New Year Decoration for 2026
It was very sunny from the morning today, although the wind was a little strong. During the day, there was good sunlight and it felt warm. I went out a bit in the afternoon, so in the morning I worked on the sliding key panels for the 5-sun puzzle boxes. This time, the boxes have 14 steps, so these panels are attached to both sides. I am using the two-color checkered yosegi sheets that I made last month for the 6-sun puzzle boxes. From tomorrow, the weather seems to get a bit worse again, so today I focused on attaching the sides with a smaller glue area. It is better to do this work on dry days as much as possible.
Today, I also put up a New Year decoration (shogatsu-kazari). It is hanging at the entrance of the workshop. As in previous years, it is a slightly small one, but this time it has a cute horse character, which is the zodiac animal for the coming year. By the way, the text on the plate shown in the photo says “Oka Craft” written in Japanese (katakana). I always display the New Year decoration here every year.
After that, I went to clean the grave where my ancestors rest. It is about a thirty-minute drive from here. Because it is in the mountains, there were many fallen leaves, and cleaning was hard, but I had been hoping to go before the end of the year, so I was glad I could do it. On the way, I stopped at a home center and bought some flowers, and I also picked up some shina plywood for my work. The cemetery is quite large, and by chance, someone who has a grave two spaces away was also there cleaning. We greeted each other. It is rare to meet anyone there, so it felt unusual and a bit funny. That person was cleaning very carefully and made everything shine. In Japan, many people visit family graves during Obon (around July and August) and similar times, but some people also come at the end of the year like this. I think it is a way to report on the past year and to express our thanks to our ancestors. After that, I returned to the workshop.
Have a nice weekend! 😊
Today, I also put up a New Year decoration (shogatsu-kazari). It is hanging at the entrance of the workshop. As in previous years, it is a slightly small one, but this time it has a cute horse character, which is the zodiac animal for the coming year. By the way, the text on the plate shown in the photo says “Oka Craft” written in Japanese (katakana). I always display the New Year decoration here every year.
After that, I went to clean the grave where my ancestors rest. It is about a thirty-minute drive from here. Because it is in the mountains, there were many fallen leaves, and cleaning was hard, but I had been hoping to go before the end of the year, so I was glad I could do it. On the way, I stopped at a home center and bought some flowers, and I also picked up some shina plywood for my work. The cemetery is quite large, and by chance, someone who has a grave two spaces away was also there cleaning. We greeted each other. It is rare to meet anyone there, so it felt unusual and a bit funny. That person was cleaning very carefully and made everything shine. In Japan, many people visit family graves during Obon (around July and August) and similar times, but some people also come at the end of the year like this. I think it is a way to report on the past year and to express our thanks to our ancestors. After that, I returned to the workshop.
Have a nice weekend! 😊