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The New Year holidays are one of Japan's most important holidays. A visit to Japan during the New Year Holidays can be very rewarding as well as fascinating experience. You must visit hatsumode and join the crowds if you are in Japan during New Year holidays. The crowds usually make the first visit of the year to a temple or a shrine. These festivities are held across every temple and shrine across the country. The hatsumode will give you a chance to experience the festival atmosphere. There are a numerous food stands and you will come across thousands of people making wishes and purchasing lucky charms for a fortunate year ahead. A visit to a temple at midnight on New Year's Eve when the temple's bell is rung repeatedly which can be very atmospheric. Some of the most popular temples and shrines in Japan are Tokyo's Meiji Shrine, Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha, Osaka's Sumiyoshi Taisha and Kamakura's Tsuruoka Hachimangu. Each of these religious places of worship attracts more than a million visitors. You might have to stand in a queue for more than an hour to offer prayers at the hall at these popular hatsumode sites in Japan. Another fascinating event to watch out for while visiting Japan during New Year holidays is the Emperor's New Year greetings. The Emperor makes several public appearances on the 2nd of January. This is only one of two occasions when the inner grounds of the palace are opened to the public. The other occasion is the Emperor's birthday on the 23rd of December. The Emperor and some of his family members appear on a glass protected balcony on certain designated times of the day and waves and makes a short speech to the flag waving crowd. During the New Year holidays domestic and international travel reaches its peak, since many people visit their families on the countryside or undertake domestic or overseas trips. Travel activity reaches its peak from December 29 to 31st and again from January 2nd to the 4th. Airports, trains and highways get crowded as a result. Traveling could thus be very inconvenient. There are special offers however that you can avail of during the New Year. For example, the "Shogatsu Pass" gives you unlimited travel on all JR trains on January 1 in the service area of JR East for 12,000 Yen. Tickets must be purchased on December 31st or earlier. A major drawback of visiting Japan during the New Year holidays is that most tourist attractions, stores and restaurants remain closed for one or more days between December 29 and January 4. This limits your sightseeing activity, shopping and dining choices considerably.
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