Light Novel


A light novel (ライトノベル) is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students (young adult demographic). The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called ranobe (ラノベ) or rainobe (ライノベ) for short. They are typically not more than 40,000–50,000 words long (the shorter ones being equivalent to a novella in US publishing terms), rarely exceed 200 pages, are usually published in bunkobon size, and are often illustrated. The text is often serialized in anthology magazines prior to collection in book form.
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Visual Novel



A visual novel is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage. As the name might suggest, they resemble mixed-media novels or tableau vivant stage plays.
In Japanese terminology, a distinction is often made between visual novels proper (abbreviated NVL), which are predominantly narrative and have very little interactive elements, and adventure games (abbreviated AVG or ADV), which typically incorporate problem-solving and other gameplay elements. This distinction is normally lost in the West, where both NVLs and ADVs are commonly referred to as "visual novels" by Western fans. Visual novels and ADVs are especially prevalent in Japan, where they made up nearly 70% of the PC game titles released in 2006.
Visual novels are rarely produced for video game consoles, but the more popular games are sometimes ported to systems such as the Dreamcast or the PlayStation 2. The more famous visual novels are also often adapted into the light novel, manga or anime formats. The market for visual novels outside of East Asia, however, is small, though a number of anime based on visual novels are popular among anime fans in the Western world; such titles include To Heart (1997) by Leaf; Kanon (1999), Air (2000) and Clannad (2004) by Key; Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (2001) by âge; School Days (2005) by 0verflow; Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2002) and Umineko no Naku Koro ni (2007) by 07th Expansion; Tsukihime (2000) and Fate/stay night (2004) by Type-Moon; and Steins;Gate (2009) by 5pb. (Wikipedia.org)
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Princess Waltz (Visual Novel)

The Princess Waltz...
A dance of whirling blades held to find the princess worthy of becoming queen of Seven Central in the fantasy world of Eldelant.
Hopeful candidates travel from all the kingdoms of Eldelant to take part in the waltz,
but only one princess will reign supreme...


Princess Waltz

Publisher : Pulltop
English Publisher : Peach Princess
Release Date : 18 March 2006 (JP) 12 February 2008 (EN)
Length : Medium (10 - 30 hours)
Genre : Visual Novel, Eroge
Rating : Ranked #18 (vndb.org)
                  Scored 78.5 (KirikoPoll)
Platform : PC

.: Story

Fukamori Arata, know nothing of princesses or waltzes. In fact, his daily life in modern Japan couldn't be any more ordinary - he live with his mother and sister, being woken daily by his childhood friend to go to school, and live a generally full but normal life surrounded by a gang of rowdy classmates. When rumors start circulating about a transfer student to his class, he didn't pay much attention - princes from foreign lands don't study abroad here in this day and age, do they?

When Chris Northfield arrives, it seems the rumors might be true. What is an impossibly refined, polite and accomplished young man like him doing at his school? His curiosity gets the better of him, but as he investigate he begin to realize he's getting into something deeper than someone ever imagined...

.: Screen Shoots






.: Review

Peach Princess and Japanese maker Pulltop are excited to bring you Princess Waltz, a tale of sword and sorcery and an epic romance that bridges space and time, drawing you into a struggle that will take all the forces of Eldelant and this world combined to emerge triumphant. Hone your skills at the game’s innovative card battle system to defeat mysterious minions of darkness, choose your path through the story wisely to avoid peril that lies in wait, and win the hands of the beautiful princesses of Eldelant! A game often compared to Type-Moon’s Fate/stay night, and one of Japan’s most popular titles of 2006.

Visual
I loved the graphics of this game. The character design/art design was fantastic, but I think I'm just more happy that it wasn't loli-style. (Score: 9/10)

Gameplay
The gameplay of the game was surprisingly very disappointing. The card-battle system was much too easy to figure out, even setting the game on normal didn't make the game much harder. It was a very simplistic way to fight too, think about it like Pokemon, only opposite: Green cards > Red cards, Red cards > Blue cards, and Blue cards > Green cards. The abilities you could use in the game were okay, but it wasn't at all challenging. Hell, I don't think I've EVER gotten hit by an opponent in Princess Waltz. It was fun at first, and I liked the idea of it, but it was much too easy. The usual dating-sim style click/choose was nice, but you hardly made any choices, and the ones you did were just straightforward. Not that I want to rip my hair off because I can't find the route of a girl, but there should have been more choices. Also, I was disappointed that even winning fights didn't matter to the story, which it should have. (Score: 6/10)

