In Japan's New Year's Eve tradition, people eat toshikoshi soba to mark the transition into the new year.
The name means “year-crossing soba.” The custom is associated with eating buckwheat noodles on December 31, often shortly before or around midnight. Their long, thin shape is commonly linked with longevity, while the noodles' relative ease of cutting is associated with leaving the hardships of the old year behind.
The tradition is not a single nationwide ceremony with one fixed recipe. Households and restaurants serve different versions, including broth-based bowls topped with ingredients such as green onions, shrimp tempura, or kamaboko. In some regions, the dish has local names and variations.
Toshikoshi soba is distinct from New Year's foods eaten after midnight, including osechi ryōri. It is also different from the noodles served during Japan's New Year's Day celebrations, although both customs belong to the broader holiday period.