Question 1

I think the most popular thing that Japanese families do on the new year is going to the temple or shrine between January 1 to 3. They do this to give thanks for the previous year and to pray for guidance in the new year.

Question 2

I'm going to be spending it with my husband and hopefully both of our families. We're trying to get our families together for the first time during Christmas and the New Year.

Question 3

Yes, I was really looking forward to getting some rest and relaxation during the long break. I've had a tough year, it was my first year living in Japan and I had to move to a new city in August, so I really needed a break.

Question 4

Fireworks used to be a big deal in the Philippines, anyone can light up fireworks anywhere. It's still the same now but over the years there have been less fireworks because people are becoming more environmentally conscious and also want to avoid losing some fingers. But when I was a child and fireworks were more popular, I remember having so much with my friends outside lighting up fireworks with the adults and playing in the smoky streets. There were so many fireworks that were lit up that the streets were covered in about 6 inches of fireworks paper. Everyone cleaned it up the next day, it was a real community effort.

Question 5

In Japan it's a little less exciting. I didn't even see any fireworks this year and it was a quiet day. My husband and I didn't do anything special. But when I was a child it was a big deal with fireworks for everyone and food was out on the table all day for everyone to feast on. We would all gather at my grandparents' house and have a good time.

Question 6

The most annoying thing that I have to do over the New Years holiday is having to suffer through family reunions with relatives I wasn't so fond of. It became easier to avoid them as I got older.

Tough Vocabulary

Question 1

I'm sure that there will be many similar answers to this question, as Japan is so traditional. Something that my family and I do for New Years is eat kani nabe. My father-in-law orders the most delicious crabs from the Northern Pacific Ocean. We usually drink sake from the head of the crab as a tradition.

Question 2

My family of course. I would like to go back to Boston, but it is very expensive. I can't afford to fly my entire family back to the U.S. I actually prefer the Japanese New Year holiday to the U.S. One of the things that I really miss is Phish concerts on New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Question 3

I am very much. It will be nice to spend time with my children. My wife has to work through the holiday, so we won't be able to travel much.

Question 4

I remember that my father was always a drummer somewhere. My brothers and sisters were much older than me and they always went out with their friends. I was home with my mum. We would order take-out Chinese food and watch the ball drop at Times Square, NYC.

Question 5

Easy. I was in America and now I'm in Japan. It is so different.

Question 6

I actually have a hard time answering this question. Maybe, waiting in lines at the shrine, but this year was pretty fast. The queue was only fifteen minutes and Miwa got Daikichi Omikuji. ! We went to Namba Yasaka Shrine. I have no idea why, but after the visit, we went to play pinball at the Big Cat in Amerika Mura.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
similar	似た
prefer	好む
concert	コンサート
pinball	ピンボール

Question 1

My wife's family likes to eat osechi. I feel a little sorry for my mother-in-law as she is the one who has to cook it a few days before New Year comes. I think that she spends a long time doing it all by herself.

Question 2

I will spend some of the New Years' holidays with my wife and her family. One of her brothers lives in Nara and the other lives near Yokohama, but they are coming to Nara as they do so every year to spend time with my in-laws.

Question 3

I still find it hard to enjoy a cold Christmas and New Years', it is kind of miserable for me because it is summer in New Zealand during this time. Summer for me is a nice and active time of year. Winter is for staying indoors and it not enjoyable.

Question 4

I remember fireworks and having a BBQ with my friends and neighbors at the beach. We would go climbing in the sand dunes, play cricket, and swim in the sea.

Question 5

Japan is too cold during winter. I do not want to go outside to view the fireworks. I miss New Zealand around this time of year, especially my close friends.

Question 6

For some reason, my wife always wants me to wash the outside part of the windows during the coldest time of year. I do not understand why it has be then when it is very cold outside, is it part of Japanese tradition? Or does she just enjoy me being cold outside?

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
miserable	悲惨な
sand dunes	砂丘