Toshikoshi Soba or Year-End Soba: A bowl of hot soba noodles to end the year.

toshi-koshi soba is eaten on New Year’s Eve. Its name literally means “year-crossing soba.” Although there may be some symbolism attributed to it (i.e., long life, health and energy in the upcoming year), this tradition may be regarded as largely pragmatic: the traditional wife, busy cooking several days’ worth of food for everyone, would likely prefer to make something simple for immediate consumption. It is considered bad luck by many Japanese to leave any Toshi-koshi soba uneaten. From Wikipedia

Toshikoshi Soba

At the end of the year on ōmisoka , or New Year’s Eve, after all the preparations have taken place to welcome in the New Year, it is finally time for families to come together and spend time together. The first food they eat to welcome the next year, as well as to give thanks for being healthy and prosperous in the previous one, is “toshikoshi soba”. Although soba is the most traditional food eaten, it may depend on the region, and it is also common to eat udon noodles in the Kansai area.

It is said that this tradition began during the Edo period, and spread quickly among the people. There are various theories as to its significance. Some say that the shape of the noodles, long and thin, represent the idea of “long life”, whereas other theories state that the troubles of the previous year are “broken off” just as easily as the noodles are cut. Yet another theory says that goldsmiths of the era used lumps of soba to collect fragments of gold and silver that had fallen around the work area. As the character for gold (kin ) is the same as that for money (okane ), soba came to symbolize wealth or fortune.

Although no one is sure of the exact origins, the tradition of gathering around the table and eating these noodles remains to this day. Generally they are eaten right around midnight, and just as they are finished the New Year’s Bell begins to ring, symbolizing the transition to the new year. After finishing the noodles, the family then typically shouts “Happy New Year” (akemashite omedetō ). It is also considered somewhat bad luck not to finish the noodles before the stroke of midnight, so be sure to watch the clock!