For many, there are so many traditions associated with how they celebrate. The countdown will come in the form of the joya no kane bell-ringing (see next slide), and you'll see people lining up around the block for hours just to send their first respects or prayers of the year and get their fortune told by buying an omikuji fortune slip. Visit a temple or shrine in the middle of the night, Listen to the chime of the New Year’s Eve bells. The warming touch may come from a glass of sake, traditionally served with the osechi. If you want to understand how many, go the day before New Year's to see the size of the osaisenbako (offering boxes) placed there for the occasion. Like Christmas or holiday cards in many Western countries, nengajo are postcards sent to friends, family and even businesses to welcome in the new year and ask for everyone’s continued support for the next 365 days. More modern touches may include meat dishes or sashimi, but hot food is pretty much absent here. That status is reserved for oshogatsu (お正月), the New Year period. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Here are just a few of them. January 1 is a very auspicious day, best started by viewing the new year's first sunrise (hatsu-hinode), and traditionally believed to be representative for the whole year that has just commenced. Another auspicious food but one that is almost universally loved, mochi (rice cake) in all its forms is a supremely popular dish during the New Year's period. Then suddenly, there are so many illuminations throughout the cities, that you can even forget at times that you are in Japan.. Once December 26 th hits – the Christmas decorations disappear, while the New Year’s decorations miraculously appear instead. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together. Or if you’re feeling lazy, just place a picture of the gods aboard a treasure boat to infuse your dream with good fortune. Whether you just happen to be passing through Japan or are a long-time resident, sending a nengajo or two is an easy and fun way to participate in a piece of Japanese New Year’s culture and express your gratitude to the important people in your life.

Here are some of the most common seasonal traditions in Japan, and where to experience them in Tokyo. Keeping with Japan's little-known reputation for the analogue (hello, fax machines), sending New Year's cards (known as nengajo, 年賀状) is still a thing here – a three billion cards a year kind of thing. This program is a battle between Japan’s most popular musical talents from every genre. New Year’s postcards and well wishes abound, and part-time helpers are hired to ensure delivery on January 1st. The most popular temples and shrines, such as Tokyo's Meiji Shrine, attract several million people during the three days.

Finally, if what you’re looking for is a good old-fashioned New Year’s Eve countdown, Tokyo has got plenty of those as well.

Therefore, you'll find lots of pickled, stewed, candied or otherwise pre-cooked items inside the fancy box.

Japanese homes are decorated with pine, bamboo, and plum trees to ring in the New Year. The New Year’s holidays are some of the busiest days of the year for post offices in Japan.

Many shrines host New Year’s celebrations on these days, like the Oji Inari Shrine’s Fox Parade. You better finish your bowl though, as leaving some behind could mean the continuation of bad luck.

Looking to celebrate the new year the Japanese way, but don't have a Japanese family to celebrate it with? Well, fukubukuro (福袋, fuku means luck, fukuro – conjugated into bukuro – means bag) are sealed bags sold for a set price at shops across the country, from Starbucks to Isetan and Kinokuniya, around New Year's. In past years, it was customary for many stores, businesses and places of interest to close for a holiday over the year-end and New Year, but now many places are open even on New Year’s Day. If you have any updates, suggestions, corrections or opinions, please let us know: Copyright © 1996-2020 japan-guide.com All Rights Reserved. Some temples invite everyone to participate in the ringing, but you’ll usually need to queue up for the pleasure. Joya no kane is the traditional bell-ringing ceremony held across Japan on New Year’s Eve. Unlike the Chinese (and the rest of Asia), Japan does not celebrate the lunar new year. It is not uncommon for one person to send out several dozens of cards to friends, relatives and co-workers.

Traditional New Year’s foods include toshikoshi soba, mochi, and osechi. As the name implies, you should eat these on December 31, before the old year ends. Celebrate Chinese New Year in Japan for an Entertaining & Enriching Experience Whether you’re visiting Japan and want to celebrate the Lunar New Year during your visit, or you’re simply interested in learning more about how this important holiday is celebrated in Japan, the Chinese New Year festivities are a sight not to be missed. Celebrating the passing of the old year and the beginning of a new one, it … Getting your hands on a box on the day itself may be difficult, so it's worth scouring fancy department stores before NYE to see if you can find any. Years are traditionally viewed as completely separate, with each new year providing a fresh start. Once midnight arrives on the last day of the year, everything becomes a ‘first’ again.

