Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. We would like to introduce more customs relating to the New Year.
[七草の節句/Nanakusa no sekku]
January 7th is the festival of seven herbs. We eat rice porridge with the seven spring herbs to ensure good health for the coming year. These edible herbs include water drop wort, shepherds purse, sweeet cud weed, hen bit, turnip greens and daikon root. Today it has become hard to find and pick them ourselves. Most grocery stores and super markets sell a set of seven-herbs to make them available for anyone.

[お年玉/Otoshidama]
Otoshidama is a special mometary gift to children from theri parents and relatives during the New Year holiday. The money is put in a small cute envelope called “a pochi bag” and handed to children. In the other days, the gift was not money but round rice cakes.

January 17th News, from NILS Japanese language school.