Because the Jounouchi Hiromi's family consisted only of her and her mother, along with their guest Chen Yu, even the New Year's celebration seemed somewhat subdued. As for Hiromi's grandmother and maternal grandmother, they lived farther away in the mountains, residing with other relatives, and had not come to join them for the New Year due to the inconvenience of travel.
Actually, many of Japan's New Year traditions were influenced by China, with several customs being quite similar, such as families gathering for New Year's Eve dinner and watching Japan's New Year's TV specials—the Red and White Song Battle tradition, and visiting temples on the first day of the New Year, among others…
It could be said that aside from some detailed differences in customs, Japan's New Year had many similarities to China's New Year, an undeniable result of the ancient Chinese culture spreading to neighboring countries.
