Japanese New Year

Japan’s annual New Year celebration is centered on January 1 and combines family gatherings, seasonal foods, and customs intended to welcome good fortune.

Hatsumōde: The first shrine or temple visit of the year in Japan. Families make this visit to pray for health and good fortune in the coming year.
Toshigami: A Shinto deity believed to visit homes at New Year and bring a good harvest or prosperity. Many New Year decorations and household preparations welcome this deity.
Ōmisoka: The final day of the year in Japan, December 31. Its meals, preparations, and temple bells lead directly into New Year’s Day.
Chinese New Year: The New Year festival celebrated in China and many other East Asian communities, traditionally following the lunisolar calendar. It shares seasonal themes with Japanese New Year but falls on a different calendar date.
Osechi: Traditional Japanese New Year foods arranged in stacked lacquered boxes. Its symbolic ingredients make a shared holiday meal out of wishes for prosperity and health.
Japanese calendar: The system of calendars used in Japan, including the modern Gregorian calendar and historical lunisolar calendars. Japan’s New Year date shifted from the lunar calendar to January 1 in 1873.
Hatsuhinode: The first sunrise of the year, observed in Japan as an auspicious beginning. Watching the first sunrise expresses hopes for a fortunate year ahead.
Korean New Year: The Korean holiday Seollal, celebrated according to the lunisolar calendar with family rites and traditional foods. Its lunar date and customs differ from Japan’s January 1 celebration.
Otoshidama: Money given to children in small envelopes at New Year in Japan. This gift is a familiar part of family gatherings during the holiday.
Meiji era: The period of Japanese history from 1868 to 1912, marked by rapid political and social change. The government adopted the Gregorian calendar during this era, changing the date of New Year.

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