お年玉：Otoshidama (New Year's Allowance)

The New Year is among the most important and deeply rooted of all the annual celebrations held in Japan. Entrances of house are beautifully decorated with special New Year ornaments. Traditional New Year's dishes are prepared. And a big family gathering is held. However, the biggest event for children is something more exciting – otoshidama, customary New Year's allowances. They look forward to the day collect otoshidama from parents and older relatives.
Yet, the New Year provides one of the few opportunities when a child can collect a small fortune. After receiving their otoshidama, kids often run to a department store or a toy retailer to buy something they have been longing to have for months. For this reason, generally, many retailers conduct sales campaigns in the New Year season.

Updated: 25 December, 2017