Japanese New Year traditions: How Oshogatsu is celebrated in Japan

The New Year is one of the most important holidays in Japan. Known as Oshogatsu (お正月), it is a time for reflection, gratitude, and spending time with family and friends. While many countries welcome the New Year with parties and fireworks, Japanese New Year traditions focus on renewal, good fortune, and strengthening family connections.

Whether you’re curious about Japanese culture, planning to celebrate with family, or looking for ways to support those who matter most in Japan, learning about Oshogatsu offers insight into one of the country’s most meaningful annual celebrations.

What is Oshogatsu?

Oshogatsu is Japan’s traditional New Year celebration, observed primarily from January 1 through January 3. Preparations often begin weeks in advance as families get ready to welcome the year ahead.

During this period, many businesses close, families gather, and communities take part in traditions believed to bring health, prosperity, and happiness. One of the most important preparations is osoji, a thorough year-end house cleaning. This tradition symbolizes leaving the previous year’s challenges behind and starting the New Year with a fresh outlook.

If you’re interested in how New Year celebrations vary across the region, explore our guide to New Year’s in Asia.

Japanese New Year traditions and customs

Hatsumode: The first shrine visit

One of the best-known Japanese New Year traditions is hatsumode, the first visit to a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple of the year.

Between January 1 and January 3, millions of people visit shrines and temples to pray for good health, happiness, success, and prosperity in the coming year. During a hatsumode visit, people may:

• Make offerings and prayers
• Buy lucky charms called omamori
• Draw fortune slips known as omikuji
• Ring temple bells to welcome the New Year

For many families, hatsumode is a meaningful way to begin the year together while reflecting on hopes for the months ahead.

Toshikoshi soba: Noodles for good luck

Food plays an important role in Oshogatsu celebrations, starting on New Year’s Eve with toshikoshi soba, or “year-crossing noodles.”

The long noodles symbolize longevity and resilience. Eating them before midnight is believed to represent leaving behind the previous year’s difficulties and welcoming a smoother year ahead.

For many households, sharing a bowl of soba together is a simple yet meaningful part of the holiday.

Osechi ryori: Traditional New Year foods

Another important New Year tradition is osechi ryori, a collection of carefully prepared dishes served in stacked lacquered boxes.

Each food carries symbolic meaning:

• Kuromame (black soybeans) symbolize health and diligence.
• Datemaki (sweet rolled omelet) represents learning and wisdom.
• Kazunoko (herring roe) symbolizes prosperity and family growth.
• Kurikinton (sweet chestnuts and mashed sweet potato) represents wealth and good fortune.

Because many of these dishes are prepared in advance, families can spend less time cooking and more time enjoying the holiday together.

Mochi and kagami mochi: A New Year tradition

Mochi, a chewy rice cake made from pounded glutinous rice, is another important part of Japanese New Year celebrations.

In some communities, people participate in mochitsuki, a traditional mochi-making event where participants take turns pounding rice with wooden mallets.

Mochi is enjoyed throughout the holiday period and is also displayed as kagami mochi, a decorative arrangement associated with good luck and prosperity for the year ahead.

Otoshidama: New Year gifts for children

One of the most anticipated traditions for younger family members is otoshidama.

Otoshidama refers to money gifts given to children in decorative envelopes called pochibukuro. Similar to gift-giving traditions found in many cultures, otoshidama is a way for families to share blessings and celebrate the beginning of a new year.

The amount varies by family, but gifts often increase as children get older:

• Younger children typically receive smaller amounts.
• Elementary school students may receive larger gifts.
• Teenagers often receive the largest gifts among children.

For many families, otoshidama represents generosity, encouragement, and support for the year ahead.

Nengajo: Sharing New Year greetings

Another long-standing tradition is the exchange of nengajo, special New Year postcards designed to arrive on January 1.

Nengajo often include messages of gratitude, wishes for happiness and prosperity, zodiac-themed artwork, and updates about the family. While digital communication has become more common, many people continue to send nengajo each year.

Whether delivered by mail or shared online, these greetings reflect the importance of staying close with family and friends.

Keeping Japanese New Year traditions alive abroad

Japanese communities around the world continue to celebrate Oshogatsu while adapting traditions to local customs.

For families living far from relatives in Japan, maintaining these traditions can be a meaningful way to stay close to family and culture. Many people celebrate by:

• Preparing osechi ryori at home
• Visiting local Buddhist temples or cultural centers
• Hosting New Year gatherings with friends and relatives
• Exchanging digital nengajo greetings
• Sharing otoshidama-style gifts with younger family members

No matter where they live, many families find ways to celebrate together and honor traditions that have been passed down through generations. For more New Year traditions around the world, read about the best places to celebrate the New Year.

Send New Year money transfers to Japan with Western Union

Just as many families exchange otoshidama to share blessings at the start of the year, sending financial support can be another meaningful way to be there for those in Japan.

Whether you’re sending a New Year gift, helping with holiday expenses, or supporting family members far from home, Western Union offers convenient ways to send money to Japan.

You can:

• Begin a money transfer
• Explore different ways to send money
• Use the international money transfer app to send money on the go
• Send funds through international mobile wallet transfers where supported

The New Year is a time to celebrate family, connection, and new beginnings. No matter the distance, staying close with the people who matter most can help make the season even more meaningful.