Where to Go for New Year’s in Tokyo! Kanto Temples and Shrines for New Year’s Eve and Hatsumode
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CONTENTS
Planning on a Japanese winter vacation? Then it’s time to start making plans for New Year’s!
What Do People Do for the New Year in Japan?
For most people in the US or Europe, New Year's Eve is a time to party with your friends, watch the ball drop on TV, and maybe enjoy some good fire works to celebrate at midnight, and New Year's Day is a time to recover (if you can). But in Japan, celebrating the New Year is more like how many families celebrate Christmas in the West: family gatherings and lots of time together at home, traditional meals, and a bit of religious ritual.
Many Japanese shrines and temples stay open through the night on New Year's Eve (omisoka, 大晦日, in Japanese), and some ring bells at midnightーas many as 108 times in a row! As soon as the new year has begun in earnest, shrines and temples are crowded with visitors engaging in traditional hatsumode (初詣), their first shrine or temple visit of the year, from the early hours in the morning through the first few days of the year. If you'd like to celebrate the New Year properly while you visit Japan, prepare your bento box of osechi for lunch, wrap up warm, and head out to one of these popular hatsumode spots!
Kawasaki Daishi (川崎大師)
During our 2020 trip to Kawasaki, we made sure to include a visit to Kawasaki Daishi, which contains Heikenji Temple (平間寺). While this temple complex is certainly busy enough throughout the year, the most popular time to visit is really the beginning of January! Heikenji Temple, along with the similarly popular hatsumode spot Naritasan Shinshoji Temple (成田山新勝寺) in Chiba, is a part of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, which is said to be especially effective at warding off evil. Of course, we all want to start the new year fresh, without the evils of the previous year hanging over us! So it's no wonder the number of hatsumode visitors at Heikenji can reach 3 million each year.
Don't forget to pick up some local tontoko candy (とんとこ飴) before heading home for a sweet new year.
Kawasaki Daishi
4-48 Daishimachi, Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Official Website (en)
Sensoji Temple (浅草寺)
Asakusa's Sensoji Temple was founded in the year 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple, and to this day the temple and its shopping street are a massively popular sightseeing destination for travelers in Tokyo. They say the Buddhist image in the temple can help with prosperous business, family safety, academic safety, physical well-being, and preventing disaster, which all sound promising when it comes to starting a new year.
Sensoji (浅草寺)
2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo
Official Website (en)
Shibamata Taishakuten Temple (柴又帝釈天)
For a slightly more unusual hatsumode spot, head to Shibamata Taishakuten, also called Taishakuten Daikyoji Temple (題経寺), in Tokyo's Katsushika neighborhood. This Nichiren temple is built around an image of Buddhist figure Taishakuten, but many visitors are equally interested in the ferry boat that stops at the temple, the many wooden sculptures, and the temple road full of nostalgic little shops. Shibamata Taishakuten was lucky enough to be spared during World War II, leaving the old wooden buildings intactーa rare vision of Tokyo before the war.
Shibamata Taishakuten Temple (柴又帝釈天)
7-10-3 Shibamata, Katsushika City, Tokyo
Katsushika Tourism (jp)
For more info and updates from Japan, check Japankuru for new articles, and don't forget to follow us on twitter, instagram, and facebook!
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NAME:New Year Celebrations
Japankuru's head Chinese editor: mid-30s, likes to write, draw, and take photos. Aiming to become an old aunty with a girlish look. Articles written in Chinese by Lucy Wu, and translated by Sophia Appelbaum.
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Kyoto flourished as the capital of Japan between the years 794 and 1100, becoming a center for poilitics and culture, and to this day it's a great place for close encounters with Japanese history. The cobbled streets of Gion, the atmospheric road to Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji's golden walls and countless historic attractions, even Arashiyama's Togetsukyo Bridge―Kyoto is a place of many attractions. With new charms to experience throughout the seasons, travelers can't stop themselves from returning again and again.
