108 Bells, a Pine Gate and a Mochi Mirror: How Japan Greets the New Year

Updated October 15, 2026 | By Tokyo Paul

As midnight approaches on December 31, temple bells begin to sound across Japan, slowly, one strike at a time, with long silences between them. Each stroke is meant to clear away a worldly desire, and when the count reaches 108 the old year is considered released. Within hours the country shifts gears. Shops close their shutters, families gather, and houses wear their finest decorations. This is Oshogatsu (the Japanese New Year), and for many people it matters more than any other holiday in the calendar.

Only January 1 is an official national holiday, but many businesses stay closed through January 3, and travelers should plan around that. The reward is a chance to see customs that have been handed down for centuries, from pine gates and rice cake mirrors to boxed feasts and the first shrine visit of the year. This guide explains what each tradition means, when it happens and how a visitor can take part respectfully, without pretending to know every regional variation.

Omisoka and the 108 Bells

New Year's Eve is called Omisoka, and its customs are about finishing the year cleanly. Many families eat toshikoshi soba (year-crossing buckwheat noodles), whose long strands are said to symbolize a long life and resilience. At Buddhist temples, the joya no kane (the bell of New Year's Eve) is rung 108 times. The number is traditionally linked to the 108 earthly desires, and the ritual is understood as cleansing them before a new start.

The ringing is usually spread across midnight, with 107 strikes in the old year and the final one after the clock turns, so that the last toll belongs to the new year. Some temples invite the public to queue for a turn at the bell, and the sound carries a long way across a quiet winter night. Tokyo's New Year's Eve bells are a major attraction, though smaller neighborhood temples often offer a more contemplative evening. Arrive early, dress warmly and follow the instructions of the staff, since access rules differ from one temple to the next and some limit the number of people on the grounds.

The Pine Gate That Invites a God

Look for the kadomatsu (gate pine) in front of shops, offices and homes in late December. A kadomatsu is a pair of arrangements made of bamboo cut on a slant and decorated with pine branches, sometimes with plum. It stands at the entrance as a marker and temporary dwelling for Toshigami, the deity who is believed to bring the new year and a good harvest. Pine suggests longevity, bamboo suggests prosperity, and plum represents constancy.

Timing matters. The decorations are traditionally set out around December 28, an auspicious day because the number eight widens upward in Japanese script. The 29th is usually avoided because the number nine can sound like suffering, and the 31st is thought to be disrespectful to the deity, as a one-night display. Another decoration, the shimekazari, is a straw rope with paper zigzags that marks a sacred boundary, and it often includes a bitter orange. Most of these come down by January 7, the end of the matsu no uchi (within the pine) period, and in some regions they are burned at a shrine bonfire a little later in the month.

Kagami Mochi, the Rice Mirror

Inside the home, the main decoration is kagami mochi (mirror rice cake): two round cakes of pounded rice stacked together, topped with a daidai, a type of bitter orange. The name daidai also sounds like the word for generations, so the fruit is read as a wish for the family to continue. The round shape recalls the ancient bronze mirror, a sacred object, and the stack is usually displayed on a small stand in a prominent place.

The mochi is not eaten at once. It is left out as an offering for the household deity, and then broken up and cooked later. The ceremony of kagami biraki (opening the mirror) is traditionally held on January 11, when the cakes are cut or cracked rather than sliced, since cutting with a blade is considered unlucky, and they are eaten in soup or sweet red bean dishes. Modern kagami mochi are often sold in plastic cases filled with small portions of individually wrapped rice cakes.

Osechi, the Food That Waits in Boxes

The festive meal is osechi ryori, stacked lacquer boxes of small dishes. Many are sweet, sour or dried so that they keep without refrigeration, and traditionally this let the cook rest during the first days of the year. Each item carries meaning: sweet black beans (kuromame) for health, fish cake (kamaboko) for purity, and herring roe for many children. The contents vary by region and family, and some foods are considered inauspicious in certain places.

Alongside it comes ozoni, a soup with mochi, whose ingredients vary widely across Japan. UNESCO recognized washoku, traditional Japanese food culture, as intangible heritage in 2013, and it singled out New Year celebrations as a clear expression of it, including hand-pounded rice cakes and symbolic dishes. On January 7, many households eat nanakusa-gayu, a rice porridge with seven herbs, which is meant to rest the stomach after days of rich food.

Hatsumode, Cards and Gifts

The first shrine or temple visit of the year is hatsumode, normally done during the first three days of January. People pray for health and good fortune, buy charms, and often pick up a hamaya (an arrow to ward off evil) or a daruma doll, and many drink warm amazake (sweet rice drink) afterward. Major shrines can be extremely crowded in those days, so a visit later in January is a calmer choice that still counts for many people.

Two other customs complete the season. Nengajo are New Year postcards sent to friends, family and colleagues, and the post office arranges for them to be delivered on January 1 if they are mailed in time. The habit may reach back about a thousand years to the Heian period, when people sent letters to confirm that they were well, and Japan Post hires extra staff each year to handle the volume. Children also receive otoshidama, gifts of money from adults, usually in small decorated envelopes. As a visitor, you are not expected to take part, but knowing the customs helps explain the quiet streets and special displays.

Plan Your Visit

If you will be in Japan over New Year, check ahead. Many restaurants, shops and some attractions close from December 30 or 31 until January 3 or later, though convenience stores, large hotels and major shrines remain busy. Public transport often runs special schedules, so confirm train times on the operator's site. Book accommodation early, because this is a peak period for domestic travel.

If you want to take part without crowds, visit a department store in late December to see seasonal decorations, try ozoni or a boxed osechi set at a restaurant that offers one, and approach a shrine early on a weekday morning. Rules, closing days and prices change every year, so check the official sources for each place. Whatever you choose, keep a gentle pace. The season is meant to be quiet.