No cleaning for three days straight. No knives. No fire. And definitely no fighting with your family. Sound impossible?

There were the six strict rules Japanese people followed during oshōgatsu—the New Year holidays—to avoid angering the toshigami, a visiting deity who decided your luck for the entire year. Break one rule, and you might wash your fortune down the drain. Literally.

From the aku (scum) that made boiling food taboo, to the fire god kōjin who needed three days of rest, to the practical reasons behind eating cold osechi ryōri for days—Thersa explains why these traditions existed and how modern Japanese people creatively bend the rules with IH stoves and digital money.

How many of the six can you follow?

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

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Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

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