New Year in Japan 170

New Year in Japan

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January 1st 2014
Happy New Year's, everyone! New Year's in Japan is quite different from Western traditions. Instead of parties and standing in the street, it's a family-oriented holiday, where most people travel to their home town to spend the holidays with their families (usually the parents). There is special food eaten during the holidays, as well, and a few other traditions to ring in the new y ... read more

Asia » Japan » Kanagawa

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more