The New Year or Oshogatsu is one of the most important celebrations on the Japanese calendar. It is filled with rich traditions and customs, which revolve around the theme of starting the new year fresh and with good fortune.
The preparation of osechi, the traditional food eaten during the New Year holidays, begins days in advance.
Osechi or osechi ryori (cooking) is composed of a variety of dishes meticulously packed into tiered, lacquered boxes called jubako, symbolising "layers" of good luck.
"Osechi ryori is usually composed of iwaizakana (lucky foods), kuchitori（often eaten first with sake), yakimono (grilled dish) sunomono (vinegared dish) and nimono (simmered dish)," explains Sydney chef, Tomoyuki Matsuya.
The actual dish cooked may differ slightly depending on the prefecture, but in general, the "odd number"(considered to be luckier in Japan) of dishes are packed into the boxes.
Kuromame (black beans), kazunoko (herring roe) , and tazukuri (candied sardines) make up the iwaizakana, essential in bringing in the luck, while kuchitori are often sweet-flavoured dishes, made of ingredients from both the ocean and the mountain.
Source: Yusuke Oba
Kurikinton (sweetened chestnuts) which symbolises wealth and datemaki (rolled egg omelette) which symbolises knowledge are some examples of kuchitori, he tells SBS Food.
While some families take pride in cooking every osechi from scratch, others may purchase them, or combine store-bought dishes with their homemade osechi dishes. In Australia too, some restaurants begin taking in bookings for osechi from early to mid-December, often selling out fast.
For Mr Matsuya, cooking osechi makes him feel closer to home.
"In Australia, Christmas is a bigger celebration than the New Year. Celebrating the New Year in summer feels strange, especially for someone like me from Hokkaido where it snows".
Sydney chef Tomoyuki Matsuya Source: Yusuke Oba
Making osechi makes me feel closer to the Japanese New Year
While most ingredients are available in Australia to replicate the traditional osechi, Mr Matsuya tries to use locally sourced ingredients to reflect his life in Australia.
You also need to be "more careful" when cooking osechi in Australia, warns Mr Matsuya.
Osechi is designed to last 3 days, so cooking is done in large batches.
"Unlike Japan where it is cooked in the middle of the winter, the warmer season here means the food takes a lot longer to cool down before it can be refrigerated. It can be spoiled more quickly, " he explains.
Large restaurants and factories have blast chillers, which are rapid cooling systems, but at home, you may need to find ways to quickly cool them and refrigerate them, he adds.
For Asuka Endo and her family, having osechi for New Year's breakfast has been a family tradition.
She cooks most of the essential osechi dishes like datemaki, tazukuri and mochi, and tries to present them in a special way, as she does not own a jubako.
It's not about strictly following the tradition, but it's about sharing the culture with her children and a way to "kick off the year," tells the mother of two.
Having osechi for New Year breakfast has been Endo family's tradition. Source: Asuka Endo
"The New Year in Australia is just another day, compared to how it is celebrated in Japan. Osechi will at least make us feel that it is the New Year."
"And my Japanese husband appreciates this", she adds.
For Japanese-Australian artist Elysha Rei, making osechi is a way to connect to her culture and history.
Ms Rei's Japanese grandmother arrived in Australia as a war bride in 1953, after marrying her Australian grandfather who was stationed in Iwakuni as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces.
"My grandmother was the first person to teach me how to cook any Japanese food," Ms Rei tells SBS Food.
Ms Rei's mother didn't get the same opportunity to immerse into Japanese culture growing up, and does not know how to cook any Japanese dishes, explains Ms Rei.
Japanese- Australian artist Elysha Rei Source: Elysha Rei
"Living in Brisbane in the late 50s and early 60s, it was pretty difficult for her to be part Japanese, the post-war sentiments of Australia... so I think she held onto being Australian."
So the passing on of cultural tradition came to the "generations after", adds Ms Rei.
Ms Rei made osechi for the first time last year with her son, Kairo.
The pair researched online and gathered all ingredients and documented their journey.
Making osechi was a "grounding experience" Source: Elysha Rei
"I think the most challenging was ebi umami (simmered prawns), while tazukuri were surprisingly delicious. Traditionally it is made with dried sardines, but we replaced it with anchovies."
The pair had made enough to pack for their relatives too, a way to share their culture and ancestry, she reflects.
It was quite a grounding experience to be able to connect through food to my grandmother's culture and history and our ancestors, and find a way to learn more about it through food, not just by eating it, but by making it.
Ms Rei will once again be making osechi this year but says she will start a lot earlier, to give herself enough to gather ingredients.
"More time and more practice, then presentation and taste will be closer to what people have been doing for generations."
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