cut clean breaks with the calamities of the year," their length symbolizing longevity, and they are considered good for your health and associated with good fortune. The broth recipe and ingredients vary depending on the region. In Kansai, soba made with kombu broth and served with tempura (fried vegetables or other foods) are especially popular!

The first days of January: New Year's and the tradition of "the first time"

The clock hand has moved forward, midnight is here: Happy New Year, or あけましておめでとうございます ( akemashite omedetō gozaimasu )! In some neighborhoods near temples, you can hear 108 bell strokes that the monks ring from the start of the new year, in order to free themselves from the 108 earthly desires.

The most dedicated wake up around 6:50 a.m. to admire the first sunrise ( hatsu hi-no-de ) from their balcony or, even better, from a mountain shrine. Afterward, for several days, Japanese people queue, sometimes for hours, at shrines or temples to make their first visit of the year, the hatsumōde . At the shrine, many draw a small fortune slip containing phrases and advice for the coming year. At the beginning of the year, many "firsts" thus hold symbolic significance.

Traditionally, before January 1st, Japanese people prepare—or order from department stores or supermarkets—a large box containing dozens of small dishes, similar to a bento box, to be eaten over three days, alone or with family. These traditional dishes are called osechi ryōri (おせち料理). Each dish has a beneficial meaning for the coming year, such as eating sea bream ( tai ), whose name evokes “omedetai,” meaning “auspicious” in Japanese. In the past, preparing many small dishes in large quantities was a real challenge for many women; today, companies deliver these boxes already prepared, sometimes frozen, significantly reducing the time spent in the kitchen.

Many Japanese people working in retail or the food industry still work on January 1st, as do many postal workers. January 1st is the day when people receive New Year's greeting cards: on average, a Japanese person receives about 35 at home.