Japan Info Swap Blog

New Years in Japan is laser-focused on firsts. You have your first sunrise of the year, which is very important, and other firsts like the Shinnenkai parties to bring in the New Year. Easily the most important of these New Year’s rituals is hatsumode. Hatsumode is the first visit of the year to a shrine. Sometimes temples will suffice, but traditionally the temple is for ringing out the year. Sometimes, this can be literal, as you can hear people ringing …