Planning
New Year in Japan 2027: Hatsumode, Closures and How to Plan Around Them
The short answer: New Year is Japan’s biggest family holiday. Expect closures from about 29 December to 4 January, especially on 1 January, packed trains either side, and crowded shrines on the first days of the year. Book trains and hotels early, and check every museum’s holiday hours.
What closes, and what stays open
- Museums: usually closed for several days. There is no national rule, so check each one.
- Shops and restaurants: many close on 1 January and reopen from the 2nd. Fast food chains, hotel restaurants and big malls often stay open.
- Banks: counters close from 31 December to 3 January. ATMs at convenience stores usually keep working.
- Shrines and temples: open, and at their busiest.
Hatsumode, the first visit of the year
Hatsumode is the first shrine or temple visit of the new year. People pray, buy a new charm and draw a fortune slip, called omikuji. JNTO says Meiji Jingu in Tokyo sees more than 3 million visitors over the New Year, and Japan Guide lists Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura among those drawing over a million.
At midnight on 31 December, temples ring their bells 108 times. If you want a calmer visit, go to a smaller local shrine, or to a big one on 4 or 5 January when the lines are shorter.
SaveHow to plan around it
- Trains: reserve shinkansen seats for 29 to 31 December and 2 to 4 January. Japan Guide expects 3 January to be especially busy.
- Meals: book dinner for 31 December and 1 January, or plan on hotel restaurants and convenience stores.
- Cash: carry a little extra, because some small places close and bank counters are shut.
- Shopping: from 2 January many stores sell fukubukuro, lucky bags with surprise contents.
Put the big sights before 29 December or after 4 January, and use the holiday itself for shrines, walks and food. Cash and cards in Japan covers which ATMs take foreign cards.
Plan Sakura lists each day’s stops with your booked times, so a closed museum on 1 January is easy to swap for a shrine walk.
Questions about these dates
- What is closed in Japan over New Year?
- Many museums close for several days, many shops and restaurants close on 1 January, and bank counters close from 31 December to 3 January. Shrines, temples, convenience stores and many hotel restaurants stay open.
- What is hatsumode?
- The first shrine or temple visit of the year, made in the first days of January. Big shrines like Meiji Jingu in Tokyo draw millions of visitors, so expect long queues.
- When are trains busiest over New Year 2026–27?
- Japan Guide expects the peak from 29 to 31 December leaving the big cities, and from 2 to 4 January coming back, especially 3 January.
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Keep planning
- How to structure a Japan itinerary around the flights and hotelsHow to structure a Japan trip: fix the flight and hotels first, then fit trains, temples, and meals around those times.
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