New Year is Japan's most important holiday
お正月 (Oshōgatsu) — the Japanese New Year — is celebrated from January 1st to 3rd, with preparations beginning weeks in advance. Unlike the Western New Year, Japanese New Year centres on family gatherings, temple visits, and a deep tradition of symbolic decoration intended to invite good fortune for the coming year.
Almost every decoration has specific meaning rooted in either Shinto belief, Buddhist tradition, or classical Chinese symbolism imported over centuries.
Kadomatsu: bamboo and pine at the gate
門松 (kadomatsu — gate pine) are arrangements of pine branches and bamboo stalks placed at the entrance of homes and businesses from January 1st to 7th. Pine represents longevity and resilience (it stays green through winter). Bamboo represents strength, flexibility, and rapid growth. Together they welcome the toshigami — the deity of the new year — into the home.
Key lucky kanji of New Year
福 (fortune) is displayed prominently, often on red paper. 寿 (longevity) appears on ceremonial foods and gifts. 初 (hatsu — first, new) attaches to many New Year firsts: 初夢 (first dream of the year), 初詣 (first shrine visit), 初日の出 (first sunrise). The phrase 謹賀新年 (kinga shinnen — respectful congratulations on the new year) appears on formal New Year cards (nengajō).
In Japan, New Year cards (年賀状, nengajō) are sent to arrive on January 1st. Japan Post manages a lottery system within the postcards — each card has a number that can win prizes. Sending nengajō is taken seriously enough that most Japanese post offices offer preprinted designs sold from October onwards.
Kagami mochi: the mirror rice cake
鏡餅 (kagami mochi) — two round mochi rice cakes stacked with a smaller one on top, often decorated with an orange and fern — represents the soul and its renewal. The round shape references ancient bronze mirrors, which were sacred Shinto objects. On January 11th (鏡開き, kagami biraki), the mochi is ritually broken (never cut) and eaten in soup, sharing the year's good fortune.
Explore New Year kanji
See the symbol for good fortune, harmony, and more.