Holidays in Japan: Japanese New Year (Oshōgatsu) *In-Person* *NEW*

From New Year’s Eve (Omisoka) to New Year (Oshogatsu) is the most important holiday period for Japanese families and it is rich in tradition. However, for many non-Japanese, many customs and traditions may seem hard to understand. For example, why do people do a thorough house cleaning at the end of the year (why not in spring!)? What is the iconic meaning of the soba noodles dinner on New Year's eve? What is the traditional New Year feast called “Osechi ryori”, and how is the New Year celebrated? We are going to look through these unique customs in Japan and discuss them together! Also, let’s try Japanese calligraphy (shodo) with a brush in a Japanese ink, and prepare a nengajo, a special postcard for New Year greetings! This class is for students who have completed Beginner Level 2 class or equivalent/higher, who have learned hiragana, katakana, and have some knowledge of basic conjugations of verbs (masu-form etc.).
Instructor: Tomoko Takagi

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Instructor

Tomoko Takagi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She has a degree in Linguistics from Tokyo Woman’s Christian University focused on second language acquisition. She has worked in Intellectual Property field more than 15 years in US and Japanese law firms with considerable international business experiences. She teaches Japanese classes for business settings in companies and organizations, as well as for high school/college/graduate students, and also provides translation services for various business needs. Her other interests include traveling, reading, listening to music and watching competitive figure skating.