Once upon a time, Japan closed down almost entirely for the duration of the New Year holidays. Partly because January 1 was a day of rest (and partly because firefighters, too, needed a rest) it was out of the question to light a fire, even for cooking. So, New Year food was invented. It kept well, and it was ready to eat with no further cooking.
Even today, the traditional foods of "o-sechi-ryori" are still eaten on New Year's Day, served in lovely lacquerware boxes.
Okinawa Looks Like This
Peaceful: a beautiful place for a walk
自己紹介
- Chura
- Born and raised in the USA (NJ), I’ve spent most of my adult life in Japan. One of my favorite places in Japan is Okinawa. To me, Okinawa is a land of stories and an island of music, magic and mystery. The music is shima-uta, songs sung to the rhythm of a three-stringed lute called a sanshin. The magic is in the colors of land, sea and sky. The mystery? Mystery begins where the line between legend and verifiable human memories begins to blur. I am a member of the Archaeological Institute of America, chapter chief of a sanshin study society, and a founding member of the Marine Culture Research Association of Okinawa.