What to buy for a Japanese New Year celebration
Use this shopping list to prepare a Japanese New Year celebration with osechi dishes, sushi, ozoni, mochi, fruit, tea and drinks. Plan tableware by guest count, including soup bowls, sake cups, teacups and chopsticks, then add serving platters and trays for the buffet. Buy shelf-stable ingredients first and leave fresh groceries, sushi ingredients and drinks for the final few days. Check dietary requirements before confirming quantities.
What to bring
Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.
Furniture
- Tablesqty 8
- Chairsqty 60
- Buffet tablesqty 3
- Reception table
- Game tablesqty 2
- Stoolsqty 6
- Clothing rack
- Waste binsqty 5
Tableware
- Large platesqty 70
- Small platesqty 70
- Soup bowlsqty 60
- Sake cupsqty 60
- Teacupsqty 60
- Water glassesqty 70
- Chopsticksqty 70
- Cutlery setsqty 70
- Serving plattersqty 20
- Serving tongsqty 10
- Soup ladlesqty 4
- Teapotsqty 4
- Carafesqty 6
- Hot traysqty 4
- Sushi boardsqty 8
- Serving traysqty 6
Decorations
- Kadomatsu decorationsqty 2
- Shimenawa wreathsqty 2
- Norwegian door cloth
- Japanese flagsqty 6
- Paper fansqty 20
- Red table runnersqty 8
- Paper lanternsqty 12
- Greeting cardsqty 80
- Photo backdrop
- Decorative branchesqty 8
- Flower arrangementsqty 6
- Table decorationsqty 8
- Adhesive hooksqty 30
- Cotton tableclothsqty 8
Equipment
- Bluetooth speakerqty 2
- Wireless microphone
- Microphone stand
- Extension cordsqty 4
- Power stripsqty 4
- Laptop
- Projector
- Projection screen
- Karaoke screen
Lighting
- LED light stringsqty 6
- LED lampsqty 8
- Table lampsqty 6
Kitchen
- Rice cookersqty 2
- Hot platesqty 2
- Large cooking potsqty 3
- Cutting boardsqty 6
- Chef's knifeqty 6
- Mixing bowlsqty 6
- Colandersqty 3
- Measuring cupsqty 3
- Serving spoonsqty 8
- Kitchen tongsqty 6
- Aluminum foilqty 3
- Food storage containersqty 12
- Coolersqty 4
- Thermos flasksqty 6
- Kettlesqty 3
- Kitchen scalesqty 2
- Serving traysqty 10
- Sushi matsqty 6
- Kitchen torch
- Ice packsqty 12
Sports equipment
- Daruma dollsqty 6
- Kendamasqty 8
- Karuta cardsqty 2
- Origami paperqty 100
- Calligraphy panelsqty 6
- Brush setsqty 12
- Ink stonesqty 6
- Ink brushesqty 12
- Game prizesqty 20
Cleaning
- Vacuum cleaner
- Mopsqty 2
- Bucketsqty 2
- Spongesqty 6
- Tea towelsqty 12
- Hand soap dispensersqty 4
- Toilet brushesqty 2
Catering
- Groceries
- Sushi rice - 8 kilograms
- Sticky rice - 2 kilograms
- Nori sheets - 6 packs
- Rice vinegar - 3 bottles
- Sugar - 2 kilograms
- Salt - 1 kilogram
- Soy sauce - 4 bottles
- Tamari - 2 bottles
- Mirin - 2 bottles
- Cooking sake - 2 bottles
- Sesame oil - 2 bottles
- Wasabi - 6 tubes
- Japanese mayonnaise - 4 bottles
- Pickled ginger - 6 jars
- Sesame seeds - 500 gram
- Furikake - 4 jars
- Dashi - 2 packs
- Miso - 2 kilogram
- Dried kombu - 500 gram
- Dried shiitake - 500 grams
- Tofu - 2 kilograms
- Daikon - 4 pieces
- Carrots - 3 kilogram
- Chinese cabbage - 3 pieces
- Spinach - 2 kilograms
- Spring onions - 6 bunches
- Shiitake mushrooms - 1 kilogram
- Enoki - 8 packs
- Sweet potatoes - 3 kilograms
- Lotus root - 2 kilograms
- Bamboo shoots - 6 cans
- Edamame - 3 kilograms
- Cucumbers - 2 kilograms
- Avocados - 20 pieces
- Rettich - 2 pieces
- Apples - 5 kilograms
- Mandarins - 6 kilograms
- Grapes - 3 kilograms
- Pineapple - 3 pieces
- Mochi - 100 pieces
- Matcha ice cream - 6 liter
- Sesame cookies - 8 packs
- Rice crackers - 10 packs
- Edamame beans - 3 kilograms
- Tempeh - 1 kilogram
- Eggs - 60 pieces
- Salmon fillet - 3 kilograms
- Tuna - 2 kilogram
- Shrimp - 2 kilogram
- Surimi sticks - 2 kilogram
- Chicken thigh fillet - 3 kilograms
- Beef stew meat - 2 kilograms
