Iwaizen: Traditional Japanese Celebratory Foods and Their Modern Incarnations
In Japan, there is a custom of eating iwaizen, or “celebratory foods,” on auspicious occasions to express congratulations. In recent years, various modern versions of celebratory meals have been appearing. Let’s learn about what iwaizen are and look at some typical examples as well as some new modern versions of these traditions.
What Are Iwaizen?
Iwaizen are foods and meals that celebrate annual events such as New Year's Day, as well as milestones in life such as weddings and births. They are characterized by the use of ingredients that are considered to be lucky or to have a special connection with the season.
Until recently, celebratory foods were often made at home, but these days more and more people are ordering their celebratory foods online or enjoying them at restaurants.
Examples of Common Iwaizen
Let’s look at some examples of iwaizen that have been passed down from olden times and remain popular to this day.
Osechi are foods that are eaten around the New Year’s holidays. A tiered food box is filled with an assortment of auspicious foods such as herring roe and black soybeans, and families eat them while sharing the joy of welcoming in the New Year.
New Year's osechi is often enjoyed with special otoso New Year’s sake and ozoni rice cake and vegetable soup.
Iwaizen are also eaten on a series of seasonal festivals, such as “Doll’s Festival” on March 3rd and “Children’s Day” on May 5th.
Left: For Doll’s Festival, it is common to eat chirashi-zushi (vinegared sushi rice with various ingredients sprinkled on top), clam soup, and hishi-mochi (rhombus-shaped rice cakes).
Right: For Children’s Day, kashiwa-mochi (rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves) and chimaki (rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves) are customary.
Top: For Doll’s Festival, it is common to eat chirashi-zushi (vinegared sushi rice with various ingredients sprinkled on top), clam soup, and hishi-mochi (rhombus-shaped rice cakes).
Bottom: For Children’s Day, kashiwa-mochi (rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves) and chimaki (rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves) are customary.
Another iwaizen tradition is called “okuizome” or “weaning ceremony.” In Japan, there is a custom of having a “hundred-day celebration” around the hundredth day of a baby’s life. As part of this celebration, it is customary to pretend to have the baby eat various auspicious foods with the hope that the baby will lead a life free from hunger.
Left: An okuizome meal generally includes a rice dish such as sekihan red bean rice, a soup, a main dish such as sea bream with head and tail attached, and two or more side dishes such as nimono (simmered foods) or pickled vegetables.
Right: Recently, many children’s photo studios have begun offering okuizome photo shoot plans in which the baby is dressed in festive clothes and photographed together with an okuizome meal.
Top: An okuizome meal generally includes a rice dish such as sekihan red bean rice, a soup, a main dish such as sea bream with head and tail attached, and two or more side dishes such as nimono (simmered foods) or pickled vegetables.
Bottom: Recently, many children’s photo studios have begun offering okuizome photo shoot plans in which the baby is dressed in festive clothes and photographed together with an okuizome meal.
At a yuino or “wedding engagement” ceremony, the couple and both their families come together and eat an iwaizen meal. In recent years more and more restaurants have been offering such celebratory meals, allowing everyone to enjoy the meal casually and deepening the friendship between the two families.
A yuino ceremony will typically feature a traditional Japanese course meal with foods such as sea bream and sekihan red bean rice. (Photo courtesy of CHIGUSA HOTEL.)
At various milestones of old age in a person’s life, longevity celebrations called “gaju” are held. Here iwaizen dishes are eaten to celebrate the person’s old age and to pray for their continued good health.
Some examples of old age milestones that are celebrated in Japan are the kanreki or 60th birthday, the koki or 70th birthday, and the beiju or 88th birthday. The custom of holding longevity celebrations originated in the Nara Period (around the 8th century) and has been passed down to the present day.
Common Iwaizen Dishes
Let’s look at some dishes that often appear in iwaizen meals. Each of these dishes uses ingredients that are thought to be lucky or to ward off misfortune.
Osekihan is a rice dish made by cooking glutinous rice together with adzuki beans and black-eyed peas. The rice takes on a red color which is said to ward off evil spirits, so it has become a staple iwaizen dish for guarding against bad luck.
Left: Osekihan red bean rice is a common celebratory dish.
Right: Osekihan can be found in bento meals. Nowadays, osekihan is eaten casually regardless of the occasion.
Top: Osekihan red bean rice is a common celebratory dish.
Bottom: Osekihan can be found in bento meals. Nowadays, osekihan is eaten casually regardless of the occasion.
Sea bream, called “tai” in Japanese, is a common iwaizen food due to a play on the Japanese word “medetai,” meaning “joyous” or “auspicious.” It is typically grilled with salt, and it is considered best to serve it with the head and tail still attached.
