The Special Day, by Kento Hioki

There are a lot of special days in Japan, but I think the best special day is New Year’s Day. New Year is called “Oshogatsu” in Japanese, and our family members and other relatives get together and eat Japanese traditional dishes. One Japanese traditional dish, osechi-ryori, is a specially prepared New Year’s dish that is beautifully arranged in lacquer boxes. Each dish that makes up osechi-ryori has a special meaning such as health, longevity, fertility, and luck. Although my family and I visit our parents’ house on New Year’s Day, most Japanese families go to a shrine to pray for luck during the new year. And for children, the most delightful event of New Year’s Day is receiving gifts, usually money called “Otoshidama,” from their parents and relatives. For these reasons, this day is a special day for me.