Finally, commemorations of ancestors continue to be important ‘annual events in contemporary Japan. These celebrations held twice-yearly during the New Year and Bon (mid-August) period are particularly pertinent for my discussion as their main focus is the home. Until the end of the nineteenth century it used to be common for the extended family to return to the house of the main family branch on both occasions to pay respect to the ancestors enshrined in domestic Buddhist altars. However, as a result of a campaign to create State Shinto under the Meiji government (1868–1912), New Year became associated with Shinto and auspiciousness, while Bon celebrations were linked with Buddhism and death (Rupp 2003: 106–107). In 2003, New Year was celebrated by all those participating in my study, while only half my informants commemorated their ancestors during the Obon period. Statistics confirm these findings (Ishii 1994: 24–25) and I have therefore chosen to explore the relationship between commercial and domestic rhythms of consumption during festive periods by focusing on the New Year’s celebrations. The focus will be on two ‘festive goods’ that were widely advertised in the leaflets during the weeks leading up to New Year 2003, namely decorations and food.
New Year’s Celebrations and Product Innovation
New Year is a key period in the Japanese ritual cycle of regeneration, when a series of purification rituals are performed in order to rid oneself of last year’s misfortune (Daniels 2003). Among participants in my study the feeling of starting the year anew was most strongly associated with carefully attending to any outstanding business.<sup>4</sup> Moreover, in the days leading up to the New Year the house needs to be thoroughly cleaned. The fact that cleaning products are heavily advertised during this period attests to this. However, my data also suggest that the importance of the special New Year’s house cleaning ritual (ôsôji) has somewhat diminished because of the regularity of everyday domestic cleaning routines. Still, the fact that in many homes husbands and children were drawn into the New Year’s cleaning also sets it apart from more mundane routines (Ishii 1994: 48).
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Inge Daniels