Story
The story of this game was very interesting, it was not exactly what I expected from a game like this which seemed like it would focus more on the battle system than the storyline, making it suck. But, that was not the case; in fact, it focused more on the story than anything else. It wasn't as predictable as I thought, it kept my attention, wondering what was going to happen next (for the most part). I really loved the story of the game, as it is the most important part of most visual novel-type games. The unfortunate part was that though it had a nice story, it was much too rushed at the end. You wanted more, but it just didn't give you that. Hence why I gave it a 8. I'd recommend that you replay it with all the routes as well because you learn a lot more about the girls and their past/secrets, etc.(Score: 8/10)

Music
The sound was very good, reminded me immensely of Fate/stay night music-wise for some of the backround music, the opening/ending songs were enjoyable as well. Of course though, there was room for improvement. (Score: 9/10)

Overall
Maybe because I've played other visual novel games, I have high expectations. But, this game really did have a good story, beautiful characters, and a somewhat-fun battle system. Taking aside the gameplay, Princess Waltz is an excellent game. It's also not my type of game, I rather play games where you make choices for outcomes rather than battle, even though not much outcomes did come. I did like this game, and recommend that it's worth the money.

Overall Score: 8/10

.: Download

Princess Waltz (2.43 GB)  torrent (Hosted by PirateBay)
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Soul Link (Visual Novel)




 Soul Link
ソウルリンク

Developer : Interchannel & Navel
English Publisher : MangaGamer
Release Date : 17 December 2004 (Jp) 28 December 2009 (En)
Length : Medium (10 - 30 hours)
Genre : Visual Novel, Eroge
Rating : Ranked #60 (vndb.org)
                  Scored 74.0 (KirikoPoll)

.: Story
 
Fall, 2045C.E. Aizawa Shuuhei, a second year cadet enrolled in Central Military Academy’s main division, is dispatched to the orbital space station Aries on a training mission. There he reunites with his younger brother, Ryouta, and his childhood friend, Nao, both of whom resided there as cadets enrolled in the preparatory division.

Then suddenly, an unidentified space ship under the control of Jararacas, a radical terrorist organization, attacks the Aries and seizes control of the main control room. With all communication lines cut off, Shuuhei and the others have no way to escape; they’re trapped. Trapped in space, 250 miles above the Earth with nowhere to run. In the midst of this desperate situation, the cadets must gather their courage and rise up to take back the Aries. As they do, they draw ever closer to the fearsome truth lurking behind this incident...

.: Screen Shoots





.: Review

“What does it mean to be human?” “What does it mean to love?” The 2004 visual novel Soul Link by developer Navel, who also developed Shuffle!, asks these questions in their story about military cadets fighting to survive on a space station besieged by religious zealots.

Visual
The art style in this novel is easily recognisable as Navel's work. There's no doubt when you see the large distinctive characters with very clear vivid designs. The military uniforms show off the flair for design the artists had shown previously with schoolgirl outfits, with clothing that both looks interesting and part of what can easily be used for those purposes. Then there are the other options like Gale's rough outfit or Yuu's sexy appearance with a form fitting shirt and cut off jacket. The various characters have been drawn out well with varied wonderful designs, meaning characters like Aki stick in the mind long after the novel has come to an end. The background imagery used is great too, giving us a fantastic view of the interior of the space station with plenty of detail in them all and enough differences like checking out the control center, the laboratory or the hangar. (Score: 8/10)

Gameplay
Decision making has been improved to a degree since Shuffle. Effectively the novel is split into four segments. One and four are the prologue and epilogue respectively, and have no decision points. Two is from Shuhei's perspective and bears little resemblance to Navel's previous novel. Instead this segment has one proper ending, but making bad decision can lead to a variety of bad ends and prematurely end the story. The decisions needed consist of the usual pick a choice and a more involved map exploration, where you are given a map of th Sheraton and pick locations to visit. Segment three switches to Ryota and goes entirely with normal pick a choice options. While some bad ends exist here too the majority of the choices are focused on setting Ryota up with one of the three girls. For the most part there is a decent challenge in figuring out what to pick and a certain logic that will make you facepalm with an "of course" thought if you mess up. One map sequence early on, where Shuhei needs to figure out a countermeasure to the invasion, is a rare moment of being insanely difficult due to their being no clue on what order to visit what rooms.
One that will makes you frustrated is its Bad Ending System. Average gamers will gave up and decided to read the walktrough when they found out this problem. (Score: 7/10)

