Ringing in 2010 in Nagano

My host family was kind enough to take me with them as they drove up to Nagano prefecture to celebrate the new year this winter break. My host father's mother lives alone in a big house in the countryside in Nagano. The house is huge and incredibly beautiful. Almost all the rooms in the house, except for the bathroom and kitchen, have tatami (bamboo) mat floors and sliding wooden doors with white paper or drawings on them. My host grandmother was incredibly friendly and kind, just like the rest of my host family. I also met my host uncle, his wife, and their two children, who are Eri (17) and Yuuka (15).

We went sightseeing at Matsumoto Castle, one of the oldest castles in Japan, on our first day up north. The castle is also known as the Crow's Castle because of its black hue. We saw the oldest elementary school in Japan, too, which was located within walking distance from the castle.

The following day we went shopping for some special foods needed for the new year celebration, including black koi fish (not commonly eaten), mochi (sticky, soft rice cakes), and various types of fish, noodles, and vegetables. At home my host mother and host aunt seemed to always be in the kitchen cooking, and my host cousins, host siblings, and I would hang out in this one warm room with a large, heated table. We sat on the floor cushions and stuck our legs under the table to keep them warm, and did homework around the table. I was never bored for a second in the countryside because I spent the entire time talking with my host family. I felt like I belonged with them, and I really enjoyed their company.

On the thirty-first, the ten of us at grandmother's house at a huge evening meal, and at 10:30 p.m. we gathered around the dinner table once more and ate soba, or buckwheat noodles, a Japanese new year tradition. Half the adults were asleep before midnight, and my host cousins, host siblings, and I sat around the dinner table and watched on TV as 2009 left and 2010 came in. I then went to sleep shortly after midnight. We ate leftovers from the night before on the following morning, and we also at a traditional soup with vegetables and mochi in it, called ozouni. I was really happy that my host family included me in their new year celebrations, and I had a really wonderful time with them in Nagano.