And So The New Years Madness Begins...

The Japanese reads, "Japan's Osechi"

In Japan, New Years is the big holiday. Much like Thanksgiving in America, this is the day when the Japanese feast. Every year, bless her, my mother creates a Japanese "osechi" feast. "Osechi" refers to traditional New Years foods and this tradition began in the Heian Period (about 794-1195 AD). Every family does osechi different, but for the most part, each dish has a special significance. I will save those explanations for a later post that will have pictures from this year's New Years feast.

In order to prepare, my family ventured to the giant Japanese grocery store in NJ, MITSUWA. This is a mecca for Japanese in the tri-state area and even non-Japanese. Mitsuwa was stocked and ready to prepare with everyone's New Years preparations.

The banner basically reads, "Thank you for another year. Our end of the year sale."

For New Years, mochi balls piled on top one another is symbolic of the holiday.

Since 2013 is the year of the snake (my year!) these plastic mochi balls have a snake sitting on top. 

Lots of things to buy!

This section, which is in fact much bigger, sells "kamaboko" or fish cakes. This is usually a component of osechi dishes. It is always used in ramen! This is one of my favorite things to eat at New Years. It's sort of chewy, but not too fishy. They also come in pretty colors/designs.

Mitsuwa also has a rather large fish selection. Some are sashimi, preserved, frozen imports, or pre-prepared somehow. This picture highlights some New Years specials, but seriously, the selection is MUCH larger.

In addition to seafood, Mitsuwa also has a large meat section that highlights all sorts of proteins, plus different cuts of meat. You have standards, like steak or pork chop, but there is also intestines and chicken hearts. Whatever strikes your fancy, basically. 

There is also a large pre-prepared foods section. Sushi, fried foods, onigiri (rice balls), bento boxes...the list goes on. Here is a selection of some interesting looking sushi. 

sake!

This is our cart. It's a mix of things mom needs for New Years and stuff that I thought looked tasty. I am the worst to shop with! ;) Note: lots of alcohol to get us into the New Years spirit! 

Our visit to Mitsuwa was a great success. Everyone left happy. One thing I noticed on this visit, which really warmed my heart, was the increased number of interracial couples. By interracial, I of course mean Japanese wife and American husband, like my family! It's nice to see that my parents aren't alone. It also made me laugh because all of the Japanese wives ran around the store, muttering to themselves, rushing to get their necessities, while the American husbands (and children) took a backseat and manned the shopping cart. My dad and I were no different!

And so, I leave you with this traditional Japanese New Years set up. I will also leave you in suspense and will tell you about how those delicious ingredients were put to use! Keep an eye open for my Japanese New Years blog post next year!