I hope that everyone reading this newsletter had a Happy New Year. For me, it has been quite an eventful week since Christmas. I did a tour guide for foreign tourists twice in one week. I should have done it other weeks instead of this busy week, but it is the right time since foreign travellers are coming back after the pandemic. Guiding new clients is very exciting. There are lots of new findings from these experiences. No matter how busy I am, there are several routines I can't miss. They may not be typical routines for the Japanese, but they may help you understand some Japanese customs. Today I will write about these routines from the year-end to the new year of 2023 with some photographs.
Buckwheat noodle
There are various theories as to why Japanese people eat "New Year's Eve Soba(buckwheat noodle)" on New Year's Eve, but in any case, the purpose is to bring good luck. For instance, it is to live longer, cut down on this year's bad luck and welcome next year with good luck and hope that you will be in good health next year. 60% of the Japanese population is said to eat buckwheat noodles on this special day. Many Japanese people go to buckwheat noodle restaurants and eat since Japanese people are so busy until the end of the year. In my case, I have a particular buckwheat noodle restaurant called “Kabe” located in Hamurai-city which is at the very west of Tokyo. I pick up noodles and cook at home. Of course, their noodle is handmade and uses lots of buckwheat powders. The first thing I do on the 31st of December is to queue in front of this restaurant.
The pleasure of eating soba at this buckwheat noodle restaurant lies not only in the soba but also in the sobayu obtained from the broth in which it is boiled. Sobayu here goes very well with shochu(Japanese distilled liquor). Shochu mixed with sobayu is called sobayu-wari. Drinking sobayu-wari is a special event for me at the end of the year. The sweet, thick broth that comes out when the soba noodles are boiled goes very well with shochu and is one of the luxuries that can only be enjoyed once a year when the handmade soba noodles are boiled.
It is a dangerous drink since I can drink it continuously. The point is you don’t feel like you are drinking alcohol because of the taste and texture. You can drink it any time of the year. Please try when you have a chance to go to soba restaurant. If it is a decent soba restaurant, I am sure that they will offer you sobayu-wari. I must stop at the second or the third cup since I have to drive to see the first sunrise in the morning.
Countdown
It was nearly 22:00 by the time I finished the buckwheat noodle dinner yesterday. I enjoyed the noodles and drinks. Soba tends to be short-lived, so I ate soba in a short time and drink sobayu-wari for the rest of the time. The noodle was so digestive that I was ready to go to bed by 23:30. Ten minutes before midnight, all the Japanese TV networks started focusing on the countdown, showing a countdown timer on the screen. I needed to go to bed earlier since I had to go for the New Year’s sunrise. But I can't miss the moment for the routine of the New Year. This moment was very quiet without champagne or fireworks, but I really like this moment exchanging the word of the New Year with my family.
First sunrise of the New Year
I woke up around 04:00 early morning and tried to be the sunrise viewpoint by 06:30ish. The viewpoint for this year is Mt Tonosu which is 271 meters high and located in the northwest of Hanno City in Saitama Prefecture. The 271 meters elevation isn’t very high, but it is high enough to see the beautiful sunrise of Tokyo's skyscrapers in the background. The sunrise time is so important not to miss. There is always a race against time going on in my head.
I visited this mountain last year, too. I took a different route to the summit this time. It only takes about 40 minutes to get to the summit. There is no light on the way, and you should take your torch. This morning the temperature went down to -2 degrees. It's not a difficult mountain at all, but you have to be well prepared for the low temperature and walking in the dark. If you stay in the west of Tokyo such as Tachikawa and Hachioji, you can make it on time. For more details, I have written in my first newsletter.
I have been to different locations for the first sunrise of the New Year every year if there is a chance that I can see. You have a better chance of seeing it in Kanto Plain if you compare it with other parts of Japan. But you will not get to see if there is a thick cloud eastwards.
This year the sun didn’t come out of the perfect horizon. The sun came out of clouds, but it made a beautiful reflection and I could see the wonderful first sunrise to make the new year shiny.
After a long day, I am a bit exhausted, but I am highly motivated by a beautiful sunrise. Like other Japanese obsessed with the first sunrise, the location might change next year, but I'll do the same no matter where it is. I strongly recommend it if you are ready to get up very early on New Years’ Day. You will feel a strong power from the sun.
Lastly my apologies for sending this newsletter a little bit late. There are so many things going on today.
May the New Year bring you much happiness.
I'm glad you survived your sobayu-wari session. Being someone who neither drinks nor likes intensely cold temperatures, I'm amazed by your stunts.
By the way, a few days ago I too guided a couple of tourists, around Akihabara and Kuramae.