Guess what!  Today’s post is going to be about food!  Wanna know what the title of this post means?  Let me give you a hint, it’s related to food.  Oh, but you knew that already!  Osechi Ryoori (御節料理) refers to all the food typically consumed by Japanese people during the week that spans the New Year celebrations.  Osechi Ryoori (御節料理) are usually packed in lunch boxes called juubako (じゅうばこ).  Juubako (じゅうばこ) literally means ten boxes.  There are several layers or compartments in a juubako (じゅうばこ).  As a result, food is stacked one on top of the other.

Now, on to the food.  Much of the food in the juubako (じゅうばこ) have some kind of connection with words that have positive meanings.  For example, the word for seaweed in Japanese is konbu (こんぶ).  The word for happiness or delight is yorokobu (よろこぶ).  The word for konbu (こんぶ) and yorokobu (よろこぶ) are thought to be similar in sound to each other.  Therefore, many Japanese people consume some type of seaweed so that the New Year will be a year of joy.

Of course you want to start the New Year with good health, and that’s why Japanese people eat kuromame (くろまめ).  Kuromame (くろまめ) is a type of black soybean that has been sweetened and simmered for easy consumption.  The word mame (まめ) can mean ‘healthy’ in Japanese.  Due to the similarity in sound, the Japanese associate the word for healthy with black soybeans.  Coincidentally, black soybeans are really healthy.  They contain lots of protein and can reduce the risk of colon cancer.

This next type of food is commonly consumed by grandparents and newlyweds.  Out of a desire to have more grandchildren or expand one’s family, Japanese families may consume what is called kazunoko (数の子).  Kazunoko (数の子) is a type of fish.  The word for kazu (かず) can mean ‘number’ in Japanese.  The word for child in Japanese can be pronounced as ‘ko’ (こ).  As a result, kazunoko (数の子) is consumed out of the hope for many children in the New Year.

The Japanese also consume a type of fish called tazukuri (田作り).  The tazukuri (田作り) is a sardine that has been dried and cooked in soy sauce.  Tazukuri (田作り) written in Chinese characters or the kanji (かんじ) means rice paddy maker.  Long ago in Japan, before industrial farming techniques were used, Japanese farmers would use fish as fertilizer for their crops.  As a result, the word for sardine in Japanese indicates that sardines were commonly used to grow rice, hence the term ‘rice paddy maker.’  A lot of farmers eat tazukuri (田作り) in hopes of a bountiful harvest.  With government funding for agricultural activities reducing every year in Japan, the tazukuri (田作り) will be especially popular this year with local farmers.

Okay everyone! Hope you enjoyed this post, bye now!