You both wait some time before you go to a shrine. -That's right.

So NOT times square? - No definitely not.

We eat one grape with one of the chimes.

Hey it's Cathy Cat and today we have the pleasure to ask

foreigners and Japanese people and compare,

on the issue of how they celebrate the New Year.

New Year's in Japan is a BIG deal and it might be very different

compared to your country.

Let's go and ask Japanese and foreigners.

On New Year's it's a tradition that we go to my dad's parent's house.

We pray in front of the house shrine. A very traditional Japanese New Year.

- That's traditional. - It is!

What tradition is it?

We have a household shrine and make our prayers there.

I am from the countryside, so around our house there are only rice fields.

So you celebrate a deity? - Yes.

Wow.

I spend New Year's Eve every year with friends and we

listen to the 108 rings of the temple bell.

What's that?

Those chimes have to ring out before 00:00 on New Years night on time.

You go to a temple for that. Then we go and watch the sunrise.

So you stay up until then?

Yes we do that, and once all is done we go home and eat New Year's osechi food.

You don't get to sleep much that night. - That's true.

Once the new year starts you take time to sleep.

What New Year'S Osechi food is nice? Can you recommend something?

My grandfather makes the osechi every year.

Everything he makes is tasty...

There are also some large shrimps. It's tasty.

Do you eat osechi food too?

Do you make or buy it?

We make it at home.

My mother and grandmother make it.

I like the kurikuri kinton.

What is it made of? - It's made with chestnuts.

Super sweet chestnuts.

Does it take a lot of time to make Osechi?

A lot. My mum has to start on the day before to make it.

Getting everything ready to eat it on New Year's morning.

Why is there Osechi food?

It's our way to honor the start of the new year.

It has existed for many many years.

I am from Austria. - And where are you from?

I am from Finland.

Usually when it's new year we gather with my friends.

to my apartment or some other friend's apartment.

Then we drink and then usually go when it's midnight to see the fireworks.

Outside.

And then we continue partying.

Quite the same. We gather with friends at some apartment.

Then we go out into the city in Vienna and watch the fireworks

and then go out (clubbing).

Any traditions you do on New Year's?

We have thing thing called "lead pouring".

You have fluid lead which you pour into water.

Then it becomes solid form.

There is a catalog.

You can look at the shape and if it resembles one of the things

in the catalog it has a certain meaning.

If it's a mouse it can mean luck.

Oh no it was the pig which means luck.

And some other symbols.

YES! I remember! It's like an oracle. You have metal and you heat it

over a candle on a spoon and then you drop it into water.

Exactly, that's it.

- Do you do something like that in your country? - We have the same thing.

In Finland. We don't have any catalog.

We just watch it when it's in its final form.

Then we are like "Hm this resembles a horse."

And it tells something about your future.

How many days do you get off in the new year?

Two weeks. I think that's the Christmas Holiday length.

We're students.

So for students it's Christmas plus new years, two weeks.

Yeah, I think it's two weeks.

I go to relative's houses.

I go to my first yearly shrine visit.

I draw fortune slips and such.

I go to my grandparent's house and eat Osechi food.

I am at the age where I have to give New Year's money (Otoshidama).

I give my cousin some money.

How much do you give as pocket money? - Not more than 2-3,000 Yen.

- 3,000 per person? - 3,000 per person.

- I think you are giving quite a lot. - I think that's actually only a little.

How much do you usually give then?

Well my parents give about 5,000 Yen.

Up to 10,000 Yen.

Depending on the family? - Yes.

When you got your New Year's money as child,

is there something you remember buying with it?

When I was small I would buy myself games and such.

And more recently I bought myself clothes and such.

When I was small I bought myself games and such.

Recently, I tend to save it up and don't use it.

I have some Osechi.

Osechi is a traditional food box with many different types of food.

And every type of food has a certain meaning for the New Year.

That's why we all eat it every year!

It's very colorful and extravagant, made with many different ingredients.

When do you start eating Osechi?

New Year's day. On New Year's eve we all eat New Year's Eve Soba noodles.

New Year's Eve soba noodles on the 31st and then Osechi and Ozoni.

What's Ozoni?

Ozoni varies depending on the prefecture of Japan.

It's a soy sauce based soup, containing rice cakes

You eat it in order to have a good New Year.

That's what Ozoni is for.

So you eat, eat and eat. What else do you do?

I watch the Kouhaku song contest.

What's the Kouhaku then?

The most famous artists of this year...

are all coming together. Girls are the red team. Men are the white team.

Then they sing and score points.

Every year it's about if red or white wins.

Like a massive song contest. - Yes.

