New Year's Eve in Japan is quiet and traditional: families eat noodles at home, temples ring their bells 108 times, and crowds queue at shrines for the first prayer of the year. In Tokyo, go to Zōjō-ji or Sensō-ji for the bells and Meiji Jingū for the midnight shrine visit. For fireworks, head to Odaiba Marine Park, where the city's official countdown takes place on 31 December 2026, or to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka.
It feels nothing like Sydney or London, and you will find the bigger picture in our guide to the best places to celebrate New Year 2027 around the world.
This guide covers Ōmisoka 2026 (welcoming 2027): the temple bells, hatsumōde shrine visits, the Odaiba countdown, the first sunrise, Osaka and Kyoto, hotel events and overnight trains. Temple and shrine schedules are published in December and can change, so confirm times before you go. Planning the rest of the trip? Our Tokyo travel guide lists the city's main sights.
Ōmisoka 2026 is a Thursday. Japan Standard Time is GMT+9, so the bells ring out the year well before Europe or the Americas reach midnight.
What Ōmisoka means and how Japan spends New Year's Eve
The New Year, Shōgatsu, is Japan's most important holiday, and Ōmisoka is the day of preparation and farewell. Homes are cleaned, unfinished business is ideally settled, and families gather for dinner. Many watch television specials through the evening before heading out late to a temple or shrine.
Toshikoshi soba, literally "year-crossing" buckwheat noodles, is eaten on the evening of 31 December. The long noodles are linked to a long life, and because buckwheat breaks easily, eating them is said to cut off the troubles of the old year. Soba restaurants are busy that evening, and convenience stores sell ready-made versions. Some families also drink otoso, a spiced sweet sake, over the New Year period. If you want to know what else to order on the trip, see our list of popular dishes in Japan.
The television fixture is NHK's Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a live singing contest between a red team of female artists and a white team of male artists that ends shortly before midnight. When it finishes, the broadcast switches to live pictures of temple bells across the country, and people swap "Yoi o-toshi o" (have a good year) for "Akemashite omedetō" once midnight passes.
Joya no kane: hearing the 108 bells
Around midnight, Buddhist temples across Japan perform joya no kane, the ringing of the great temple bell. Most ring it 108 times, one for each of the 108 worldly desires (bonnō) in Buddhist teaching. At many temples 107 strokes are rung in the old year and the last one after midnight. Kyoto's official tourism site reminds visitors that this is a religious ceremony, not a countdown party, so keep your voice down and leave the selfie stick at the hotel.
Tokyo bell temples: Zōjō-ji, Sensō-ji and where you can ring the bell
Zōjō-ji in Shiba Park is one of Tokyo's most photographed places on New Year's Eve because Tokyo Tower rises right behind the main gate. The bell is struck from midnight. Visitors can ring it only with a paid bell ticket, and places are very limited, so check the Zōjō-ji website at the start of December.
Arrive by around 10.30 pm for a comfortable spot. The nearest stations are Onarimon and Shibakōen on the Toei Mita Line and Daimon on the Toei Asakusa and Ōedo lines, with Hamamatsuchō on JR a little further.
Sensō-ji in Asakusa is the other classic. Here the bell is not open to the public: at midnight a priest strikes it, then 108 members of a local lay association take turns for the 108 strokes. You hear it while queuing along Nakamise street for the first prayer of the year. Details are posted on the Sensō-ji website.
If ringing the bell yourself matters more than the setting, Ikegami Honmonji in Ōta ward let visitors strike it free of charge last year, with 600 places in groups of six and numbered tickets handed out from 11 pm on 31 December. Myōhō-ji in Suginami also let small groups take turns at no cost. Both are neighbourhood temples well away from the tourist centre.
Chion-in, Kyoto: Japan's most famous bell ceremony
Chion-in, the head temple of the Jōdo sect in Higashiyama, has one of Japan's largest bells, and a team of monks pulls on ropes to swing a heavy wooden beam into it. Ringing starts in the late evening at the Daishōrō bell tower, with a strike roughly once a minute.
This is one of the busiest spots in Kyoto that night, and the queue to enter the bell area forms hours ahead. Dress warmly and expect to wait. For more of the city's temples by daylight, see our guide to the most beautiful temples and shrines in Japan.
