Whoa!

お店で購入したおせちと ご近所さん手作りのおせちを食べます

Actually we bought one and our neighbors also brought one which they made

初めてのおせちです！

So we have two to try

お正月は日本の特別な休日です

So here we go — first time!

ライター家の子供たちも 冬休みではしゃいでいます

[Life in Japan Theme Song]

バーイ！

New Years in Japan is a big deal, perhaps their most important holiday of all.

終業式はワクワクしますね

The Reutter kids are sure excited too, because it means they will soon be enjoying winter break.

日本では 多くの家で 年末に大掃除をします

Bye!

我が家も 日本のお正月を もっと取り入れたいと思います

The last day of school is always an exciting time, oh boy!

今回は特別なゲストと一緒です

Leading up to New Years, the Japanese clean their houses in order to have a special time with family and friends.

パズ・チャーチのクリスマス礼拝は とても楽しかったです！

And this year we are incorporating even more Japanese traditions into our New Years' celebrations,

これからゲストが来ます

and it all starts with a very important visit.

3年ぶりの来日です！

So Christmas is done, it was amazing!

サラ？

Just our best Christmas ever at Paz!

おばあちゃんとおじいちゃんが来る！

And now we're getting ready for a super duper special visit,

ルース 綺麗な家だね

Something that hasn't happened in over three years!

掃除したから

What's happening Sarah?!

準備万端だね

Vovó (Grandma) and Vovô (Grandpa) are going to come!

ブラジルから来日するルースの両親を 空港まで迎えに行きます

Wow girlfriend! Look at this house here, huh?

お正月の特別な時間を ルースの両親と一緒に過ごす計画です

I know, it looks clean, doesn't it?

おじいちゃんとおばあちゃんです

It goes! It looks all ready for your parents to come!

超長距離の旅です

Ruth's parents are visiting us from Brazil, so we are going to the airport to pick them up.

年末は帰省ラッシュなので 道も混みます

We have cleared our schedule as much as possible in order to enjoy this special time with them,

目的地まで渋滞が続きます

and it turns out that this is exactly what the Japanese do this time of year.

通常50分の道のりですが 1時間半かかりました

Ok, we have Vovô (Grandpa) and Vovó (Grandma) with us!

正に休暇です

Yes! Yea!

これからが休暇の本番です！

They just did the long long flight that we did earlier this year.

子供は楽しみにしていました

With most people heading to their hometowns to be with family, the traffic gets super crazy near the end of the year.

早速 日本のこたつで ゲームをしました

Everyone seems to be anxious to make it to their holiday destinations.

皆でラミキューブ

A return trip from the airport that usually takes around 50 minutes took us an hour and half to do.

年末らしくなってきました

That's holiday traffic for you,

おせち料理の前に 近所の植物園に出掛けました

but it's OK, because to us this is the beginning of our New Years' break!

おじいちゃんが？

The kids wasted no time welcoming Vovó and Vovô to the house,

今日はおごり！

immediately asking to play a game under our Japanese Kotatsu table.

花は少なかったですが

Aw, Rumikub with Vovó and Vovô!

ショーを見たり

The holidays were officially underway.

カワウソを見ました

Before trying our traditional Japanese New Years' Food, we were treated to a visit to a nearby flower park.

カワウソだ！

The good thing going with Vovô is?

それは？

He pays!

カワウソ

The very end of the year may not be the best time to visit a flower park,

カワウソ？

but we still had a lot of fun seeing the shows,

可愛いカワウソ！

seeing the otters

熱帯魚も見ました

Otters!

庭園も散策しました

What did you get, Sarah?

日本のお正月の醍醐味は 家族や友人と過ごす時間です

Otter

皆が来ました

An otter?

これから 日本のおせち料理を食べます

Aww, look at that otter!

おせちの準備は お正月の前から始まります

not to mention the tropical fish

元は質素な料理でしたが 時代を経て 特別な料理となりました

Wow!

日本の伝統が詰まっています

and of course, exploring the gardens.

これは何かしら

The best part of Japanese New Years' is the time spent together with family and friends.

手ぬぐいか何かかしら

Look at the crew coming!

ポケモンね

But now we're about to try a true Japanese New Year's tradition, eating the New Year's meal called Osechi.

やった！

This food was originally prepared before New Years so that no cooking was required the first couple of days of the New Year.

見て！

It was originally simple vegetables and soy sauce, but developed into much more elaborate offerings.

おせちね

It has a tradition all its own and we're excited to give it a try.

ポケモンの箸が付いてるわ

And this one, look! It comes with this — oh!

時差ぼけのおばあちゃんも 頑張って一緒に食べます

Oh, I think this is the little cloth that you're supposed to... that you can tie it up in.

ポケモンボールに入ってる！

It's Pokemon.

すごい！

Yea!

かっこいい！

Look!

