This is a special time in Japan and a lot of people take their days off to visit family and to go to the shrines and temples. Even banks and post offices are closed for several days, so, you have to be prepared. (We ran into this problem 2 years ago and in Japan a lot is paid by cash.)

Everywhere you see “kadomatsu” (Gate Pine). This is a traditional Japanese decoration of the New Year placed in pairs in front of homes supposedly to welcome ancestral spirits or “kami” of the harvest. They are placed after Christmas until January 7 and are considered temporary housing for kami. Designs for kadomatsu vary depending on region but are typically made of pine, bamboo, and sometimes tree sprigs which represent longevity, prosperity and steadfastness, respectively.

Kadomatsu in Kamakura.

Celebrating the new year in Japan also means paying special attention to the “first” time something is done in the new year. “Hatsumode” is the first trip to a shrine or temple. Many people visit a shrine after midnight on December 31 or sometime during the day on January 1.

That evening we had an early Happy New Year celebration at our house and then we left to go to the Tsurugoaka Hachimangu Shrine to be there at 12 o’clock. The first shogun Minamoto Yoritomo built this shrine in Kamakura, the ancient samurai city. (Look under my category of Kamakura for more information about Kamakura and the 1st shogun on April 12, 2006 and May 10, 2006).

There were so many people waiting to go up the stairs of the shrine.

Maarten and Roland found their friends.

They are ready to go up the stairs to the shrine in groups controlled by the police at 12 o’clock sharp.

On the top of the shrine people pray and make their wishes.

This is a fortune board. You pay 100 yen ($1.00) and shake a wooden box out of which a wooden stick falls with a certain number. Then you get this special piece of paper and you read your fortune for the coming year and attach it on a rope.

Then there are very festive food stands allover with delicious treats!

Lots of people come to Kamakura during the first 3 days of the New Year. Don’t try to take the train the first day, because the station will be packed.
And the inner city is completely blocked off: only taxis, busses and authorized cars are able to drive there.

Kamakura blocked off and people can walk everywhere.