They’re pretty, they’re delicious and they’re symbolic. With Christmas now behind us, you can see the whole of Japan getting ready for New Year’s, and that involves taking out the kotatsu(table and blanket over an electric heater), securing the omochi (pounded rice cakes) and getting ready to cook osechi ryori — Japan’s traditional food served during the New Year’s holidays. While we see it everywhere, how much do we actually know about osechi? Osechi ryori, said to have begunin the Heian era (from 794), is a set of small, traditional dishes served in beautiful three- or four-layered lacquer b…