二重になってる

Here's the case.

すごいな！

Oh! It actually comes with Pokemon Chopsticks.

これ苦手

Jetlag hit Vovô pretty hard, but Vovó was ready to try it with us!

面白いです

It's in a Pokemon ball!

ルース これは？

Whoa! Look at this!

卵かしら

How cool!

抹茶ケーキ

Wha!!!

エビとイカ

Oh, it's doubled!

魚だ！

Oh my goodness, that is wild!

魚ね

I'm not eating this!

手巻きか何かかしら

Interesting... Look at how cute.

美味しい？

Do you have any idea what some of these are, Ruth?

卵ね

That looks like egg, Um hum.

お餅

Matcha cake...

ニンジンがある！

Shrimp... That looks like squid in there.

ニンジン？

And look at that fish!

見て！

Look at those fish!

美味しい？

This looks like that "Temaki" something-or-other...

給食の味噌汁に入ってる

Is it yummy?

給食の味噌汁に？

Made with egg.

あれも

Mochi balls, those look good.

そうだね

Wait- oh yes! There's a carrot here, yes I can eat!

初めてのおせちを楽しみます

Is it a carrot? Uh huh.

美味しいわ

Oh, look at the inside of this!

ビワかしら

It is? Is it good? Uh huh.

何？

These are in our misoshiro (soup) at school.

トマトかな？

Oh, you have those in your misoshiro soup at school?

ミニオレンジみたい

Yep. And that.

すごい

And that too? Um, it's good.

お気に入りは？

We started diving in, even though we had no idea what we were doing!

まだ？

Umm, this is very good.

美味しいわね

Ahh, this looks like Biwa!

日本のお正月は 米国の感謝祭と似ています

What is Biwa?

故郷に帰り 伝統的な食卓を囲みます

Or is it Tomato?

サツマイモかしら （※栗きんとん）

It's like a mini-mini orange.

美味しそうだね

Oh my!

おせちは日本の伝統食です

What do you keep eating there that you like so much?

初めてのおせちなので 理解や食べ方が間違っているかもしれません

You don't know?

みなさんから学びたいので 何かあれば ぜひコメントで教えて下さい

But it sure is good.

ハンバーグみたい

New Years, for in Japan, is kind of like what Thanksgiving is in the States,

食べたい

Where people all go back to their hometowns and they have the traditional foods that they eat.

美味しい？

This is sweet-potato-something.

サラは？

Sweet potato? Oh! It's delicious.

好き

Here in Japan, these are the traditional foods.

そう？

So if we're messing it up, or we're calling it by the wrong name,

ピカチュウだ

Or we're eating it wrong, please be nice to us.

ピカチュウ！

Put it in the comments, what we were supposed to do, and we can learn from it.

口の中でうまみが広がる！

It's like a hamburger.

美味しい

Oh!

ソーセージね チーズが入ってる

I want some!

お気に入りは？

Mmm!

これ

Oh, is it good? Yea!

もう一個

Does the Sara-bara like it?

いっぱい食べたね

I do.

ニンジン！

You do too?

ニンジンが好き？

Look, it's a Pikachu.

これが美味しい

Pikachu!

本当に

Right as you put it in your mouth the flavor goes byah!!

抹茶ケーキ

Very good.

レンコンが美味しい

Umm, that's a sausage... with cheese in the middle.

レンコン

Did everyone have a favorite at all?

私はハンバーグ

This...

お気に入りは？

I'm going to eat another one.

まだ

You're going to eat another one! You've had a bunch of these so far.

迷ってるね

Carrot!

やっぱりこれがいい

Your favorite was the carrot?

抹茶ケーキです

Umm, I really like this.

大きいです

Whatever this is.

エビを食べます

Matcha cake. It's delicious.

剥かないと

I love this root.

手で大丈夫？

The root. Um.

食べ方があるかしら

I like the hamburgers.

僕も分からない

Did you have a favorite?

我流でやるわね

Um, not yet.

ヤダ！

You haven't had it yet, you don't know.

汁が飛んだ！

I'm changing my mind, this is my favorite.

美味しい！

She had some of the matcha cake.

気に入ったわ！

Here we go! Oh my!

もっと買う？

Vovó's going to have some shrimp!

美味しいエビ

You're going to have to peel it, mom.

パパは？

You have to eat it with your hands, right?

今のが最後

I mean, I don't know how to do this. Yea sure.

僕は苦手

Oh, I have no idea either.

私はエビ大好き

So if it's OK, I'm going to try it the way I would do it.

ママちゃんもエビが好き

[Gasps]

煮干しをパパに食べてみてほしい

It squirted me!

そうなの？

Mama chan is squirtin!

学校で食べるもん！

It peed!

学校で？

Delicious! I'm going away!

小魚ね

Um, I love it!

