Holiday traditions in Japan

By: ISOSU

Posted: 1/8/08

Message from ISOSU

Happy New Year from International Students of Oregon State University. We are an organization of international students on campus with 13 affiliates, including the Association of Latin American Students, African Student Association, Chinese Student Association, European Student Association, Filipino Student Association, Indian Student Association, Japanese Student Association, Indonesian Student Association, Taiwanese Student Association, Turkish Student Association, Vietnamese Student Association and Saudi Arabian Student Association.

Although not all international student associations on campus are registered members of our organization, we are working on representing international students on campus as much as we can. We have a great opportunity to meet international students coming to the English Language Institute and the International Studies Program.

Through organizing our cultural events and educational workshops, and by supporting our affiliates in their events on campus, we encourage international students and American students to get involved, and therefore have the opportunity to learn about unique international cultures. We also express international students' opinions and concerns about their life on campus, and provide resources to international students to help them feel at home during their stay at OSU.

Our executive team includes five students and is working on maintaining the ISOSU website, organizing events and workshops, assisting affiliate events and providing resources to international students.

On Tuesdays we will get a chance to express our messages and discuss our diverse cultures. Each week ISOSU will have one affiliate and international students write about their experiences at OSU and in the United States.

- Phuong Nguyen, ISOSU coordinator

The New Year celebration in Japan is from Jan. 1-3 and is celebrated in a different way from the United States. On New Year's Eve, we often eat toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles). It is thought that by eating the noodles it will bring good luck and wishes for a long life. This is because of the length of the noodles, which are very long.

When the New Year comes, all temples in Japan ring the bell 108 times, which lasts for one hour. Some people go to a shrine at midnight to listen to the bell, but I usually stay at home with my family and watch the bell on TV.

Television broadcasts the ringing bell live from all across Japan. It is traditional for Japanese people to eat mochi (rice cake) on the three days of the New Year celebration and visit a shrine or a temple.

There are also many folk culture festivals during the celebration. I am originally from Akita prefecture, which is northeast in the main island of Japan. One folk culture festival in particular is called Nahamage (Demon) in Akita. There is a unique and important folk culture event called Namahage in Oga city in Akita on New Year's Eve.

Groups of young village men dress up with a demonic masks, traditional straw skirts and shoes and disguise themselves as Namahage. Once it gets dark, the scary-looking Namahage march down from mountains covered by snow. The Namahage hold torches and wooden knives. (Don't worry, the knives are fake.)

They dance around local houses in accordance with the Taiko drum rhythm. They knock the door and scream to ask, "Are there any lazy and misbehaving children in this house?" Mostly, children are scared and start to cry because of the scary looks and loud voices of Namahage. Then parents tell Namahage that there are no bad children in their house and show hospitality to them by providing food and sake for them.

Though the Namahage are scary-looking and children cry, they are not trying to scare people or little children. It is thought that they protect people from bad luck and disaster, and promise happiness and good luck in coming New Year. They also encourage children to obey their parents and study hard. This festival was designated as a national important intangible folk culture property in Japan.

When I was little kid, my parents used to tell me when I did something bad, "If you do bad things again, Namahage will come to our house on New Year's Eve to find the misbehave children." I was scared of Namahage, so I tried to be good at that time.

In the U.S. I noticed Santa asks children, "Have you been a good kid?" like I have seen in the movies and department stores. When I stayed with my host family, I found out that my host parents used to tell their children, "If you do not behave well, Santa will not come to bring a present at Christmas."

Although Japan and the U.S. both have a holiday figure, be it the demon Namahage or the jolly Santa, there are plenty of differences. It may look completely different, but both figures are trying to do the same things. This just one of the many examples, and a reason why one should look into the cultures of others.

Naoko Kawamura is a graduate student in college student services and administration and a member of the Japanese Student association, affiliate of ISOSU. The opinions expressed in ISOSU's column, which appears every Tuesday, do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Barometer staff. Kawamura can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com