Seasonal

New Year in Japan 2027: What's Open, What's Closed

Oshogatsu (Jan 1–3) is one of Japan's biggest holidays. Many shops shut, shrines are packed for hatsumode, and the vibe shifts completely. Here's what to expect.

Updated

Assuming the city will operate normally on January 1-3

Two confused tourists with backpacks stand on an empty Tokyo shopping street on January 1, looking frustrated at rows of shuttered storefronts with closed signs and lowered metal gates, holding a paper map, with no other pedestrians around in the eerie daytime quiet.
NG

Planning your New Year's Day itinerary as if it's a regular weekend

Around January 1-3, and above all on New Year's Day, many Japanese businesses are closed: lots of restaurants and small shops, many museums, traditional markets, and department stores (many reopen on the 2nd, some on the 3rd). Even big cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto can feel unusually quiet on New Year's Day. Tourists who arrive expecting a normal bustling city get a quiet, sometimes eerie version instead, and can have real trouble finding food and activities.

Two smiling tourists stand inside a brightly lit Japanese convenience store on New Year's Day, calmly choosing onigiri and bento from the shelves, with a 24-hour open sign visible behind them and a small kadomatsu pine decoration at the entrance.
OK

Plan around closures: open convenience stores, open chains, specific tourist spots

What stays open: convenience stores (most stay open 24/7), some chain restaurants (particularly fast food and family restaurants), train stations, airports, hotels, and designated tourist attractions (some temples, shrines, and museums open specifically for the holiday). What closes: most traditional restaurants, small shops, many attractions, department stores (most are closed on January 1 and reopen on the 2nd or 3rd with 'fukubukuro' lucky bag sales). Plan your meals around convenience stores and chain restaurants for the first few days.

Missing hatsumode (first shrine visit) because of the crowds

One hesitant tourist stands at the edge of a famous shrine torii gate looking discouraged, glancing at a kilometers-long line of hundreds of bundled-up hatsumode visitors stretching into the distance, then turning to walk away with a regretful expression in the cold winter air.
NG

Avoiding hatsumode because the crowds at big shrines are reportedly overwhelming

Hatsumode (初詣)—the first shrine visit of the year—is one of the biggest New Year traditions in Japan. Tens of millions of people visit shrines during the first three days of January. At famous shrines like Meiji Jingu in Tokyo, Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, or Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka, the lines can be very long. Some tourists skip it entirely to avoid the crowds, which is a shame because hatsumode is one of the most distinctly Japanese experiences available to visitors.

Two respectful tourists in winter coats stand calmly at a small neighborhood shrine in the early morning, one tossing a coin into the wooden offering box and the other bowing with hands clasped, with a shimenawa rope and shide paper streamers visible above and only a few quiet locals around.
OK

Visit a smaller neighborhood shrine, or go during off-peak hours at famous sites

Smaller neighborhood shrines are less crowded and often more atmospheric during hatsumode. You can visit in the quiet early morning hours of January 2 or 3 without the crush. Famous shrines like Meiji Jingu are massive-crowd experiences—the lines are part of the event, and if you go during the main rush, you're participating in a shared national ritual. For a compromise, visit a famous shrine at off-peak times (such as early morning right after the gates open) or on January 4-7, when the crowds usually thin but the atmosphere still lingers.

Not understanding the new year food and decoration traditions

One distracted tourist walks past a traditional Japanese shop entrance with a tall kadomatsu pine-and-bamboo arrangement and a shimenawa straw rope above the door, looking down at a phone with a bored expression and completely ignoring the colorful new year decorations all around.
NG

Missing out on osechi ryori, ozoni, and the decorative meanings of kadomatsu and shimenawa

New Year's in Japan has a rich food tradition (osechi ryori, a specific multi-compartment bento of symbolic foods eaten on January 1, and ozoni, a soup with mochi) and decoration tradition (kadomatsu, pine-and-bamboo arrangements at doorways; shimenawa, sacred ropes). Tourists who don't know about these walk past them without noticing, or don't try the traditional foods. That's fine if your focus is elsewhere, but knowing what you're seeing enriches the experience.

