When should I go for hatsumōde?

Traditionally within the first three days of January, though any January visit generally counts. Crowds are heaviest from midnight on New Year's Eve through January 1.

Shrine or temple, which is correct for hatsumōde?

Either. Most people visit a shrine, but famous temples such as Sensō-ji and Kawasaki Daishi are among the most popular hatsumōde sites in the country.

What do people do with last year's omamori?

They return them to the shrine or temple, where the old charms are collected and ritually burned in the new year, and buy fresh ones for the year ahead.

Hatsumōde

Practices

初詣・ Reading: hatsumōde

Definition

The first shrine or temple visit of the New Year, made in the opening days of January. It is Japan's largest annual religious custom, drawing millions to famous sites to pray for the year ahead, draw omikuji, and buy fresh omamori.

What people do

In the first days of January, and especially the sanganichi, the first three days of the year, people visit a shrine or temple to give thanks for the year past and pray for the one ahead. They return last year's omamori and charms to be ritually burned, buy new ones, draw omikuji to glimpse the year's fortune, and may take home a hamaya, a decorated arrow said to break bad luck. Many also queue for the year's first goshuin. The biggest sites are staggering: Meiji Jingū in Tokyo alone welcomes around three million visitors, with Sensō-ji and other famous temples close behind.

Tips for visitors

Crowds peak from midnight on New Year's Eve through the afternoon of January 1. For a calmer visit, go in the early morning, after January 3, or choose a neighborhood shrine, where the ritual is identical and the queue is short. Dress warmly, carry coins for the offering box, and follow the queue to pray. Any visit within January is generally counted as hatsumōde.

Common questions

When should I go for hatsumōde?: Traditionally within the first three days of January, though any January visit generally counts. Crowds are heaviest from midnight on New Year's Eve through January 1.
Shrine or temple, which is correct for hatsumōde?: Either. Most people visit a shrine, but famous temples such as Sensō-ji and Kawasaki Daishi are among the most popular hatsumōde sites in the country.
What do people do with last year's omamori?: They return them to the shrine or temple, where the old charms are collected and ritually burned in the new year, and buy fresh ones for the year ahead.