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January 8, 2015 • mccsokinawa.com
okinawalivingweekly New Year’s in Japan
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his past New Year's, you may have noticed flocks of people (and traffic jams) surrounding your neighborhood shrine. For many, New Year's in Japan is marked by Hatsumode—the first visit of the year to a Shinto shrine. Most people make their trip to the shrine between January 1 and 3. Some shrines see millions of people visit each year. On the visit, you can buy new omamori (which are like a good luck charm) and return the ones from the previous year. Another custom is to buy a written oracle called omikuji. The omikuji details how your year will be in different areas of your life such as business, love, health and so on. Any bad oracle can be tied to a tree in hopes that it will not come true. At midnight, Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times to symbolize the 108 sins in Buddhism and the 108 worldly desires in each person. After the bells are rung, soba noodles are eaten for good luck and longevity.
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Among other things eaten during New Year's are mochi—rice dumplings made from sticky rice. Other traditional New Year foods include daidai (Japanese bitter orange), kamaboko (steamed fish cake), kazunoko (herring roe) and more. These dishes date back to the Heian Period and are served in special boxes called jûbako. Shrines aren’t the only busy places during the New Year. Post offices might have them beat. The post office guarantees January 1st delivery of New Year’s postcards (nengajo). These postcards are similar to the Western tradition of Christmas cards. To keep up with the demand, students are hired part-time. Although the New Year comes the same time of year in Japan as it does in America, it is celebrated quite differently. Some differences you may have noticed already, and others you will come to see as the days (and years) pass. Happy New Year!
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oving overseas can be confusing. Besides settling into a new home, learning a foreign language and adjusting to a different culture, there’s that college degree that you would like to earn. There are many different degrees and programs offered in the classroom and online that are tailored to fit the needs of military members and their dependents. Whether you are starting or finishing your degree, the MCCS Education Centers can help find the right courses for you. Registration for the spring session is happening now through January 16. You can sign up and start working on your degree. Spring session 1 college courses run from January 19 to March 8. Military members can even use tuition assistance to help pay for their courses. All Marines new to Okinawa must attend a College 101/ Tuition Assistance brief prior to receiving tuition assistance for the first time. For more information, contact your local MCCS Education Center or visit mccsokinawa.com/educationandcareerservices.
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