Two delighted tourists sit at a low restaurant table smiling warmly as they share a lacquered multi-compartment osechi ryori bento box filled with symbolic foods like black beans, rolled omelet, and shrimp, alongside a bowl of ozoni mochi soup, with chopsticks raised in appreciation.
OK

Try osechi ryori at a hotel or restaurant, recognize the decorations, visit a decorated shrine

Some hotels and restaurants offer osechi ryori as a special new year menu on January 1. Even a single bento box gives you a taste of the tradition. Kadomatsu (the pine-and-bamboo arrangements) appear at shop entrances and traditional homes—look for them. Shrines are decorated with rice straw ropes (shimenawa) and white paper streamers (shide). Visiting a shrine during hatsumode lets you see the full decorative setup.

Forgetting about the midnight temple bells (joya no kane)

Two tourists sit slumped on a hotel room bed near midnight on New Year's Eve, looking bored and tired while staring at a TV showing a generic countdown show, completely unaware that a temple bell is being struck nearby, with empty snack wrappers scattered around.
NG

Missing the temple bells at midnight on New Year's Eve—108 rings to drive out worldly desires

On New Year's Eve (omisoka, December 31), many Buddhist temples across Japan ring their big bells 108 times around midnight—a tradition called joya no kane. The 108 rings represent the 108 worldly desires in Buddhist thought, and the ringing is said to drive them away before the new year. It's one of the most traditional new year experiences and many temples allow visitors to watch (or sometimes even participate in) the bell-ringing.

Two tourists in warm winter coats stand calmly on the snowy grounds of a Buddhist temple at midnight, watching a monk in robes swing the large wooden beam to strike the massive bronze bell for joya no kane, their faces peaceful and respectful in the soft glow of lanterns.
OK

Visit a temple on New Year's Eve to hear the bells

Many temples host the joya no kane ceremony as a public event. You can watch from the temple grounds as monks ring the big bell 108 times in sequence, starting before midnight and finishing after. Some temples let visitors take a turn ringing the bell (free at some, for a small donation at others). Look for temples near your location that advertise joya no kane events—it's a quiet, meditative experience compared to the Western-style New Year's Eve countdown.

Why New Year’s hits different in Japan

Oshogatsu is Japan’s Christmas — the holiday when many people head home to family, eats specific foods, and follows the same set of traditions every year. Families do a deep house clean (oosoji), prepare osechi ryori (a multi-compartment bento of symbolic dishes), eat toshikoshi soba on December 31, visit shrines for hatsumode, and give otoshidama (cash gifts to kids). It’s layered, it’s ritualistic, and it’s deeply felt.

For tourists, the practical reality is stark: a lot is closed around January 1-3, especially on New Year’s Day. Many restaurants, small shops, museums and markets shut. Even Tokyo and Osaka can feel strangely quiet during the day, with many people at home with family. Meanwhile, shrines are absolutely packed with hatsumode crowds. It’s an incredible time to visit if you plan around the closures. It’s a miserable time if you expect business as usual.

Japan doesn’t celebrate New Year’s. It observes it — quietly, deliberately, and with much of it closed.

A few “nice to know” extras

  • Fukubukuro (lucky bags) — January 2 (or the 3rd at some stores) is when many department stores reopen with sealed mystery bags whose contents are usually worth more than the price. Lines often form before opening, and popular bags can sell out fast. It’s retail as sport — and genuinely fun if you’re into it.
  • Toshikoshi soba on New Year’s Eve — Buckwheat noodles in hot broth, eaten before midnight. Long noodles for longevity, easy-to-break soba for cutting off last year’s troubles. Find an open soba shop on December 31 evening — it’s one of the easiest traditions to participate in as a visitor.
  • The January 1 morning walk — Go outside early on New Year’s Day in a residential neighborhood. Little traffic, few people, New Year decorations on many doors, and an unusual quiet. It’s a memorable side of Japan — bring a camera.
  • Famous shrine lines are brutal — Meiji Jingu draws the biggest hatsumode crowds in Japan, and the peak from New Year’s Eve into January 1 means a long wait. For hatsumode without the crush, go early in the morning just after the gates open on January 2 or 3 (or later in the week), or just pick a smaller neighborhood shrine where the whole visit is quick.

Quick check

Three questions to lock in the New Year’s instinct.

Quick check

Can you spot the right move?

  1. Q1 Do most Japanese shops and restaurants operate normally on January 1-3?

  2. Q2 Is hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year) worth experiencing even with the crowds?

  3. Q3 Is the temple bell ringing on New Year's Eve (joya no kane) 108 rings?