Tokyo’s Buddhist temples, meanwhile, quite literally ring in the New Year.

In Japan, the New Year’s celebrations are some of the most important of the year. Elsewhere on the site is a page summarizing the pros and cons of visiting Japan during New Year. It’s auspicious to view the first sunrise of the year, so ensure you’re somewhere with a good view. The hatsu-shinode is one such occurrence.

If you don't want to brave the night cold, you can also head to your local shrine a day or two after January 1 – it's still considered hatsumode as long as you go during the first half of January (or the holiday season, depending on how strict you are).

Culture Trip stands with Black Lives Matter. Osechi includes a wide variety of foods, much of which can be store-bought and doesn’t require refrigeration – a characteristic left over from the times when these traditions were just beginning.
Due to soba being easy to chew/cut through while eating, it's seen as symbolic for cutting away the hardships of the past year, while the length of the noodles signify longevity. Of course, many people prefer to avoid the crowds and celebrate at home instead. Otherwise you can rest easy with the thought that there is a substantial number of young Japanese who actually don't love osechi – it can be a bit of an acquired taste. Celebrating the passing of the old year and the beginning of a new one, it sees temple bells rung 108 times, once for each of the worldly desires or anxieties central to Buddhism, starting in the old year and finishing right as the clock strikes midnight. Although considered lucky, it ain't lucky for everyone: every year a few (older) people die on New Year's after choking on their mochi.
New Year’s postcards and well wishes abound, and part-time helpers are hired to ensure delivery on January 1st. There are also a few games traditionally played on New Year, however, their popularity has decreased in recent times. A very popular custom is the sending of New Year's cards, which are specially marked to be delivered on January 1.

Pick up some postcards from the shops or make your own to send your own New Year’s greetings.

A standard omikuji contains a poem and short details on what to expect in the near future, but some places of worship have gone far beyond the simple slip, creating small pieces of art that make great collectibles or souvenirs. The New Year is coming to an end and it is important to know how the New Year is celebrated in Japan, one of the most important holidays of the year. Shrines who host the event will bake mochi – glutinous rice ball cakes – over the fire, a practice that is thought to attract good health when eaten. The New Year's is a great time to celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of another year. Visiting Japan during the New Year's holidays can be both rewarding and frustrating.

There are other ways people celebrate Lunar New Year. Although the popularity of ‘digital nengajo’ has risen among the younger generations, families still look forward to the morning of January 1 when that year’s nengajo arrive, neatly bundled, in the mailbox.

We’re working hard to be accurate – but these are unusual times, so please always check before heading out. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together. Déjà vu!

The New Year’s holidays are some of the busiest days of the year for post offices in Japan. They include osechi ryori, otoso (sweetened rice wine) and ozoni (a soup with mochi).

Larger shrines and famed 'power spots' such as Meiji Jingu see staggering amounts of visitors.

Years are traditionally viewed as completely separate, with each new year providing a fresh start. Catch it on NHK or the radio. Although Japan follows the 12-year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac calendar, the New Year is actually celebrated on a different day: January 1st. The usokae happens at several shrines throughout Tokyo starting January 1st, like Kameido Tenjin Shrine and Yushima Tenjin Shrine. Osechi ryori (おせち料理 / 御節料理) is either the stuff of dreams or nightmares, depending on your culinary preferences. It is a tradition to visit a shrine or temple during shogatsu (hatsumode).

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A multi-layered bento box filled with exquisite foods, all with their own meaning and function, a full-blown osechi meal takes days to prepare. The tondoyaki are ritual bonfires to burn last year’s New Year’s ornaments, charms, and talismans. For many, New Year’s is a time to appreciate and spend time with family. We strive to keep Japan Guide up-to-date and accurate, and we're always looking for ways to improve. You'll see people with massive hammers pounding mochi – in tune with a helper flipping it over – in shops (such as Arakawa ward's Gekko) and at festivals, while supermarkets, department stores and other outlets will always stock copious amounts of the gooey stuff. Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year) is a three-day national holiday in Japan, celebrated with time off of work, family reunions, and traditional rituals.