December 22 is toji (冬至), one of nijyushisekki (二十四節気), the 24 solar terms. The last one was taisetsu (大雪) on December 7, and the next one is shokan (小寒) on January 5.
Toji (冬至) literally means winter reach, and actually means winter solstice. It is the time when the day time is the shortest and the night time is the longest in the northern hemisphere.
In Japan we have a custom to take yuzuyu (柚子湯), a bath with yuzu (柚子), a kind of Japanese citrus and eat pumpkin on toji. If you do so, it is said you won't get a cold.
The thing Japanese I missed most whenever I was abroad was bath. In Japan we soak in the warm water (about 42 degrees centigrade) to relax. There are many kinds of bath powder to enjoy the fragrance or effect.
Do you have any customs on winter solstice?
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