Japanese-style sweets (wagashi, 和菓子)
• Amanatto
• Dango rice dumpling
• Hanabiramochi
• Higashi
• Hoshigaki Dried persimmon fruit
• Imagawayaki also known as 'Taikoyaki' is a round Taiyaki and fillings are same
• Kakigori shaved ice with syrup topping.
• Kompeito crystal sugar candy
• Manju sticky rice surrounding a sweet bean center
• Matsunoyuki
• Mochi steamed sweet rice pounded into a solid, sticky, and somewhat translucent mass
• Oshiruko a warm, sweet red bean (an) soup with mochi: rice cake
• Uiro a steamed cake made of rice flour
• Taiyaki a fried, fish-shaped cake, usually with a sweet filling such as red bean paste
Of all the annual holidays in Japan, the New Year (o-shogatsu) is often spoken of as the "most Japanese" of celebrations. With a history reaching back a thousand years, the traditional New Year's celebration is sprinkled with symbolism, and that symbolism is particularly evident in typical New Year's food.• Amanatto
• Dango rice dumpling
• Hanabiramochi
• Higashi
• Hoshigaki Dried persimmon fruit
• Imagawayaki also known as 'Taikoyaki' is a round Taiyaki and fillings are same
• Kakigori shaved ice with syrup topping.
• Kompeito crystal sugar candy
• Manju sticky rice surrounding a sweet bean center
• Matsunoyuki
• Mochi steamed sweet rice pounded into a solid, sticky, and somewhat translucent mass
• Oshiruko a warm, sweet red bean (an) soup with mochi: rice cake
• Uiro a steamed cake made of rice flour
• Taiyaki a fried, fish-shaped cake, usually with a sweet filling such as red bean paste
It’s traditional custom for Japanese people to eat O-sechi (traditional food for the New Year) and O-zoni (rice cake and fish based soup) during New Year’s, just as Western people enjoy eating turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving day.

Osechi ryori was originally a way for housewives (and their families) to survive the first several days of the New Year, when stores throughout Japan were closed. The foods that make up osechi can be prepared in advance and then sit out in a cool area for a few days without spoiling. Most often everything is placed in compartmentalized lacquer boxes that are stacked in layers.

Many different kinds of dishes (10-30 kinds) are packed in boxes called JUBAKO. The shape, pronunciation, and colour of each ingredient represent good luck, happiness and longevity.
Ingredients of O-sechi »
In the old days, the difference between festive days and normal days were quite distinct. MOCHI (rice cake) was a food eaten only for celebrations, as was O-ZONI (rice cake and soup), one of the most important foods in Japan.


credit:
http://www.japanesefood101.com/index.php/festive-food-for-the-new-year/happy-japanese-new-year/
http://www.bento.com/fexp-osechi.html
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