Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!

 That means Happy New Year in Japanese! Our neighbor Keiko-san taught us how to say it today :) The New Year's period is known as Shogatsu and most Japanese have several days off work, if not weeks. It is the most important holiday in Japan.

She also brought over some traditional Japanese new year's food, known as osechi-ryōri. Most of the food has special meaning; for example, the kelp rolls (kobumaki) represent happiness ("yorokobu")--it's a play on words. She also provided us with a handy guide to all the foods! She and her mother (Shigeko) made everything--isn't it lovely?

 We also have a little New Year's wreath (shimekazari) hanging on the door. It is meant to ward off bad spirits.

In other news, we have some blooming things in our yard--a camellia tree and an aloe plant. I can't believe it's January!

Our neighbor has an even nicer tree that hangs into our yard