Japanese New Year

Shogatsu - January 1st to 3rd are called shougatsu - Japanese New Year's holidays.

Kagamimochi - New Year's Decoration Rice Cakes

Nengajo - New Year cards

Gantan - January 1st is called gantan

Shinnen - New Year

Japanese people eat special dishes called osechi ryouri during shogatsu. Each dish has a particular meaning. For example, prawns for long life, kuromame (sweet black beans) for health, kazunoko (herring roe) for fertility, tazukuri (teriyaki taste small sardines) for a good harvest, kurikinton (sweet chestnuts and mashed sweet potato) for happiness, and so on. It is traditional for Japanese people to visit to a shrine or a temple during New Year's holidays.

As a Japanese custom of exchanging new year cards, first you have to greet them, then add words of thanks and requests for continued favor or wishes for health.

Greeting Phrases:

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu ( 明けましておめでとうございます｡ )
Shinnen omedetou gozaimasu. ( 新年おめでとうございます｡ )
Kinga Shinnen ( 謹賀新年 )
Kyouga Shinnen ( 恭賀新年)
Gashou ( 賀正)
Geishun ( 迎春)
Tsutsushinde shinnen no oyorokobi o moushiagemasu.( 謹んで新年のお喜びを申し上げます｡)

Word of Thanks:

-> Sakunen wa taihen osewa ni nariarigatou gozaimashita.

( 昨年は大変お世話になりありがとうございました｡)

Thank you for all your kind help during the past year.

-> Honnen mo douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

(本年もどうぞよろしくお願いします｡)

I hope for your continued favor this year.

-> Minasama no gokenkou o oinori moushiagemasu.

(皆様のご健康をお祈り申し上げます｡)

Wishing everyone good health.

When dating the card, the word "gantan （元旦）" is used instead of the date that card was written. "Gantan" means the morning of January 1st, therefore it is not necessary to write "ichi-gatsu gantan". As for the year, the Japanese era name is often used. The year 2008 will be "Heisei nijuu-nen （平成20年）, the 20 year of the era Heisei. Although nengajo are often written vertically, it is acceptable to write them horizontally.

When sending New Year's cards from overseas, the word "nenga （年賀）" should be written in red at the front (side with stamp and address). This way post office holds it and delivers it on January 1st.

Source:

http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japaneseholidays/a/newyearday.htm

http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa120900a.htm