- Pork belly - 2 kilogram
- Tempura batter - 3 kilograms
- Panko - 2 kilogram
- Wheat flour - 2 kilogram
- Potato starch - 1 kilogram
- Vegetable oil - 5 liters
- Mayonnaise - 3 jars
- Ketchup - 3 bottles
- Chili sauce - 3 bottles
- Ponzu - 3 bottles
- Tonkatsu sauce - 3 bottles
- Japanese curry - 6 packs
- Vegetable stock - 2 packs
- Coconut milk - 6 cans
- Coffee - 3 packs
- Green tea - 4 boxes
- Matcha tea - 2 cans
- Jasmine tea - 3 boxes
- Sparkling water - 12 bottles
- Still water - 12 bottles
- Cola - 8 bottles
- Cola Zero - 8 bottles
- Ginger beer - 6 bottles
- Yuzu lemonade - 6 bottles
- Sake - 12 bottles
- Non-alcoholic beer - 24 bottles
- Japanese beer - 48 bottles
- Mandarin juice - 6 cartons
- Milk - 6 liters
- Oat milk - 4 liters
- Ice cubes - 20 kilograms
- Paper napkins - 300 pieces
- Paper towels - 8 rolls
- Toilet paper - 24 rolls
- Trash bags - 40 pieces
- Dishwasher tablets - 30 pieces
- Dish soap - 3 bottles
- All-purpose cleaner - 3 bottles
- Toilet cleaner - 2 bottles
- Disinfectant wipes - 6 packs
- Sponge cloths - 12 pieces
- Paper towels - 6 packs
- Aluminium trays - 30 pieces
- Cling film - 3 rolls
- Baking paper - 3 rolls
- Cocktail sticks - 300 pieces
- Wooden spoons - 100 pieces
- Tea bags - 200 pieces
Tips
- Plan one large plate and one small plate per guest, plus at least 10% extra for breakage or dropped dishes. For ozoni, provide one soup bowl per person and keep two spare bowls available.
- For a sushi-based meal, allow around 250–300 g cooked sushi rice per adult if sushi is the main food, plus extra ingredients for rolls that may split or be remade. Buy fresh fish and cut ingredients as close to serving time as possible.
- Prepare drinks by counting two to three drinks per person for the first hour, then one per person for each additional hour. Chill bottled drinks before guests arrive and keep carafes available for water and tea.
- Serve osechi, sushi, ozoni, mochi and fruit on separate serving platters or trays rather than crowding one buffet surface. Reserve hot trays for dishes that need to stay warm and place soup ladles beside the ozoni.
- Buy or gather New Year decorations before the final week, especially kadomatsu decorations, shimenawa wreaths, a door cloth, flags, paper fans and red table runners. Decorations are easy to overlook once food preparation begins.
Frequently asked questions
- How much sushi rice do I need for a Japanese New Year celebration?
- Allow about 250–300 g of cooked sushi rice per adult when sushi is the main meal. This usually means roughly 85–100 g of uncooked rice per person, with an extra 10% for mistakes or second portions.
- How many plates and bowls should I buy for Japanese New Year?
- Count one large plate, one small plate, one soup bowl, one pair of chopsticks and one water glass per guest. Add at least 10% spare tableware, so a group of 20 needs 22 of each frequently used item.
- When should I buy ingredients for osechi and ozoni?
- Buy non-perishable osechi ingredients up to 7 days ahead. Purchase fresh vegetables, fish, fruit and other refrigerated ingredients within 1–2 days of the celebration, then prepare ozoni and other fresh dishes on the day or the evening before.
- How much mochi and fruit do I need per guest?
- Plan one to two pieces of mochi per person and around 150–200 g of fruit per person, depending on how much other food is served. Add 10% extra if the dishes are intended for grazing throughout the event.
Plans a lot like this one
Start this plan in Lizzt
Every task and item on this page, ready in your own event. Invite people, split the work, and see who has done what.
Organize this event for free with LizztOrganize for free and invite your contacts!