Millions of Japanese people will return to their home towns to be with their families, visit neighborhood shrines on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and watch the New Year TV program "Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Red and White Song Contest) on NHK as part of annual New Year celebrations.
Shrines are expected to be crowded on Wednesday, the first day of the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac. Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, in particular, welcomes a huge wave of worshippers each year from midnight on Dec 31 to Jan 3. The huge shrine expects three million visitors in the first three days of the new year. Smaller neighborhood shrines throughout the country also receive a steady stream of visitors.
For those staying at home on Tuesday night, NHK's popular “Kohaku Uta Gassen” will air from 7:20 p.m. Though it has lost some of its luster in the past 15 years, the four-hour “Kohaku” – being held for the 75th consecutive year -- is still considered the most prestigious TV music program to be invited to appear on.
Although parties and countdown events aren't as popular in Japan as in Western countries (think of New Year's Eve in Japan as akin to Christmas Eve in the West), events are scheduled at some of the hotels, clubs, pubs and restaurants in the major cities.
If you're out and about, you'll hear lots of bells. At midnight, temple bells will strike 108 times -- a ritual known as Joya no Kane. According to Buddhist beliefs, the number 108 corresponds to the number of evil desires that we suffer from. It is believed that by listening to or ringing the bell 108 times, you can rid yourself of those evil desires.
Getting home won't be a problem, at least in Tokyo. Subways and trains in the nation's capital run throughout the night -- the only night each year they do so.
Meanwhile, markets and malls across the nation have been packed with shoppers on Monday and Tuesday, looking for last-minute bargains.
Most stores used to close for Jan 1-3, but in recent times, many big retailers open on New Year's Day, offering huge discounts, to take advantage of families and their children who wish to spend their otoshidama (monetary gifts from parents and grandparents). They also will be selling fukubukuro (lucky sealed bags containing items generally worth double the value of the purchase price).
If you're in Tokyo on Jan 2, the imperial palace will be open to the public. The emperor, empress and other members of the imperial family will greet well-wishers from the balcony three times during the day. Tens of thousands of people usually attend these greetings each year.
Many other cultural events will be held at least until Jan 6 in most prefectures.
On the weather front, the Japan Meteorological Agency has forecast heavy snow for prefectures along the Sea of Japan coast and Hokkaido for Wednesday and Thursday. It said unstable atmospheric conditions caused by a low pressure system moving across the Sea of Japan and warm, humid air flowing toward the front are likely to bring snowstorms and wind gusts.
See related story here.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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kurisupisu
I’ll be sleeping through it all…
OssanAmerica
Same as every year. Especially for those in the Tohoku regions and Hokkaido.
Derek Grebe
As Kohaku Uta Gassen settles over my living room like a four-day-brewed cabbage fart, I retire to the other room with a bottle of something warming and a couple of good films.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the ease with which the Japanese TV-viewing public can be rendered docile.
Tim Sullivan
As Kohaku Uta Gassen settles over my living room like a four-day-brewed cabbage fart, I retire to the other room with a bottle of something warming and a couple of good films.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the ease with which the Japanese TV-viewing public can be rendered docile.
The days when everyone watched NHK on New Year's Eve are long gone. The viewing stats will be out tomorrow. Could be single figures this year.
Tim Sullivan
Life is becoming increasingly grim for most people in Japan, especially pensioners. I could feel the poverty when doing my New Year shopping this afternoon. I want to go back to the Showa era!
Tim Sullivan
This year's Kohaku is cringe, isn't it?
Lots of Koreans this year (much better dancers than Japanese, but I like Perfume). Most of the old enka singers are dead, don't really miss them. The presenters are good though.
TorafusuTorasan
Watched about half of Kohaku as usual. It is a crash course on the trendy social media stars, for example the oddly anonymous Tuki who set some kind of record for most views on a social media platform at age 15. Best lyric goes to K-pop group Le Sserafim: The girls are girling girling. Especially with Johnnys gone.
Roger Gusain
The presenters are good though
They are all doing a great job. Hashimoto-san is my favorite.
Best lyric goes to K-pop group Le Sserafim
Good dancers but they dress like hookers.
Fighto!
Nothing for the closeted creeps and pedo's to watch this year? Good.
Sounds like Kohaku may be almost watchable again!
Space Cochonne
Shopping center and super Market are crowded on Monday and Tuesday because people are purchasing food and goods for the next 2-3 days as it is the only time of the year super market and department store are vastly closing: so just to correct that new year is actually absolutely not a time of a the year for shopping but quite the opposite.
Roger Gusain
This year's Kohaku is cringe, isn't it?
Well, you expect that. It doesn't matter much as 99 percent of the audience have drunk too much to be overly critical. You really need to see it live. I've tried watching Kohakus on NHK Plus after the event, but it's like picking over Christmas turkey leftovers.
Tim Sullivan
Yep, it's all very predictable and reassuring. Nothing too subversive -- I guess that's the charm of Kohaku.
Pukey2
Tim:
In other words, a maximum of 9 viewers in the whole of the country could be watching it?
Tim:
I'd give anything to see them sing LIVE.
socrateos
I will watch the sunrise and pray at a local shrine with the people in the small village where I was born and raised. Then, I will enjoy mochi and Osechi with my family, just as I did when I was a child.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!
falseflagsteve
My misssu has gone to shrine, I’m staying in with my son playing video games with him and then making a slap up curry for dinner. Untraditional but jolly good fun.