What do people get wrong about Japanese New Year (Oshōgatsu)?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
New Year is Japan's most important holiday — quieter than Christmas abroad, more consequential than the calendar suggests. Visitors expecting fireworks and parties find closed shops and families at home, and miss what is actually happening.
The calendar
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Late December | Year-end clean (ōsōji), nengajō (New Year cards) posted to arrive on 1 January, decorations up (kadomatsu pines at the door, kagami-mochi rice cakes, shimekazari rope) |
| 31 December (Ōmisoka) | Toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles: long life, and easily cut ties with the old year); temple bells rung 108 times at midnight (joya no kane) |
| 1–3 January (Sanganichi) | Hatsumōde (first shrine/temple visit; Meiji Shrine receives about 3 million visitors); osechi and ozōni (mochi soup); otoshidama (money gifts to children); many businesses closed |
| 7 January | Nanakusa-gayu (seven-herb porridge) to rest the stomach; decorations come down (some regions 15 January) |
| 11 January | Kagami-biraki: the display mochi is broken and eaten |
- Nengajō volume peaked at 4.4 billion cards in 2003 and fell to about 1.1 billion for 2025; Japan Post prints special stamps and delivers them all on 1 January.
- Osechi is a lacquered box of preserved dishes each with a meaning (black beans for health, herring roe for fertility, sweet chestnuts for wealth). It is preserved food because cooking on the first three days was traditionally avoided — the hearth deity rested, and so did the cook.
- Mochi (rice cake) choking is a real seasonal hazard: Tokyo Fire Department reports dozens of ambulance calls each New Year, mostly among the elderly; cut mochi small and chew thoroughly.
[Verify] Nengajō figures with Japan Post; hatsumōde attendance with shrine announcements; mochi incident figures with the Tokyo Fire Department's annual warning.
Misunderstanding 1｜It is like Western New Year's Eve
The eve is quiet: soba, television, a temple bell. The day itself is what matters, and it belongs to family and the shrine.
Misunderstanding 2｜Everything is closed for a week
Department stores and chains now open on 1 or 2 January for the New Year sales and fukubukuro (lucky bags). Small shops, banks and government offices close roughly 29 December to 3 January. Convenience stores never close.
Misunderstanding 3｜Osechi is a feast to be eaten at once
It is three days of cold food, eaten a little at a time. Modern households buy it from department stores (¥10,000–50,000 a box) and supplement with hot dishes.
Misunderstanding 4｜Anyone can send a New Year card
Nengajō are not sent to a household in mourning (they send a mochū notice in advance). Cards arriving after 7 January are sent as kanchū-omimai (midwinter greetings) instead.
Misunderstanding 5｜Mochi is just a snack
Mochi is soft, sticky and dense, and the leading cause of New Year choking deaths among the elderly. The public guidance: cut it small, eat it slowly, and never leave an older person eating mochi alone.
---
Sources
- Japan Post — New Year card (nengajō) statistics and delivery
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/
- Tokyo Fire Department — Warning on choking on mochi at New Year (餅による窒息事故)
https://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/
- Agency for Cultural Affairs — Annual customs (年中行事)
https://www.bunka.go.jp/english/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Always follow the instructions on any product you use, and never mix cleaning products. If you rent your home, check with your landlord before making any changes.
Sources
Tell us if this has changed
Approved contributions keep the contributor's name, shown in five languages.
Related questions
Other languages：日本語 ／ 简体中文 ／ 繁體中文 ／ 한국어
Value Village is not a government body. Always confirm procedures on the official site.
Written by Value Village from public sources. Nothing here is reproduced from another site.