食べるよ

Well, we could go and buy you some...I mean there's one more shrimp, but...

おばあちゃんが食べるわよ

That is good shrimp.

- カレー？ - 違うよ

OK Daddy, you need to try one.

小魚だね

Well there's no more.

美味しい

I am not a shrimp person.

ママは食べれる？

Mmm, I love shrimp.

イワシ？

Yea, Momma-chan loves shrimp, so does Vovó-chan

そうかも

I want Daddy to try the fish with the eyeballs in it.

かたいけど 悪くない

You do, huh?

少し

We eat those at school! Is that what you want me to try, huh?

ケーキは？

You eat that at school?!

もう売り切れよ

Well, they give them the tiny version.

それは？

I'll try one.

豆

Watch, Vovó is going to try one.

豆ね

Alright!

ベッカも試して！

It's curry. It's not curry.

甘い豆

Mmm. It's a fish with eyeballs.

食べる

It's good.

甘い豆

Should Mommy eat one?

お餅に入ってることもあるわね

Is it a sardine?

これはイモ？

It's probably like a... It's like a little sardine, yea.

美味しいわよ

Tough little thing. Tough, but it's good, not bad.

甘く煮てあるわ

It's a bit...

とても美味しいわ

What's this right here? Where's the cake?!

目玉みたい

The cake's all gone, honey, I'm making cheesecake.

そうね

What is that?

どうかしら

a bean.

お餅みたい

It looks like a bean.

目玉みたい

It's a bean! Try it Becca!

美味しい

A sweet bean. I want to try it!

次はパパの番です

I want to try one.

撮影が落ち着いたので 食べます

Cold sweet beans.

これ食べてみて

It's the beans that they make the filling for their mochi and stuff.

まだ食べてない？

Is this like a potato? Pikachu!

海鮮かな

Yeah, that's very good.

食べます

I think it's like a sweet potato. Very good.

美味しい

I like these. These are very good.

甘い？

Vovó thinks that's an eyeball.

どう？

It looks like an eyeball.

どんな味？

Should I try it?

カニ！

It's mochi-something I think.

あと一つあるよ

Vovó is going to try an eyeball.

食べる

Umm. Um!

- おばあちゃんは何でも食べれる - そうよ

Delicious.

いいわね

OK, so what am I going to try here?

美味しい

Daddy was busy filming, so now it's my turn to finally try some of these things.

チーズが入ってる

So you can try—we didn't try that yet.

黒豆です

Oh, we didn't try this yet?!

美味しい！

That looks like seafood. It looks like crab.

そうね

Here we go...

オススメは？

It's good.

そうね

Is it sweet?

サツマイモ （※栗きんとん）

(No)

お肉もいいわよ

Is it fishy? (No)

サツマイモです

Does it taste like anything?

美味しい

It's crab!

冷食です

But it's good. There's one more here.

冷蔵庫で保管します

I'll try it.

見て下さい

Oh Vovó tries everything.

手の込んだ仕込みです

I always try anything.

沢山の種類があるので お気に入りを見つけるのが楽しいです

And it "comes to her heart."

これ食べて

Very good.

キャビア？

I think it has a piece of cheese in the middle.

私も？

The bean! It's a black bean.

友達がそれ好き

Umm, that's good!

冷たい和食は意外でしたが

That's good.

種類の多さに驚きました

What else should I try?

大根？

Umm....

大根とニンジンか何か

That sweet potato... The bubbles, the bubbles!

いいね

The sweet potato is good and that pork is good.

気に入った

And the bubbles!

もっと食べる？

So some sweet potatoes.

音がする

Umm, that's good.

楽しそうね

It's all cold.

伝統食ですが 慣れ親しんだ味のようにも感じます

It comes cold and then you put it in your fridge until you're ready to eat it.

日本の人にとって お正月の懐かしい味です

Look at this.

初めて食した味ですが 伝統を感じます

There's such intricate details in a lot of this stuff right here.

我が家のご近所さんのように 手作りする家庭もあれば

I think we, the adults, had the most amount of fun just trying the various foods and trying to guess what we were eating.

お店でも買えます

Oh, and then eat the bubbles.

ポケモンおせちは 少し高かったです

Is that the caviar?

いい体験でした

Should I try some?

かわいい！

I don't like those. My friend loves those.

かわいい！

I'll admit, eating cold food is not my idea of big holiday meal,

かわいすぎる！

but I was surprised by the number of tasty things I tried.

こうするわ

Is it radish?

いいね！

Maybe radish and carrots or something

ボールになります

That's decent.

かわいい

I kind of like this.

それは？

You're going to eat more? Um hum.

底に何かある

Oh, I'm going to hear the chewing.

何かある！

Chewing is satisfying to them.

餅！

So I'm a bit surprised because I know that a lot of this food is an acquired taste

餅！

It's traditional food that people have and they love to have it this time of year