Story
The overall story starts off as some kind of slice of life with sci-fi themes, as Shuhei Aizawa is a military cadet assigned to the space station Aries as part of his training, but as his brother Ryota and childhood friend Nao are also training there he sees it as a good chance to see them again. The prologue pretty much carries this vibe and Navel's usual script-writing is made pretty clear, especially as it mixes in some great humour with its upbeat events. Once the character introductions are over and the prologue draws to a close the "big" event occurs. A terrorist group known as Jararacas invades the station without warning and attempts to take it over. Evacuation starts immediately while they are still docking, but circumstances result in several people being left stranded. With a few correct decisions Shuhei finds himself leading a little resistance as the good guys lock themselves into the Sheratan part of the station. It's a much stronger backstory than their previous novel Shuffle that really helps set the scene. (Score: 8/10)

Music
The music is probably a step down from Shuffle but it is still a worthwhile selection of tracks. The OP and ED songs Not Found and Accepted are nice musical numbers that do seem to compliment the scifi aspect well. Additionally some of the backing tracks such as Bitter Fighting and Foreboding really help to set the tone for the events that are playing out. That said, fewer tracks here are quite as memorable as those of other high class novels, including the previous Navel novel. (Score: 8/10)

Overall
All in all, a decent read that is at its best when not taken to heart. If you go in expecting too much, you will be disappointed, but if you are one of those that likes relaxing stories with interesting characters, by all means, try out Shuffle!

Overall Score: 8/10

.: Download

Mediafire Links: here


Hotfile Links (9 parts):
Hotfile 2 (6 parts):
Fixed here

.: “What does it mean to be human?” :.
 
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Shuffle! (Visual Novel)



 Shuffle!
シャッフル!

Developer : Navel
English Publisher : MangaGamer
Release Date : 15 August 2009 (En)
Length : Long (30 - 50 hours)
Genre : Visual Novel, Eroge
Rating : Ranked #23 (vndb.org)
                  Scored 81.0 (KirikoPoll)
.: Story
 
Ten years ago, the door connecting the Human World, the Devil World, and the God World opened. As a result, Gods and Devils now reside among humans in everyday life. Surprisingly, they all seem to accept and get along with each other. It’s much different from what you’d expect, and it’s highly unrealistic, but after some getting used to, I came to accept it.

You play as Rin, the main character and male lead of the game. Rin has been living with his childhood friend Kaede for many years. Both of Rin’s parents and Kaede’s mother died in a fatal accident when they were young, and they have been living toegther with Kaede’s dad ever since. One day while walking home, Rin runs into two girls who somehow know his name. He seems to vaguely remember them from somewhere, but can’t quite put his finger on it.

The next day he finds out that the two girls are new transfer students in his class. On top of that, the girls’ fathers are the King of Gods and the King of Devils, which essentially makes them the princesses of the God and Devil worlds. They also claim that they met Rin eight years ago and have loved him ever since. Their fathers have decided that one of the girls will marry Rin, and that Rin has to choose which one: either Lisianthus (called “Sia” for short), the princess of the God World, or Nerine, the princess of the Devil World.

.: Screen Shoots






.:CGs








.: Review

Visual
The art is where Shuffle! really shines. The art is incredible and very detailed, and this type of character drawing may very well be the best anime art. The artist, Nishimata Aoi, posts plenty of her artwork on her blog, so check it out. (Score: 10/10)

Gameplay
Gameplay is just like that of any usual visual novel. There’s plenty of reading to do, just as if you were reading an actual novel. The main difference, of course, is that you can control how the story unfolds by making various choices, which will determine your fate. In the typical dating sim fashion, acting favorably towards one girl will improve your chances of her becoming your girlfriend later on in the game.
One thing that disappointed was a lack of keyboard functions. While most people play visual novels with their mouse, some actually prefer to map various keyboard functions to a PS2 controller and play with that. 
The game was translated by MangaGamer.com, a company that specializes in English-translated bishoujo games. Truly, there are plenty errors in grammar and words being missing from sentences. Clearly, no one proofread this, and that’s really upsetting. Despite this, it’s still possible to understand what’s going on. The errors aren’t all that serious, but the fact that they even exist in a “professional” is what we call "Lack of Right Sense" (Score: 7/10)

Story
Overall the story is your typical cliché harem with mild supernatural elements added. While the story wasn't deep it still had the elements to keep you reading. It’s mostly nothing new, but it’s still lighthearted, fun, and enjoyable. There are plenty of comedic scenes, and there’s more than enough fan-service to keep one entertained. A light read is what this game excels at. (Score: 7/10)

Music
As expected from a visual novel, the voice acting is superb. Its' mixture of upbeat techno, melodramatic instrumentals, and various other tunes added to the overall enjoyment. This game will make you stop and listen. (Score: 9/10)

Overall
All in all, a decent read that is at its best when not taken to heart. If you go in expecting too much, you will be disappointed, but if you are one of those that likes relaxing stories with interesting characters, by all means, try out Shuffle!

