An important start to the new year should include not only a good mental rest, but for those of us who have been festive feasting the past few days, a break for our stomachs, too. On the seventh day of the new year, there's a custom in Japan of enjoying a bowl of rice porridge seasoned with seven spring herbs. Dating back to the Heian Period (794-1185), and believed to have originated in China, the dish, called nanakusa gayu, is eaten to bring about good health and longevity.