日本新年
Although Shogatsu means January, it is celebrated for the first 3 days or the first week of January. These days are considered the most important holidays for the Japanese. One could equate（相当于） it with the celebration of Christmas in the west. During this time business and schools close for one to two weeks. It is also a time for people to return to their families which leads to the
inevitable（必然） backlog（积压） of travelers. The Japanese decorate their houses, but before the decorations start to be put up a general house cleaning is done. The most common New Year's decorations are pine（松树，松木） and bamboo, sacred（有宗教性质的）straw festoons（花彩装饰物）, and oval（椭圆） shaped rice cakes.
On New Year's eve, bells are rung at the local temples to speed out the old year. The New Year is welcomed in by the eating of year-crossing noodles. Casual western style clothing is replaced with kimono（和服） on New Years day as people go for their first temple or shrine（神龛） visit of the New Year . At the temples they pray for health and happiness in the coming year. The reading New Year's cards and the giving of gifts to young children are also apart of the New Year celebrations.
Food, of course, is also a big part of Japanese New Year's celebrations. Osechi-ryori（御节料
理） are special dishes eaten on the first three days of the New Year. Grilled（烤的） and vinegary （有酸味的）dishes are served in multi-layered（多层的）lacquered boxes（漆盒） . The dishes are design to be pleasant to look at, and keep for days so that the mother is free from having to cook for three days. There are some regional differences but the osechi dishes are basically the same nationwide. Each of the food types in the boxes represents a wish for the future. Sea Bream is "auspicious" （有前途，有希望的）. Herring roe （鲱鱼子） is "the prosperity of one's descendants". Sea tangle roll （海带结） is "Happiness" .
鲱鱼子
房屋装饰
御节料理
Kimono和服