Overall Score: 8/10

.: Download

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.: Sia, I told you not to hit me with the chair :.
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Da Capo Visual Novel

The island of Hatsune, where cherry blossoms are in bloom all year long.
There are people who study such mysterious cherry blossoms,
and also there are people who lead normal everyday lives.
Even if the cherry blossoms never stop blooming, there is no difference in people’s lives.
A girl came back as if she was guided by the scent of those cherry blossoms.
Kazami Academy is located in the middle of such a normal world.
There was a boy with the mysterious power to produce Japanese sweets out of nowhere and to experience other people’s dreams.
Far from being ordinary, yet far from being extraordinary.
—- The dream that her favorite wizard dreams about —-
The school idol who loves Japanese sweets,
the demanding, yet clingy sister,
the spaced-out friend,
the old friends in the dreams,
and the friend who is called “a puppy dog”.
– The beginning to the end –
When they all meet at the academy near the graduation time, the love story begins.
– The end invites the beginning –
The cherry blossom petals are dancing in the air.
They are dancing as if there is no tomorrow.
Extremely slowly,
without even a sound.
The petals, which remind me of wings of an angel, make me think about eternity.
“What a poet I am……”



D.C. ~Da Capo~
D.C.～ダ・カーポ～

Publisher : Circus
English Publisher : MangaGamer & Arkanos
Release Date : 28 June 2002 (JP) 24 May 2007 (EN)
Length : Medium (10 - 30 hours)
Genre : Visual Novel, Eroge
Rating : Ranked #31 (vndb.org)
                  Scored 80.5 (KirikoPoll)
Platform : PC

.: Story

The game is centered around the protagonist, Asakura Jun'ichi, who lives with his sister Asakura Nemu on a fictional japanese island named Hatsunejima peacefully attending the local Kazami Academy. His childhood friend and cousin, Yoshino Sakura, returns to the island Hatsunejima after moving to America several years ago. Most of the main stories revolve around the magical unwilting sakura tree, it's powers and mystical connection to the main characters.

.: Screen Shoots



 

.: Review

In something of a change from normal visual novel traditions, Asakura Junichi isn't your typical protagonist.  Well, okay, he is your typical visual novel protagonist in many ways, quickly proving himself to be a rather lazy and apathetic individual with a line in quick wit and sleeping in as late as humanly possible.  However, on the flip side of that coin he does have a couple of rather unique abilities to his name - firstly, the ability to see the dreams of others, and secondly the arguably less useful skill of creating snacks out of thin air.

It might seem a little odd to say this about a visual novel, and perhaps it's more evidential of my own indecisiveness or desperation to please everybody all of the time, but from my experiences playing Da Capo is hard.  I played through the game in its entirety twice without any outside help, and each time I found myself faced with one of its "wishy-washy" endings, hanging out with a male friend or just enjoying some kind of innocent friendship rather than establishing any sort of life-long romance with someone.  Although choosing which girl you want to "target" seems simple enough, as it soon becomes clear where they tend to hang out most of the time, the game also seems to throw enough curveballs to make pushing towards one particular route pretty difficult, which could well leave you reaching for a walk-through for the game if my experience is anything to go by.
 
Visual
Visually, Da Capo's artwork can be wonderful on some occasions but frustratingly lacklustre on others, with an inconsistency which is a little jarring in itself - most of the CG scenes look great though, and there's no denying that the game's character designs are gorgeous, so that alone may be enough to tempt you to part with your hard-earned cash. (Score: 9/10)

