What January is like
January is the coldest month. Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are usually dry and sunny, but the Japan Sea side and the north get heavy snow. Dress warmly, especially for evening fire festivals.
The first three days of the year are a national holiday. Shrines are packed, trains run on holiday timetables, and many shops close. From about January 4, life returns to normal and hotels get cheaper.
Highlights
- Tōka Ebisu, Osaka. Around a million people visit Imamiya Ebisu Shrine from January 9 to 11 to pray to the god of business and buy lucky bamboo branches.
- Nozawa Fire Festival, Nagano. On January 15, villagers defend a wooden tower against men with flaming torches in a snowy hot-spring village.
- Wakakusa Yamayaki, Nara. On the fourth Saturday of January, fireworks light the sky and then the whole grassy hill above Nara Park is set on fire.
Tips for January
- Read our guide to hatsumōde before your first shrine visit.
- Our guide to goshuin, omamori and omikuji explains the seals, charms and fortunes you can take home from a shrine.
- See our winter festivals guide for snow and fire festivals from December to February.
- If you travel in the first week of January, book trains and hotels early.
- For fire festivals, wear clothes you don’t mind getting smoky, and stay behind the ropes.