We also get Otoshidama. - Can you explain?

Otoshidama is money you get from your parents or relatives

Children get it with the wish to use it well during the year.

That's Otoshidama.

We also go to shrines and make our first prayers.

For example the Meiji Shrine.

I think there will be many people.

I wait a few days before I go to a shrine.

I wait until it's less crowded to make my new year's shrine prayers.

I also go to my grandparent's house and relax around there.

You both wait some time before you go to a shrine. -That's right.

Is it really that bad?

You can't really move forward and if you do you stay in a long cue.

That's not right for praying.

We are from America, NY.

Drink with your friends usually

... in either NY or you travel somewhere.

But you are usually drinking with friends and you get dressed up.

In NY if you spend it in the city, for people that live there...

you try to do whatever you can to avoid Times Square.

because every tourist from every part of the world is there.

It's too crazy for New Yorkers.

Aside from that you find somewhere warm...

with some drinks and some friends.

So NOT times square? - No definitely not.

Everyone counts down and then you cheers and then...

... if you are dating, you kiss.

or I guess if you are not dating, you kiss your friends.

Usually kiss something.

You are allowed to kiss your friends in that moment then?

Like "Ah well, we are both single, let's kiss."

- Yeah. - On the lips?

Uhm... sure.

Wow!

On New Year's eve all the family comes together and we eat hot pot.

We huddle together under the kotatsu to keep warm.

What's a kotatsu? Can you say it in your words?

It's a table that has a blanket attached to it.

If you switch it on, it's like an electric heater.

It gets all warm. If you put your feet under it...

It is super nice.

Celebrating into the New Year together with friends.

And in the afternoon or around lunch spend time with the family.

So everyone does a party for New Year? - Yeah.

What do you do on a New Year's party? A count down?

The countdown I spend with my friends.

We watch TV or we go to a shrine in the night.

When you go to the shrine, what do you do?

The first shrine visit of the year... I pull my yearly fortune slip.

If you pull a bad fortune slip, what do you do?

There is a place for that.

You tie the bad fortune slip there and pray for something good.

If you pull a great fortune slip, what do you do?

If I pull a good one, I take it home.

You put it in your wallet? - That's what I do.

If I pull a bad fortune slip, I pretend it didn't happen and pull a second one.

How would you like to spend New Year's this year?

I want to celebrate it with friends, like Christmas.

Christmas and New Years are parties with friends?

I choose party!

I want to celebrate into the New Year with friends and family.

I heard everyone eats Osechi food?

What's the most delicious one of those?

Tatemaki.

It's like an egg omelette. It's tasty.

I like shrimp the most.

A full fledged shrimp?

Generally there is only one in the box.

And I eat that one without hesitation.

Do you eat that one first or last?

First, before someone else gets it.

Where are you from? - Spain. Which city? - Bilbao.

Most of us have dinner with their families.

Inside the houses instead of going to a restaurant.

Then, when the 12 chimes of the last year ring, we eat

we eat Ubas? Grapes? That's right.

We eat 12 grapes when the...

When the clock is marking the last moments...

We eat one grape with one of the chimes...

Then we say "New Year!"

We celebrate new year.

Then after being with the family we go out with friends.

to celebrate with them. Going to parties and such.

Cool, so 12 grapes, really quickly.

Yumyumyum Happy New Year.

Yeah that's it. Normally you end up with your mouth...

full of grapes.

If you manage to eat them all in time it means you are lucky in the new year.

Where are you from? - Malaysia.

What do you do on NewYears?

We have a lot of malls. We have big fireworks.

on the big malls and maybe some parks.

Most of the time we just go to those places...

we just look at the fireworks for 10-20 minutes.

Or we just come there and wait for the fireworks.

So it's friends coming together, watching the fireworks.

Thank you very much much that was a lovely interview. Bye.

NEW YEAR!

For example what we do in the West we have fireworks,

we have drinks, we go to friends houses,

apparently in the US you are allowed to kiss which I found cool.

In Spain you eat the grapes really fast before the New Year.

In Japan there are so many traditions.

New Years in Japan and Christmas is like a swap.

Family time, everything of that is on New Years in Japan.

And celebrating with friends or your partner is on Christmas.

So it kind of gets switched around a bit of what we know in the west.

There are SO SO many traditions. I will try and summarize some traditions

that you have seen so far.

In the evening people eat long noodles which are supposed to symbolize

long life.

Many people watch the music TV show on that day.

Then you have the clock that strikes 12 so you do the count down.

You hear the clock from the temples ringing as well.

Sometimes you just watch that on TV how the bell gets rung for New Years.