Gameplay
Where Da Capo adds a little more frisson to its multiple choice game play method is in the sheer number of choices available.  Rather than simply throwing up the occasional "how should I respond to this question?" choice, Da Capo splits its protagonist's days into several chunks - the day begins with Junichi's alarm clock going off at a time of your choice (from three selections), so that you can be an early bird or lazy slob at your choosing, and most days also allow you to choose where you want to go, whether it's choosing a place to spend your lunch break on a school day or where to hang out at the weekend.  At one point the game even takes this to a playful extreme by presenting you with a multiple choice exam paper that will most likely have you scrambling to search Wikipedia if you actually want to take this frivolous addition seriously.  With these mechanics in place, it's your job to guide Junichi through an important part of his life, through graduation from one school through to the beginning of another and beyond, although of course all of this is somewhat secondary to setting your sights on the girl of your choice. (Score: 8/10)

Story
Interesting. You will find your own word when you play Da Capo. (Score: 9.5/10)

Music
Absolutely brilliant music works by yozuca*. The typical music is subtle and soothing. There are little bit problem with Sakura's route's sounds, but overall it's good. (Score: 8/10)

Overall
We can't deny that Da Capo is a popular game, hence the production of sequels, spin-offs and adaptations as part of its franchise, but for us it doesn't manage to find itself a place in the higher echelons of the growing English translated visual novel market.  It isn't a bad game, and it has its moments, but there isn't really enough on show to make it a must-play game in our books.

Overall Score: 8/10

.: Download

Da Capo (798.95 MB)  torrent (Hosted by PirateBay) Crack here

Mediafire Links: here

Fileserve Links (4 parts):
Fileserve Part 1
Fileserve Part 2
Fileserve Part 3
Fileserve Part 4

.: You call me 'niisan', but you love me? Strange... :.
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Snow Sakura (Visual Novel)

Legend says there is a flower that blooms here in the depth of winter...
The Wintery Sakura,Yukizakura.
As the twilight deepens and a snowflake melts in the palm of my hand, I stand with a beautiful girl by my side. 
Will we be able to uncover its mystery in this fleeting moment?
Yukizakura
雪桜
 Publisher : D.O. - G-Collections
Writer: Kitagawa Samui
Release Date : 23 December 2003 (Jap)
Length : Medium (10 - 30 hours)
Genre : Visual Novel, Eroge
Rating : Ranked #25 (vndb.org)
                  Scored 86.2 (KirikoPoll)

.: Story

My name is Tachibana Yuuji, a regular student with no particular plans for the future - until my parents left for Hawaii on a business trip last fall, leaving me in the care of my uncle in the wintry countryside of Hokkaido.

Small-town life on Japan's northern island didn't have time to get dull, as from the moment I got there I was reunited with my cousin and childhood friend Saki. She's pretty demanding, but when I'm hanging out with her and her school friends I don't mind; as I get close to them I feel like I'm finding meaning in life that I didn't know I was looking for.

There is a strange living thing here, deep in the wintery land of the island, the flower that only bloomed in winter season, Snow Sakura. Something strange must be happen here long time ago, as I began to remember the events that I didn't remeber before... About the Sakura which bloomed at winter... About the legend beneath it... And about the girl that shown me everything... (Spoiler Cut)

.: Screen Shoots

 

 


.: Review

Abandoned and pushed to the home of his uncle, Yuuji Tachibana is sent off to Hokkaido, a place of eternal snow and cold, completely different from his old and happy life in Tokyo. Snow Sakura is a story about how the warmth of family and friends can fight off the chilly colds of the north.

Gameplay
Snow Sakura is your typical adventure H-game. You basically click along the story, going past events until you come to a decision, wherein you'll have to make a choice and follow along. There aren't any special mini-games or anything all that interesting, but the story is more than enough to satiate you. (Score: 6/10)

Story
Snow Sakura is what one can call your typical slice-of-life game. No dragons to defeat, or intensive mind games to play with in court. However, none of that is needed for it's surprising and fun moments. When Yuuji first comes into the story, he's a jerk. He alienates the people around him, hates his father, and makes quite a few cynical remarks. However, as you continue along, you start to see a difference in his personality. He begins to become kinder, as well as treasure the friendships he's made in this snowy land.

