New Year's Day in Japan
When is New Year's Day in Japan?
New Year's Day in Japan is on January 1, 2025. It falls on Wednesday.
How many days until New Year's Day in Japan?
There are 255 Days left until New Year's Day in Japan.
Is New Year's Day a public holiday in Japan?
New Year's Day is a public holiday in Japan. The celebration starts at the eve of December 31 and ends on January 4th.
Origin of New Year's Day
One of the biggest holidays widely celebrated around the globe is the New Year’s Day. Traditions vary with regards to how the people celebrate this specific holiday. In Japan, this occasion is not just considered the most important, but, it is also the oldest and one of the longest celebrations in the country. Originally, as Japanese embraced the Buddhist customs, they used to celebrate this holiday in accordance to the Chinese Lunar Calendar. It was not until 1873 (up until present), that they had switched the date of its celebration to January 1, as a conformity to them adopting the Gregorian Calendar. It is believed that Japan’s way of celebrating the New Year’s Day equates that of the Western countries’ Christmas celebrations.
New Year’s Day is a public holiday which is celebrated every 1st of January in Japan. The celebration begins at the eve of December 31 and ends on January 4. New Year or commonly known as ‘Shogatsu’ by the Japanese people is considered the most important holiday among all the holidays in the country. Though only January 1 is designated as a national holiday, majority of the businesses would still close down from January 1 to January 3 for the holidays. People are expected to celebrate the New Year’s Day with their families and friends.
New Year's Day Traditions in Japan
One of the reasons why the country is popular is because of its unique culture. While other countries mostly decorate for the Christmas season, the Japanese love to decorate for the New Year in a similar fashion. Kadomatsu (a decoration of bamboo and pine) and Shimekazari (an ornament made from sacred Shinto straw ropes and mandarin oranges) are some of the most common decorations prepared. What made these decorations of theirs unique is that they associate them with their lives. Kadomatsu for example, is believed to represent prosperity and long life. Shimekazari, on the other hand, is highly regarded to have an ability to ward off evil things.
Oosouji (House Cleaning)
Several festivities are observed during the New Year’s celebration. One of the most common is ‘Oosouji’ or known to the world as House Cleaning. This is actually a worldwide concept, however, Japan takes it to another level. It is said that by partaking on this activity, it is not just the physical debris that would be cleaned, but it can also negate the negative entities away from the household. Thus, one can start afresh and from a clean slate. Because of this, such activity has been viewed as a sacred ritual in the country.
Visiting Shrine or Temple
Visiting a shrine or temple during the first three days of the New Year is also customary for them. This activity is called ‘Hatsumode’ in the Japanese language. Most of them would go together with their families, friends or even their special someone to thank the Gods and wish for another healthy year. Usually, people would visit popular shrines like the Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine, nevertheless, it is still expected that other shrines and temples would be especially crowded during these times of year.
Otoshidama
Otoshidama is another practice well-established throughout the country. This is an activity wherein children aged 20 years and below are given monetary gifts from their parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles. Hence, kids always look forward to this activity every year. In the olden days, it was not money that was actually given but rice cakes, however, as years go by, tradition evolved and the country adapted the Chinese custom of handing monetary gifts to the young children. Usually the value increases as the child grows older.
Traditional Japanese Foods Served on New Year's Day
Food and treats are given special consideration on New Year’s Day as well. Like the rest of the world, Japan has its own share of special dishes specially served on this day. These include: Toshikoshi Soba (usually eaten on New Year’s eve), Ozoni (a soup with mochi), Otoso (sweetened rice wine), Sashimi and Sushi, and the famous Osechi-Ryori. Osechi (shortened name) is a set of food prepared by the Japanese wherein each dish represents a special wish for the New Year. Some of these are as follows: chestnuts (wealth), kobumaki or kelp rolls (happiness and fertility), shrimp (long life), black beans (health and wellness) and many others.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | January 01 | Wednesday | New Year's Day |
| 2026 | January 01 | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| 2027 | January 01 | Friday | New Year's Day |
| 2028 | January 01 | Saturday | New Year's Day |
| 2029 | January 01 | Monday | New Year's Day |
| 2030 | January 01 | Tuesday | New Year's Day |
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| Showa Day | April 29, 2024 |
| Constitution Day | May 03, 2024 |
| Greenery Day | May 04, 2024 |
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