January 7 is known as nanakusa (七草), seven herbs. In the morning of January 7, the rice porridge with seven spring herbs (七草粥：nanakusa gayu) is eaten for breakfast as a way of wishing for good health throughout the year. Seven spring herbs are seri (芹):Japanese parsley, nazuna (薺):shepherd's purse, gogyo (御形):Jersey Cudweed, hakobera (繁縷): common chickweed, hotokenoza (仏の座): nipplewort, suzuna (菘): turnip, and suzushiro (蘿蔔): daikon.
In New Year's week we eat many delicious foods therefore eating rice porridge means to rest the stomach. This custom is said to have begun in the Heian (平安) era (794-1185) and have become popular in the Edo (江戸) era (1600-1868).
They say today is the day of cutting nails. The day to cut the nails for the first time in the new year. After soaking the nails into the water with seven herbs to make them soft and cut them, it is said that you would not get a cold in the year. I have never heard of this custom before.
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