Each girl has their own individual story, most of them being quite interesting. And most of their endings will definitely make you go 'awww' at the sweetness of them.
Misaki is the kind, sweet heroine who can't cook for squat.
Kozue is the 'slightly' rich lesbian stalker fangirl of Misaki's.
Saki is your cousin and typical Tsundere character, but as a twist, can actually cook!
Rei is the honor student shrine maiden that's trouble by what the future brings her.
And Misato is the history teacher a few pages short of a complete book. (Score: 9/10)

Graphics/Sound
The art is incredibly well done, with unique character designs, nice backdrop, and nicely done H-scenes for the H-lovers out there. The music and special sounds nicely fit in with the story, and the various events. From hanging out with your friends, walking through town on a date, and even when sadness and depression rears it's ugly head. As well, the individual voices are nothing to laugh at either, clearing expressing elation and sadness at their appropriate times. (Score: 10/10)

Play Time/Replayability
This game can satisfy you for quite a long time. Each story can be finished within six to more hours each, with unique scenes decorating the various girl's story lines. With the hilarious and comedic scenes at every turn, and romance awaiting you with certain choices, this is definitely a game that you can play over and over again. There is even a special reward for those that can finish all the endings. The only thing that could be improved would be a more intensive and longer story line. It's the fatal flaw of all ADV-H games. (Score: 7/10)

Overall
This game is definitely worth buying. The story, visuals, and music make this 'typical' adventure H-game into something worth every second played.
Overall Score: 9/10 


.: Now, I'm getting used... No, I'm already tired of snow :.
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New Year Festival

New Year Festival (正月 Shōgatsu), is one of the most important annual festivals, with its own unique customs, and has been celebrated for centuries. Due to the importance of the holiday and the preparations required, the preceding days are quite busy, particularly the day before, known as Ōmisoka.

Although Shogatsu means January, it is celebrated for the first 3 days or the first week of January. These days are considered the most important holidays for the Japanese. One could equate it with the celebration of Christmas in the west. During this time business and schools close for one to two weeks. It is also a time for people to return to their families which leads to the inevitable backlog of travelers. The Japanese decorate their houses, but before the decorations start to be put up a general house cleaning is done.

On New Year's eve (December 31), bells (joya no kane) are rung at the local temples to speed out the old year. Buddhist temples all over Japan ring their bells a total of 108 times to symbolize the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief, and to get rid of the 108 worldly desires regarding sense and feeling in every Japanese citizen. A major attraction is The Watched Night bell, in Tokyo. Japanese believe that the ringing of bells can rid off their sins during the previous year.

The New Year is welcomed in by placing decoration called kadomatsu and eating of year-crossing noodles (toshikoshi-soba) and special selection of dishes (osechi-ryōri). Casual western style clothing is replaced with kimono on New Years day as people go for their first temple or shrine visit of the New Year (hatsumoude). At the temples they pray for health and happiness in the coming year. The reading New Year's cards (nengajou) and the giving of gifts (otoshidama) to young children are also apart of the New Year celebrations.

The first day of Shogatsu (January 1st) is a very auspicious day, best started by viewing the new year's first sunrise (hatsu-hinode), and traditionally believed to be representative for the whole year that has just commenced. Therefore, the day is supposed be full of joy and free of stress and anger, while everything should be clean and no work should be done.

Kadomatsu (門松 ,Gate Pine)

Kadomatsu
Kadomatsu is a traditional Japanese decoration of the New Year placed in pairs in front of homes to welcome ancestral spirits or kami of the harvest. They are placed after Christmas until January 7 (or January 15 during the Edo period) and are considered temporary housing (shintai) for kami. Designs for kadomatsu vary depending on region but are typically made of pine, bamboo, and sometimes ume tree sprigs which represent longevity, prosperity and steadfastness, respectively. "The fundamental function of the New Year ceremonies is to honor and receive the toshigami (deity), who will then bring a bountiful harvest for farmers and bestow the ancestors' blessing on everyone." After January 15 (or in many instances the 19th) the kadomatsu is burned to appease the kami or toshigami and release them.

The central portion of the kadomatsu is formed from three large bamboo shoots, though plastic kadomatsu are available. Similar to several traditions of ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), the shoots are set at different heights and represent heaven, humanity, and earth with heaven being the highest and earth being the lowest. Some kadomatsu place the humanity and earth shoots at the same height. After binding all the elements of the kadomatsu, it is bound with a straw mat and newly woven straw rope. Kadomatsu are placed in pairs on either side of the gate, representing male and female.

Toshikoshi-soba (年越し蕎麦 ,New Year Soba)

Toshikoshi-soba
Toshikoshi-soba, is a soba noodle dish traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve. Toshikoshi means "year-crossing" and the long noodles symbolize longevity. It is often served along with nishime, a traditional New Year's nimono (simmered dish) of vegetables and chicken. The funny-shaped vegetable on top is kuwai (arrowhead, a marsh plant similar to water chesnut).

