The year end begins in mid-December. Maiko and geiko pay their respects to teachers. Decorations and other seasonal goods enjoy brisk sales at markets, homes are decorated and osechi cuisine is prepared. On New Year's Eve people give thanks for the old year at Yasaka Jinja, and the next day the Toshigami deity brings the New Year to every home. Families exchange greetings and feast on osechi with gratitude to the deity. Discover how Kyotoites revere the New Year through their long-held customs.

Hot green tea poured over steamed rice topped with salted kombu kelp and other flavorings is commonly known as ochazuke, but called bubuzuke in Kyoto. Records from the 1800's show that common folk cooked rice once a day, at lunchtime, and for other meals they would pour hot tea over cold rice. Today topped with a colorful variety of pickles, or eel or sea bream, bubuzuke has become a local specialty in its own right. Discover the Kyoto spirit of frugality through a simple meal of rice and tea.