new year

Call For Artists: Design Our 2016 Tee!

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[twocol_one]The Year of the Sheep is getting ready to bid us farewell, but the Year of the Monkey is waiting patiently around the corner to greet us with a cheerful “Uki-uki!” As you may know, the Japanese zodiac is very similar to the Chinese zodiac, with every year being represented by a different animal in a cycle of twelve. This year, at Oshogatsu, we’ll celebrate the Year of the Monkey for those born in 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, and of course, 2016! What better way to commemorate …

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NEW – VIP Tasting Room at Oshogatsu

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This year, for the first time ever, we’re bringing you a new way to experience our traditional New Year’s celebration– the VIP Tasting Room at Oshogatsu! This exclusive experience will give guests the opportunity to taste rare, high-end sakes, beer and even a specialty sake cocktail. Read on to hear more about the offerings in this first-ever VIP Tasting Room at Oshogatsu. Sake When sake was first brewed, over 2,000 years ago, it was served as an offering to the deities, and was revered as a very special and important …

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Introducing the Year of the Horse!

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UPDATE 1/10/14: Due to extreme flooding Oshogatsu has been postponed until Sunday, January 19, 2014. If you have already purchased tickets you will receive an email with details about your purchase. Otherwise, you may still purchase tickets online until Friday, January 17th at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope to see you all there next Sunday! It’s that time of year, fans, where we gather together with family and friends, reflect on the year that has passed and look forward to the one to come. The holiday season can be a blur …

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Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day)

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by: Reiko Nishioka, Director of Education あけましておめでとうございます。Happy New Year! 成人の日、Seijin no hi is the first national holiday after the New Year celebration in Japan, landing on January 10 this year. With the word seijin meaning adult or a grownup and hi meaning day, it translates as Coming of Age Day.  You must be wondering what kind of day this is and why it is a national holiday. In Japan, when you turn 20, you are legally recognized as an adult. You legally can drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and most importantly …

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Ōmisoka

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by: Reiko Nishioka, Director of Education  Ōmisoka is the last day of the year. It is a significant and also very busy day when families make final preparations for the New Year, Oshogatsu.  The preparation starts in the middle of December. Temples, shrines and many homes do a thorough house cleaning. Its purpose is to cleanse one’s mind and home of the past year’s accumulation of dust, dirt and soot. Toward the end of the year, businesses and organizations have a party called Bōnen-kai, which means a forget-the-year party. It …

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