The first meal of the year, includes a soup called zoni, which features mochi rice cakes.
This image is part of The New Year in Japan, a book published by Kobe-based photographer Kozaburo Tamamura in 1906. Original text1:
This illustration is a general representation of every family in Japan, partaking of the ceremonial breakfast, the members of the family congratulating each other, and ‘toasting’ each other in cups of zoni, a beverage made from mochi (boiled rice dough) and this ceremony is repeated until the third day of the New Year.
Mochi can be seen being made in New Year Celebrations 2.
See all New Year images on Old Photos of Japan.
Notes
1 Tamamura, Kozaburo (1906). The New Year in Japan. Tamamura Shashinkan.
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Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Kobe, 1906: New Year Celebrations 9, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on October 31, 2025 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/674/new-year-celebrations-9
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