I remember when I went to a local Shinto shrine with my dad two years ago. Hatsumoude, or the first visit of the year, is an important ritual in Japan. After wishing the best of luck and prosperity for the new year, we tried Omikuji, which is a fortune-telling custom. Typically, Omikuji predicts your fortune …

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This New Year’s Day I was reminded of the New Year’s Days of my childhood. These have been days filled with joyful memories.  I grew up in a large, two-storey, five-bedroom house on a mountainside suburb in Japan. I was living with my parents, grandparents and a younger sister.  We had a big drawing room …

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