Why do people in Japan eat soba at the end of year based on their unique customary thoughts from the ancient times that they cannot finish up the old year without eating soba. There are some reasons why they choose soba and not any other kind of food:
  1. It is thought that soba is a bringer of good luck, family fortunes, and longevity because soba is physically long.
  2. On the contrary, since soba is easy to bite, it is also considered to forget and sever any carryover of hardship and disaster that may have happened during the year.
  3. The third opinion is believed that soba collects fortunes; During the Edo period , a gold and silver craftsmen used balls made of kneaded buckwheat (soba) to collect splattered gold and silver pieces in the working area, and burned the ball over hibachi (Japanese heating appliance using charcoal as fuel) to catch residue gold and silver pieces.

Osechi-ryōri ( 御節料理 )

Osechi-ryori
Osechi-ryōri, also called osechi, is trditional Japanese New Year foods. Osechi are easily recognizable by their special boxes called jūbako (重箱), which resemble bento boxes. Like bento boxes, jūbako are often kept stacked before and after use.

The term osechi originally referred to o-sechi, a season or significant period. New Year's Day was one of the five seasonal festivals (節句 sekku) in the Imperial Court in Kyoto. This custom of celebrating particular days was introduced from China into Japan.

Originally, during first three days of the New Year it was a taboo to use a hearth and cook meals, except when cooking zōni. Osechi was made by the close of the previous year, as women did not cook in the New Year.

In the earliest days, osechi consisted only of nimono, boiled vegetables with soy sauce and sugar or mirin. Over the generations, the variety of food included in osechi has increased. Today osechi may refer to anything prepared specially for the New Year, and some foreign dishes have been adopted as "Westernized osechi" (西洋お節 seiyō-osechi) or as "Chinese-style osechi" (中華風お節 chūkafū osechi). And while osechi was traditionally prepared at home, it is also sold ready-made in specialty stores, grocery stores, and even convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven.

Especially in households where osechi is still homemade, toshi-koshi soba (年越し蕎麦) is eaten on New Year's Eve. Its name literally means "year-crossing soba." Although there may be some symbolism attributed to it (i.e., long life, health and energy in the upcoming year), this tradition may be regarded as largely pragmatic: the traditional wife, busy cooking several days' worth of food for everyone, would likely prefer to make something simple for immediate consumption. It is considered bad luck by many Japanese to leave any toshi-koshi soba uneaten.

This foods consist of :
  • Daidai (橙), Japanese bitter orange. Daidai means "from generation to generation" when written in different kanji as 代々. Like kazunoko below, it symbolizes a wish for children in the New Year.
  • Datemaki (伊達巻 or 伊達巻き), sweet rolled omelet mixed with fish paste or mashed shrimp. They symbolize a wish for many auspicious days. On auspicious days (晴れの日, hare-no-hi), Japanese people traditionally wear fine clothing as a part of enjoying themselves. One of the meanings associated with the second kanji includes "fashionability," derived from the illustrious dress of the samurai from Date Han.
  • Kamaboko (蒲鉾), broiled fish cake. Traditionally, slices of red and white kamaboko are alternated in rows or arranged in a pattern. The color and shape are reminiscent of Japan rising sun, and have a celebratory, festive meaning.
  • Kazunoko (数の子), herring roe. Kazu means "number" and ko means "child." It symbolizes a wish to be gifted with numerous children in the New Year.
  • Konbu (昆布), a kind of seaweed. It is associated with the word yorokobu, meaning "joy."
  • Kuro-mame (黒豆), black soybeans. Mame also means "health," symbolizing a wish for health in the New Year.
  • Kohaku-namasu (紅白なます), literally "red-white vegetable kuai," is made of daikon and carrot cut into thin strips and pickled in sweetened vinegar with yuzu flavor.
  • Tai (鯛), red sea-bream. Tai is associated with the Japanese word medetai, symbolizing an auspicious event.
  • Tazukuri (田作り), dried sardines cooked in soy sauce. The literal meaning of the kanji in tazukuri is "rice paddy maker," as the fish were used historically to fertilize rice fields. The symbolism is of an abundant harvest.
  • Zōni (雑煮), a soup of mochi rice cakes in clear broth (in eastern Japan) or miso broth (in western Japan).
  • Ebi (エビ), skewered prawns cooked with sake and soy sauce.
  • Nishiki tamago (錦卵), egg roulade; the egg is separated before cooking, yellow symbolizing gold, and white symbolizing silver.

