New Year's Day

🎆 🇯🇵 Japan • January 1, 2026

Days off: 1 days • Falls on Thursday

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New Year's Day — holiday, Japan (January 1, 2026)

New Year's Day Description

New Year's Day (元日, Gantan) on January 1st is the most important holiday in Japan. While only January 1st is the official public holiday, most Japanese companies close from approximately December 29th through January 3rd for the Shogatsu (New Year) period. Traditions include hatsumode (the first shrine or temple visit of the year), with major shrines like Meiji Jingu in Tokyo and Fushimi Inari in Kyoto seeing millions of visitors over the first three days. Families gather to eat osechi ryori (elaborate boxed New Year dishes prepared in advance), ozoni (mochi soup), and toshikoshi soba (year-crossing noodles eaten on New Year's Eve). Children receive otoshidama (money in decorated envelopes). Post offices deliver nengajo (New Year's greeting postcards) simultaneously on January 1st. Department stores run fukubukuro (lucky bag) sales from January 2nd. Government offices, banks, and many private businesses close. Public transport operates on holiday schedules, with some all-night services on New Year's Eve. Note that shrine and temple grounds become extremely crowded; expect long queues at popular hatsumode locations.

📜 History & Origins

Shogatsu (New Year) is Japan's most sacred holiday, with roots extending back to ancient Shinto purification rites and Buddhist traditions. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 shifted Japan from the lunar to the Gregorian calendar, fixing New Year's Day on January 1st. Before that, the Japanese New Year followed the Chinese lunar calendar, typically falling in late January or February. The practice of eating toshikoshi soba on New Year's Eve dates to the Edo period (1603-1868).

🎉 How It's Celebrated

Hatsumode — the first shrine or temple visit of the year — draws millions to major shrines like Meiji Jingu and Fushimi Inari over the first three days. Families send nengajo (New Year postcards) that are delivered simultaneously on January 1st. Department stores sell fukubukuro (lucky mystery bags) from January 2nd. Children receive otoshidama (money in decorated envelopes). Homes are decorated with kadomatsu (pine-bamboo gate arrangements) and kagami mochi (stacked rice cakes topped with a mandarin).

🍽️ Traditional Foods

Osechi ryori — elaborate lacquered boxes of symbolic dishes like kuromame (sweet black beans for health), kazunoko (herring roe for fertility), and datemaki (sweet rolled omelet) — is the centerpiece. Ozoni (mochi soup) varies by region, with miso-based versions in the west and soy-based in the east. Toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles), eaten on New Year's Eve, symbolizes longevity and the crossing from one year to the next.

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