A really nice thing to do

The first few days of New Year are an interesting time in Japan. The family will have woken up and had breakfast together with the traditional mochi and a little sake then often there will be a visit to their ancestors resting place to say hello in a happy way and leave flowers. And then there will be a visit to shrine to wish for luck and health in the following twelve months.

Meiji Jingu in central Tokyo is a favourite shrine to visit at any time of the year and well worth an afternoons stroll in summer. But at New Year it becomes a little insane. Over a million people will visit within twenty four hours, each washing their hands as they enter and tying a paper wish to the branches of the trees before leaving via the secret exit to Harajuku station only open on these days of the year.

But some people will not be too well and unable to visit the shrine each year. They'll be in hospital and looked after by wonderful staff hoping to make things just a little easier for them. And at one near here the staff made a real shrine for the patients so even those confined to their beds could come along to pray. And that's a really nice thing to do.

An alternative New Year's Day

By now the world is slowly waking up to 2015 or just about to get there. Hangovers will have been suffered or be in the process of creation. Wherever you are I hope you both enjoying and have enjoyed the close of one year and the beginning of the next. There's light snow in Tokyo and the TV new year quiz shows are in full swing.

If you're looking for something slightly alternative for the day and you're in the Tokyo area, one of the most interesting places to visit is the Gaijin Botchi, the Yokohama International Cemetery near Motomachi Station. I know it sounds strange to visit a grave yard at New Year but you've probably already exhausted all other options.

Three reasons to go there though. First, it's on the bluff overlooking Yokohama bay with stunning views all around. Second, it's actually a really interesting piece of history having been created to inter the remains of a young sailer from Commodore Perry's fleet that opened Japan in 1854. Third, the air in Tokyo and surrounding cities is now clear. The cars are gone and the pollution with them. And so Fuji has never looked better. And here's the view from the top. Happy New Year.

New Year in Japan and why a vacuum cleaner is a good idea

Christmas isn't a national celebration in Japan and is more recognised as a time for the young to party. However, New Year is the family date of the year. Until the time of the Meiji Restoration Japan followed the Chinese calendar and so New Year would move from year to year but under the new government it was decided to adopt the Gregorian calendar and so for at least one day a year the family will come together for a traditional breakfast with as many generations around the table as possible.

One of the favourite staples for this meal is called ozoni, a small bowl of soup which also contains mochi, a form of rice that has been pounded (traditionally with a huge wooden mallet) until it has the consistency of thick, sticky rubber. Each year, as this food is being quaffed, the mochi can become stuck in your throat and indeed a number of people succumb to suffocation as a result. Hence, the recommended approach to New Year's breakfast is to always have a vacuum clear near by. When someone starts to choke the only solution is to put the tube down their throat and suck the mixture out.

And on that note, Happy New Year everyone from Japan and may your mochi not get stuck.