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Nara Prefecture's important history reaches back to 710, a time now called the Nara era, when it was once capital of Japan. Called "Heijo-kyo" during its time as a capital, it's said that nara was once the end of the silk road, leading it to flourish as a uniquely international region and produce important cultural properties of all kinds. To make the most of each season, travelers head to Nara Park, where the Nara deer who wander freely, or climb Mount Yoshino, a famous cherry blossom spot.
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Osaka is known for friendly (and funny) people, but its history is nothing to laugh at, playing a major part in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 16th century unification of Japan. Thanks to long years of economic activity, it's one of Japan's biggest cities, and Osaka's popular food culture earned it the nickname "The Kitchen of the Nation." To this day Osaka is the model of western Japan, and alongside historic structures like Osaka Castle, it also has major shopping malls like Umeda's Grand Front Osaka and Tennoji's Abeno Harukas. Osaka is a place to eat, eat, eat, with local specialties like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and kushi-katsu, and for extra fun, it's home to Universal Studios Japan.
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The Chugoku Region (中国地方) consists of five prefectures: Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In Chugoku you’ll find the sand dunes of Tottori, and Hiroshima’s atomic bomb site, plus centers of ancient history like Grand Shrine of Izumo.
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Hiroshima Prefecture has everything, from world heritage sites to beautiful nature and delicious local cuisine, and it's either an hour and a half from Tokyo by plane, or four hours by train. Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island and the Atomic Bomb Dome, two Hiroshima UNESCO sites, are famous around the world, but in Japan it's also famous for food. Seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, especially oysters, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and Setouchi lemons are all popular, and the natural scenery alone is worth seeing.
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SHIKOKU
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On the other side of the Seto Inland Sea opposite Japan’s main island, Shikoku (四国) is a region made up of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. The area is famous for its udon (in Kagawa), and the beautiful Dogo Onsen hot springs (in Ehime).
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Kagawa Prefecture is on the northern part of the island of Shikoku, facing Japan's main island and the Seto Inland Sea. It's known for being the smallest prefecture in Japan, by area, but at the same time Kagawa is called the "Udon Prefecture" thanks to its famous sanuki udon. Aside from Kotohiragu Shrine and Ritsurin Garden, the prefecture's small islands are popular, and Kagawa is full of unique destinations, like Angel Road. They say that if you lay eyes on Zenigata Sunae, a huge Kagawa sand painting, you'll never have money troubles ever again.
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Located in the most southwestern part of Japan, Kyushu (九州) is an island of 7 prefectures: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. The island's unique culture has been influenced by Chinese and Dutch trade, along with missionaries coming in through Nagasaki's port. Modern-day travelers love the lush natural scenery and fresh food, plus the natural hot springs found all throughout the area (thanks to volcanic activity)!
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FUKUOKA
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Fukuoka Prefecture has the highest population on the southern island of Kyushu, with two major cities: Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. Thanks to growing transportation networks, Fukuoka is more accessible than ever, and so are the many local attractions. On top of historical spots like Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, travelers shouldn't miss Fukuoka's food scene, with motsu nabe (offal hotpot), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and famous Hakata ramen―best eaten from a food stall in the Nakasu area of Hakata. Plus, it's full of all sorts of destinations for travelers, like trendy shopping centers, and the beautiful nature of Itoshima and Yanagawa.
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Kagoshima Prefecture played a major role in Japan's modernization as a backdrop for famous historical figures like samurais Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, who pushed Japan out of the Edo era and into the Meiji. Because of that, Sengan-en Garden is just one of many historical destinations, and when it comes to attractions Kagoshima has plenty: the active volcano of Sakurajima, popular hot springs Ibusuki Onsen and Kirishima Onsen, World Heritage Site Yakushima Island, even what Japan calls the "island closest to heaven," Amami Oshima. Kagoshima might be found on the very southernmost tip of the southern island of Kyushu, but there's plenty to see.
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OKINAWA
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The island chain of Okinawa (沖縄) makes up the southernmost tip of Japan, which is why it's also the most tropical area in the country. Thanks to a history of independence and totally distinct political and cultural events, Okinawa has a unique culture, and remnants of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still visible all over the islands. Food, language, traditional dress, it's all a little different! It's also said to be the birthplace of karate.
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