Greetings from Ashoro: Japanese New Year traditions

Published 5:00 am Saturday, January 17, 2026

By Brianna Ravina

Hello again everyone! I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas filled with friends, family, and fun!

Christmas in Japan looked a bit different for me this year without my Christmas tree and decorations. I especially missed my usual traditions, like my big family dinners, games, and watching movies together.

Here in Japan, I did get to bring some of my normal Christmas activities back, like Christmas baking, gift giving, and of course Christmas movies!

New Years, like Christmas, was celebrated a bit different for me as well. New Year’s, Oshogatsu, is a very special holiday here in Japan and is often spent with family.

I’m used to having my New Years’ time filled with games and food with friends; so, this year was a bit quiet. I’m lucky enough to have spent lots of time with my friends here in Japan before they headed back to their home towns to be with their families for the New Year though.

Though my New Years was quiet I got to spend my time exploring two new places I have been wanting to visit. First, was Sapporo and the second place being Otaru, both places a few hours west from me.

In Sapporo I got to enjoy its famous underground shopping centers, Pole and Aurora town. I also of course had to stop and see the TV tower.

For New Year’s Day I took the train into Otaru and got to see stunning views of the ocean before making it to the Otaru aquarium.

One of my highlights this trip was snowboarding for the first time at one of Otaru’s ski resorts. Though the mountains are smaller than back in Canada it felt like the perfect place to learn and I can’t wait to try out more hills.

I am very grateful I have been able to still celebrate the holiday season in so many new ways. I can’t wait to experience many firsts again with the New Year underway.

Wetaskiwin and Ashoro, Japan have been official twin cities since 1990 when the Wetaskiwin Ashoro Friendship Affiliation Agreement was signed.