Left: It is considered best to serve sea bream with the head and tail still attached.
Right: In addition to grilling with salt, other common ways to serve sea bream include steaming it, mincing it with rice, and serving it raw as sashimi.
Top: It is considered best to serve sea bream with the head and tail still attached.
Bottom: In addition to grilling with salt, other common ways to serve sea bream include steaming it, mincing it with rice, and serving it raw as sashimi.
Sushi is another indispensable iwaizen dish because the kanji characters used to write “sushi” in Japanese have meanings of “longevity” and “to steer,” such that together they seem to suggest living out a long life. Chirashi-zushi, a sushi dish in which various auspicious ingredients are sprinkled over vinegared rice, is particularly common due to its gorgeous appearance.
Lately small, round sushi that can be eaten in a single bite called “temari-zushi” have become popular. Sets that incorporate a variety of colorful ingredients like shrimp, egg, and salmon are especially favored as they make a great impression on social media.
Left: Clam suimono is a staple of Doll’s Festival. Because clams have two connected half-shells, the soup is eaten with the hope that couples will stay together for the rest of their lives. Recently the soup is eaten as part of normal daily life.
Right: Sakura-cha or cherry blossom tea, made by sprinkling cherry blossoms into hot water. The beauty of the cherry blossoms unfolding in the hot water makes it popular as an auspicious drink for a bright future at celebratory occasions such as engagement ceremonies and weddings.
Top: Clam suimono is a staple of Doll’s Festival. Because clams have two connected half-shells, the soup is eaten with the hope that couples will stay together for the rest of their lives. Recently the soup is eaten as part of normal daily life.
Bottom: Sakura-cha or cherry blossom tea, made by sprinkling cherry blossoms into hot water. The beauty of the cherry blossoms unfolding in the hot water makes it popular as an auspicious drink for a bright future at celebratory occasions such as engagement ceremonies and weddings.
Modern Trends Make Iwaizen More Accessible
Iwaizen are food traditions passed down from the distant past, but over the years as tastes have diversified, these traditions have grown to focus more on the fun of celebrating various milestones in life by enjoying food together. Let’s look at some new forms of iwaizen that are gaining attention.
Yokubo osechi, or “desire” osechi, in which people fill their New Year’s osechi box only with the foods they enjoy and desire, is becoming a trend lately. Desire osechi-inspired sets that cater to people’s personal tastes have also started appearing on the market and have become a hot topic.
Left: An all-dessert osechi set. Sets like these that cater to particular tastes have become popular recently.
Right: A meat-lover's osechi set.
Top: An all-dessert osechi set. Sets like these that cater to particular tastes have become popular recently.
Bottom: A meat-lover's osechi set.
Another trending product is called “Dokodemo Kagami-biraki” or “Kagami-biraki Anywhere.” Kagami-biraki usually refers to the custom of breaking open and eating mochi rice cakes prepared for the New Year, but here it refers to the custom of opening a sake barrel by striking the lid with a wooden mallet. This product allows people to enjoy kagami-biraki casually, and it is popular for celebratory occasions with small groups of people, such as families.
“Kagami” (meaning “barrel lid”) symbolizes harmony, and “biraki” (meaning “to open”) symbolizes prosperity, so this ritual is often performed at weddings and other celebrations. With this “Dokodemo Kagami-biraki” set, you can use a mallet to strike open a paper barrel lid and reveal the “cup sake” (single-serving sake cups) inside. (Photo courtesy of HANANOMAI BREWING CO,.LTD.)
Sushi cake is a kind of chirashi-zushi that has been made to look like a cake. It is often covered with colorful ingredients and decorations such as roses made from smoked salmon.
Decorated with shrimp, carrot, omelette strips, and other ingredients, sushi cake is becoming a popular standard as a celebratory dish that looks great on social media.
In recent years, an increasing number of maternity hospitals are offering iwaizen meals to new mothers just after giving birth. These luxurious meals are often designed to help mothers recover and refresh their minds and bodies after giving birth. Some people even choose their maternity hospital based on the iwaizen they offer!
Post-birth celebratory meals often feature dishes that the mother was unable to eat while she was pregnant, such as sashimi.
Consider Trying Traditional Japanese Auspicious Foods for Yourself!
Though iwaizen are traditional foods that have been passed down from long ago, today foods like osekihan and casual seasonal festival foods are now easily found in local convenience stores and supermarkets. These foods have become integrated into normal life, giving us opportunities to enjoy events and seasons on a daily basis. Why not try some of these auspicious dishes for yourself and experience Japan's diverse food culture?