Hatsumode: How Japan Makes Its First Shrine Visit of the New Year

Just after midnight on January 1, the approach to a large Japanese shrine becomes a slow river of people in thick coats. Breath clouds the air, the smell of grilled snacks drifts from the stalls, and ahead, in the dark, a bell rings. One by one, visitors reach the offering box, toss in a coin, bow twice, clap twice, and make a quiet wish for the year ahead. In a few minutes, millions of people across the country will do the same.

This is hatsumode, the first visit to a shrine or temple in the new year, and it is one of the most widely observed customs of the Japanese year. This guide explains where the custom comes from, how to pray properly, what omikuji (fortune slips), omamori (protective charms) and ema (wishing plaques) are, which shrines are best known, and how to join in without getting lost in the crowds.

What Hatsumode Means

The word hatsumode combines hatsu, "first," and mode, a visit to a shrine or temple to pray. Most people go within the first three days of January, though shrines and temples accept visitors through the first week or so, and many people deliberately wait until after the first day to avoid the biggest crowds. Visitors pray for good health, success and happiness in the year ahead, and many set personal resolutions at the same time.

The custom is open to everyone, whatever their beliefs. People of any belief can take part, and visitors may choose either a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple. Many arrive in kimono, and the sight of families in formal dress adds to the festive mood.

From Staying Overnight to Taking the Train

Hatsumode is linked to an older practice called toshigomori, in which people stayed overnight at a shrine or temple on New Year's Eve to welcome the new year. A related style called ninenmairi begins on New Year's Eve and carries over to New Year's Day, so that the visit spans the turning of the year.

In its modern form, the custom grew in the Meiji era (1868 to 1912), when railways made it easy to travel to a famous shrine at New Year. Some writers credit railway companies with encouraging the habit, and it is one reason that big shrines near major stations still draw such crowds. Many temples also ring their bells 108 times before midnight on December 31, to cleanse the 108 worldly desires according to Buddhist belief.

Many families prepare for the visit with a small ritual at home. About an hour before midnight on New Year's Eve, they eat toshikoshi soba (year-crossing buckwheat noodles), a dish traditionally eaten as the old year ends. Early on New Year's Day, priests at shrines and temples also offer prayers for the safety and happiness of the whole country, so the first visitors of the year arrive at a shrine that has already begun the year in prayer.

How to Pray at a Shrine

At a Shinto shrine, begin at the temizuya (water pavilion), where you rinse your hands and mouth. Walk to the main hall, toss a coin into the offering box, and ring the bell if there is one. Then bow twice, clap twice, pray silently, and bow once more. At a Buddhist temple, the custom is slightly different: you press your palms together in silence, without clapping.

You can tell the two apart by their gates: shrines have red or wooden torii, while temples have a sanmon, a roofed wooden gate. During hatsumode the line to the offering box can be very long, so move forward steadily and keep your prayer brief. Be mindful of other worshippers when taking photographs, and follow any signs posted by the staff.

Omikuji, Omamori and Ema

An omikuji is a fortune printed on a paper strip, drawn for a small fee. If it predicts good luck, keep it. If it predicts bad luck, tie it to a rack or tree on the shrine grounds, so the misfortune stays behind. English omikuji are available at a few shrines and temples, including Sensoji in Tokyo, Nishiki Tenmangu in Kyoto and Kushida-jinja in Fukuoka.

Omamori are small cloth charms bought for protection, health, success or safe travel. Many people replace theirs each year and return the old ones to the shrine, where they are respectfully burned. Ema are wooden plaques on which you write a wish and hang on a rack at the shrine. Their designs often feature the zodiac animal of the year. Some temples also sell daruma dolls, round red figures used for goal-setting: you paint in one eye when you set a goal, and the other when you achieve it.

Meiji Jingu: Tokyo's Biggest Crowd

Meiji Jingu in Shibuya, Tokyo, is consistently among the most visited shrines for hatsumode in Japan, drawing more than three million people in the first three days of January. It was established in 1920 to honour Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, and its grounds cover about 70 hectares of forest, planted with roughly 120,000 trees donated by people from all over Japan. The current buildings were completed in 1958 after the originals were lost in World War II.

The walk from Harajuku Station through the great torii and along the gravel approach is part of the experience. The wait to pray at the main hall can be a couple of hours on New Year's Day, though lines move steadily. Visiting later in the first week, or on a weekday in early January, is calmer. Check the shrine's official website for current information.

Fushimi Inari and Other Famous Shrines

In Kyoto, Fushimi Inari Taisha receives more than two and a half million visitors in the first three days of January, according to published figures. The shrine honours Inari, the deity of rice, agriculture and business, and is famous for about 10,000 vermilion torii, of which roughly 800 form the Senbon Torii path. The trail up Mt. Inari, at 233 metres, takes about two hours. The shrine is open around the clock and has no entrance fee.

Other popular hatsumode destinations include Sensoji in Asakusa, Naritasan Shinshoji in Chiba, Kawasaki Daishi, Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka, Atsuta Jingu in Nagoya, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura and Dazaifu Tenmangu in Fukuoka Prefecture. Atsuta Jingu is one of the great shrines of central Japan and enshrines the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi; on January 5 it holds Hatsu Ebisu, a festival where people pray to Ebisu, the god of fortune, for business prosperity and family safety. Each has its own atmosphere and its own seasonal food stalls, and choosing a local shrine near where you are staying is a perfectly good option.

Plan Your Visit

Dress warmly in layers, with a hat and gloves, because you may wait outdoors for a long time. Carry coins for the offering box and for purchases at the stalls, and expect street food such as yakisoba, udon and hot amazake (a sweet fermented rice drink). In large cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, trains often run overnight on New Year's Eve, but check whether your line runs before you set out.

Arrive early for a smaller crowd, or go on January 2 or 3. Respect the shrine's rules about queues, photography and quiet. If you only have time for one thing, tossing a coin, bowing and making a wish is enough. Information on crowd levels and special opening hours is usually posted on the shrine's website and by local tourist offices.