 Legend:
1: Simmered shrimp, 2: Tazukuri,
3: Nishime Cooked vegetables, 4: Kamaboko,
5: Datemaki, 6: appetizer, 7: Konbumaki,
8:Kurikinton, 9: Tobiko, 10: Grilled sea bream,
11: Kazunoko, 12: Pickled vegetables,
13: Sweets, 14: appetizer, 15: Black beans,
16: Grilled lobster



Hatsumōde (初詣)
 
Hatsumōde is the first shrine visit of the New Year in Japan. Some people visit a Buddhist temple instead. Many visit on the first, second, or third day of the year as most are off work on those days. Generally, wishes for the new year are made, new o-mamori (charms or amulets) are bought, and the old ones are returned to the shrine so they can be burned. There are often long lines at major shrines throughout Japan.

Most Japanese are off work from December 29 until January 3. It is during this time that the house is cleaned, debts are paid, friends and family are visited and gifts are exchanged. It would be customary to spend the early morning of New Year's Day in domestic worship, followed by sake—often containing edible gold flakes—and special celebration food. During the hatsumōde, it is common for men to wear a full kimono—one of the rare chances to see them doing so across a year. The act of worship is generally quite brief and individual and may involve queuing at popular shrines. The o-mamori vary substantially in price.
 
Nengajou (年賀状)

Nengajo
Nengajou is Japanese New Year's postcards. It is custom to Japanese to send nengajou at New Year's. Day Their original purpose was to give your faraway friends and relatives tidings of yourself and your immediate family. In other words, this custom existed for people to tell others whom they did not often meet that they were alive and well.. Japan Post Network accepts New Year's cards from mid December, and they deliver them on New Year's Day or later, depending on when cards are mailed.


It's a tradition for Japanese people to write New Year's cards during December. It's important to write "nenga" below the stamp or use prepaid New Year's postcards issued by Japan Post Network so that postal workers can distinguish New Year cards from regular mail.

Prepaid New Year's postcards with lottery numbers are the kind most commonly used by Japanese people. The lottery's winning numbers are picked in mid or late January. The prizes aren't money but are various goods, such as electronics, stamps, and so on. Those prepaid postcards are basically plain, so people print photos or images, draw pictures, and write messages on their own.


Another important part of the etiquette is not to send a New Year's card to a family in mourning. You might receive postcards from people who are in mourning from mid November, notifying you that they don't take and send New Year's greeting cards.

The postcards may have spaces for the sender to write a personal message. Blank cards are available, so people can hand-write or draw their own. Rubber stamps with conventional messages and with the annual animal are on sale at department stores and other outlets, and many people buy ink brushes for personal greetings. Special printing devices are popular, especially among people who practice crafts. Software also lets artists create their own designs and output them using their computer's color printer. Because a gregarious individual might have hundreds to write, print shops offer a wide variety of sample postcards with short messages so that the sender has only to write addresses. Even with the rise in popularity of email, the nengajo remains very popular in Japan.

Conventional nengajō greetings include:
  • kotoshi mo yoroshiku o-negai-shimasu (今年もよろしくお願いします) (I hope for your favour again in the coming year)
  • (shinnen) akemashite o-medetō-gozaimasu ((新年)あけましておめでとうございます) (Happiness to you on the dawn [of a New Year])
  • kinga shinnen (謹賀新年) (Happy New Year)
  • shoshun/hatsuharu (初春) (literally "early spring")

Otoshidama (お年玉)

Otoshidama
Otoshidama is a Japanese custom in which adults give children money over the New Year's Day. Bills are folded into three sections and put into small envelopes (pochibukuro), then handed to the children of close friends and relatives. It is similar to Goshugi bukuro or Chinese red envelopes and to the Scottish handsel. In the Edo period large stores and wealthy families gave out a small bag of mochi and a Mandarin orange to spread happiness all around.


Otoshidama is given when people visit friends, neighbors, and relatives between January 1-3. The money can be given after the holidays if you don't meet the child over the break, but never before the New Year begins. Children usually receive otoshidama until they finish high school, though it is not uncommon for university students to get money these.

Only bills are used for otoshidama so the minimum amount put in an envelope is 1,000 yen, the smallest bill in Japan. How much money given to a child depends on several factors, such as how old the child is, how many children you have to give otoshidama to, and, of course, how much money you make. Traditionally, older children are supposed to get more money but many people today give the same amount to siblings to prevent jealousy and arguing. An elementary school child may get from 1,000-5,000 yen in each envelope, while a junior high or high school kid can expect up to 10,000 yen.