Oshogatsu (New Year) is one of Japan’s most important holidays. Much of Japan slows down from December 29 through January 3 as family members gather to relax, reflect on the past year and celebrate the new year.

Travelers on our private Japan tours who visit during oshogatsu can experience a season steeped in ritual decorations, special foods and evocative ceremonies informed by Buddhist and Shinto traditions.

Traditional Japanese New Year decorations adorn many homes, businesses and religious sites. One of the most popular is kadomatsu, an arrangement of cut bamboo and pine sprigs that’s bound with straw and believed to temporarily houses ancestral spirits and the New Year gods.

Another is kagami mochi, a stack of two rice cakes topped with an orange that serves as an offering to the New Year gods.

On New Year’s Eve, Japanese typically eat toshikoshi soba (year-end buckwheat noodles). The long, thin noodles symbolize longevity, and their ease of cutting symbolizes the letting go of misfortunes that have accumulated during the year.

After eating toshikoshi soba, many Japanese will visit a Buddhist temple for one of the most evocative Japanese ceremonies—joya no kane (New Year’s Eve bell). Just before midnight on December 31, monks ring the temple bell 108 times to symbolically cleanse the 108 earthly desires that cause human suffering according to Buddhist tradition. We take travelers interested in experiencing joya no kane to local temples to watch monks rhythmically strike the heavy metal bell and hear its deep toll reverberate into the night.

Within the first three days of January, millions of Japanese participate in hatsumode, the first visit of the year to a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple. Visitors to shrines can record wishes and prayers on ema (wooden tablets), draw (fortune slips) and purchase omamori (protective charms or amulets). Many shrines also serve amazake, a type of sake, or have stalls offering traditional snacks. At this time of year, we take travelers to the most interesting shrines and temples for an authentic hatsumode experience.

Japanese traditionally dine on osechi ryori—a beautifully presented assortment of auspicious dishes packed in tiered lacquer boxes— from January 1 to 3 in celebration of the New Year. Each dish has a symbolic meaning related to good luck, good health, favorable harvests, financial success or similar auspicious outcomes in the New Year. Traditionally, the dishes were quite salty or sweet to help preserve them in the days before refrigeration. Preparing osechi in advance also gave families a break from cooking and time to rest and relax for a few days.

Artisans of Leisure’s private Japan tours feature the best of this special time of year. We arrange private guides for cultural touring and navigating seasonal Japanese traditions, as well as accommodation at Japan’s top luxury hotels and ryokan, many of which mark the New Year with seasonal decorations and special meals.

Contact Artisans of Leisure to plan a private Japan tour that incorporates New Year traditions as well as other highlights of winter touring.