New Year, Final Poem

Hello dear readers,

For the end of the year, I wanted to share a poem compsed by Otomo no Yakamochi, the compiler of the Manyoshu:

Original Manyogana	Modern Japanese	Romanization	Rough Translation
新	新しき	Aratashiki	Just as the
年乃始乃	年の初めの	Toshi no hajime no	new-fallen snow
波都波流能	初春の	Hatsu haru no	of this New Year’s day
家布敷流由伎能	今日降る雪の	Kyo furu yuki no	piles up, so too do
伊夜之家餘其騰	いやしけ吉事	Iyashike yogoto	auspicious tidings.

The headline of the poem explains that that particular New Year’s day experienced record snowfall, and so Yakamochi recited this poem for the occasion.

Also, a note on translation: the poem as written in Japanese doesn’t say “new year”, but actually says “first spring”. This is because in the traditional Chinese calendar (which Japan used for many centuries) the New Year began early Spring, not mid-winter as we do in the West (i.e. January 1st). This is true even now in Chinese culture: Lunar New Year usually begins in late January or February depending on lunar cycles. Thus, many traditional phrases related to New Year in Japan literally say “Spring”, for example shinshun (新春, “new spring”) or geishun (迎春, “welcoming spring / new year”). This poem is no exception.

So with that, I wish you all a wonderful 2026, and a happy, joyous new year. May your good fortune pile up like snow!

P.S. According to Japanese tradition, if you dream about Mount Fuji, an eagle, or eggplant during the first sleep after New Year, you will have an extra good year.