I grew up in a big, busy city called Mito, north of Tokyo. The week before New Year’s, my mother would prepare osechi ryori, assorted cold dishes for sharing with relatives and friends dropping by to ...

Made by pounding cooked glutinous short-grained mochi rice, mochi is a sticky Japanese food eaten as a sweet or savory treat. Mochi is to Japanese people what latkes are for Jewish people, or black ...

On the first morning of each year, my mom cooks ozōni. This soup, only eaten on New Year’s Day in Japan, has regional variations. But our family’s version was simple: sliced shiitake mushrooms, ...

Making my dad’s New Year’s soup is a ritual I look forward to all year long. I grew up in a big, busy city called Mito, north of Tokyo. The week before New Year’s, my mother would prepare osechi ryori ...