Holidays in the United States – where I’m originally from – seem to be made for Extraverts. The lively celebrations and large gatherings that often take place might appeal to an Extravert’s need for external and social stimulation. But to me, an Introvert? Not so much.
Still, when I first moved to Japan nearly seven years ago, I expected to spend the holidays as many Americans do, especially when ringing in the new year. On my first New Year’s Eve in Japan, I wandered around Tokyo with a couple of friends in search of a fun event or crowded bar to celebrate the occasion. To my surprise, the city felt like a ghost town, with most shops and restaurants shuttered for the holiday and hardly any pedestrians strolling the streets.
Though we finally found a small izakaya (Japanese-style pub) to slip into for our New Year’s countdown, I realized later that most others in the country spent the evening tucked away in their homes – something that my inner Introvert would have gladly embraced.
Turning to Your Inner Circle
For a few days each year around January 1, many businesses in Japan close up, and most people return to their family homes, reuniting with their parents, grandparents, and siblings. Spending New Year’s Eve kissing a stranger at midnight or meeting up with friends on New Year’s Day is rare. Instead, the New Year holiday is intimate and family-oriented. There’s no pressure to attend a noisy party or stay out all night – though there might be pressure to gather in the living room to eat mochi (a typical New Year’s snack) with Grandma.
But for Introverted personalities, returning home and spending time with only close relatives can be a welcome retreat. Introverts are nearly twice as likely as Extraverts to say they prefer places that are calm and intimate rather than busy and energetic. And while the majority of Introverts admit that they don’t enjoy family gatherings, spending New Year’s the Japanese way, with family at home, means that there are usually opportunities to go for a walk alone or take a bath when in need of a recharge.
Though social demands are usually low during New Year’s in Japan, there is one tradition that encourages keeping in touch with friends, though in an Introvert-friendly way: sending nengajo, or greeting cards. At the start of every year, many people send these cards to old friends and distant relatives. The cards typically include a recent photo and a personalized message, ideal for the majority of Introverted personality types who say they’re bad or only “average” at staying in touch with people. Nengajo cards make it easy to share how life is going without having to pick up the phone or chat in person over coffee.
Keeping It Clean
Contrary to popular belief, Introverted personalities aren’t all homebodies. Still, home can be an inviting oasis at the end of a long day – or a long year. Spending time at home gives Introverts space to decompress away from overwhelming stimuli. And Japanese culture seems to understand and honor this during the New Year holiday.
Oosouji, or “big cleaning,” is Japan’s take on what we would call spring-cleaning in the United States, though it happens in the days leading up to the new year. Deep cleaning of the home is tied to the concept of purification, and traditionally, many Japanese people have believed that it is unlucky to enter the new year with old dust and clutter.
Though Introverted and Extraverted personalities don’t differ much when it comes to cleanliness, Introverts may be somewhat more likely than their Extraverted counterparts to find comfort in this ritual, given their need for downtime and personal space. Restoring your energy in a messy room just isn’t the same as in a tidy one.
Making Time for Introspection
Introverted personalities are known to crave alone time so that they can reflect and get in touch with their inner world. And they don’t often feel the need to share their observations or bounce ideas off of others. Keeping things private comes naturally to the majority of Introverts.
New Year’s in Japan allows time for private introspection in the form of hatsumōde. During hatsumōde, people flock to their local shrines and temples to pray and get a paper fortune for the year ahead. The custom is anything but solitary – people usually go with family, and the shrines and temples can get overwhelmingly crowded with visitors, especially in early January. Still, the tradition allows for time to contemplate privately about life and what’s to come in the future. And for many Japanese people, their hatsumōde prayer is a secret between them and the gods – perfect for Introverts, who are more likely to keep their New Year’s resolutions to themselves, compared to Extraverted personalities.
New Year’s in Japan: Only for the Introverts?
As an Introvert, I’ve happily adapted to the Japanese way of celebrating the new year. You’ll no longer see me out at a bar on New Year’s Eve. Instead, I’m at home slurping soba noodles in my pajamas next to my husband and my dog. I don’t follow Japanese customs to a T, however. For example, I haven’t yet sent nengajo cards, though I’ve been grateful to receive them from friends. And I do usually visit a temple on the first day of the year for hatsumōde, but I typically sneak away once I feel drained by the large crowds and revisit later in January.
For the Extraverted personality types who can’t relate, there are still exciting, high-energy festivities to partake in. Extraverts who consider themselves to be social butterflies might enjoy Japan’s bōnenkai drinking parties, where large groups of friends and colleagues go out and drink for hours to “forget the year” (the literal translation of bōnen). Some Extraverts might also revel in the rush to grab a “lucky bag” of merchandise from their favorite store after the new year starts as part of a shopping frenzy that’s somewhat similar to Black Friday in the United States.
In short, Japanese New Year offers traditions for Introverts and Extraverts alike, though Introverted personalities may be especially pleased to find that staying home with a few loved ones is the norm. No need to wander the streets looking for a place to drink – there’s already a seat for you in the living room.
Further Reading
- Want to learn more about personality types in Japan? Explore the Japan Personality Profile.
- New Year’s Resolutions for Every Personality Type
- You Say You Made a Resolution: How Your Personality Traits Might Give You an Edge
- Introvert Health Check: Are You Getting the Downtime You Need?