Happy New Year to our readers and to those who are planning to visit Kyoto!

So, we entered a new year. What kind of New Year’s Day do you have in your country?

In Japan, many people visit shrines and temples on the first three days of the New Year to pray for good health and happiness.

This is the time of the year when you can see many people dressed in their finest clothes. They also surround themselves with auspicious New Year’s ornaments, eat dishes that bring good fortune and play traditional games such as Hyakunin Isshu (playing cards featuring 100 famous classic poems) and Kyoto spinning tops to express their gratitude for being able to welcome the New Year with their families.

Did you know that many of the items used for the New Year’s celebration are Kyoto traditional crafts? Between them, you’ll find textiles (Kyo-yuzen dyeing and Nishijin weaving), Kagami-mochi made of Kitayama cedar, New Year’s decorations made of Mizuhiki decorative strings and Sanada-himo braids, Kyoto pottery dolls in form of Chinese Zodiac signs (Tiger for 2022), Osechi-ryori (Kyoto cuisine for the New Year’s), Kyoto sake offered to the Shinto gods, playing cards, Kai-awase shell games, etc.

New Year’s is a special day for everyone. In 2022, Kyoto Artisans Concierge will continue to serve as an intermediary between many people and traditional craftsmen, starting from the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design, where 74 items of local traditional crafts are displayed.
We sincerely hope that 2022 will be the year when we can freely interact with each other again!

Words : Yutaka Sato (Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design)

Translation : Anastasiya Bulkavets (ArigatoCreative.co)

Images : Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design