Hatsumōde: the first shrine visit of the year
As soon as the bells finish, attention turns to hatsumōde, the first shrine or temple visit of the new year. People pray for health and luck, buy new amulets (omamori), return last year's charms, and draw omikuji fortune slips. Most visits happen between 1 and 3 January, and the busiest shrines admit people in managed waves.
Meiji Jingū, Tokyo: the busiest shrine in the country
Meiji Jingū, set in a forest next to Harajuku, draws several million people over the first days of January. Police and shrine staff move the crowd in blocks toward the main hall, which can take an hour or more at peak time. The shrine had not published its hours for 2026/27 by early November; they appear on the official Meiji Jingū site in December.
For a calmer visit, go early on the morning of 2 or 3 January. The food stalls (yatai) along the approach paths are part of the fun either way. The closest stations are JR Harajuku and Meiji-jingūmae (Harajuku) on Tokyo Metro.
Fireworks and the Odaiba countdown
Tokyo's official countdown for 2026/27 moves to the waterfront. TOKYO NEW YEAR'S EVE '26/27 takes place at Odaiba Marine Park on 31 December, with fireworks, a drone show, stage performances, food trucks and the Tokyo Aqua Symphony fountain show, according to a Tokyo Metropolitan Government press release of 26 October 2026. The Tokyo Beach Reflections projection mapping lights up the beach the same night.
The organiser, the Tokyo Nighttime Promotion Project, plans to publish the programme, timings and viewing rules in late November on the Tokyo Nighttime Project site. Whether you need a ticket had not been announced. The Shinjuku countdown held in front of the Metropolitan Government Building last year is not returning.
What happened to the Shibuya countdown?
Shibuya Crossing became famous for informal countdown crowds, and the ward once ran an official event there. The last one was held for the turn to 2020; it has been cancelled every year since, first because of COVID-19 and later because of crowd safety concerns. Shibuya had not announced its plans for 2026/27 by early November.
The "Shibuya countdown parties" you will see advertised are private, ticketed events at clubs, not a public celebration at the crossing.
If you do go to Shibuya, know the rules. Since 1 October 2024 a ward ordinance has banned drinking in the street from 6 pm to 5 am every day around Shibuya Station, Center Street, Miyashita Park and the Maruyamachō club area; there is no fine, but patrols and private security staff can confiscate drinks.
Watching the first sunrise in Tokyo
Hatsuhinode, the first sunrise of the year, is the last ritual of the night for many people. According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the sun rises in Tokyo at 6:50 am on 1 January 2027.
Tokyo Skytree has opened its observation decks early on New Year's morning in past years, with special sunrise tickets. Hotels with high floors sometimes run their own viewing: the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel in Shibuya has announced a sunrise viewing on its 39th floor for staying guests. Outside the city, Mount Takao and the Ōsanbashi pier in Yokohama are popular, though both mean an early start in the cold.
New Year's Eve in Osaka and Kyoto
Osaka's big countdown is at Universal Studios Japan. NO LIMIT! Countdown 2027 runs from 7 pm on 31 December to 9 pm on 1 January, ending the old year with about 5,000 fireworks. Entry needs a Party Pass, from ¥16,900 including tax; general sales opened on 4 November, and details are on the Universal Studios Japan site.
Kyoto is the opposite: no fireworks, many bells. After Chion-in, many people walk on to the shrines of Higashiyama for their first prayer, so you can hear the bell and make hatsumōde the same night. Crowds in the old streets are heavy, and the city asks visitors to move in small groups and take their rubbish with them.
Japan's New Year's Eve options compared
The table sets the main choices side by side, from free temple visits to ticketed parties.
Ways to spend Ōmisoka
| Experience | Where | When | Atmosphere | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple bell (joya no kane) | Zōjō-ji or Sensō-ji, Tokyo; Chion-in, Kyoto | Late evening to after midnight | Solemn, crowded | Culture seekers |
| Midnight hatsumōde | Meiji Jingū, Tokyo | From midnight | Huge crowd, festive stalls | First-timers |
| Daytime hatsumōde | Any shrine | 1 to 3 January | Busy but relaxed | Families, light sleepers |
| Fireworks countdown | Odaiba Marine Park, Tokyo; Universal Studios Japan, Osaka | Evening to midnight | Festive, outdoor | Groups, families |
| First sunrise | Observation decks, high hotels, Mount Takao | Dawn, 1 January | Quiet, cold | Early risers |
Temperatures in Tokyo and Kyoto drop close to freezing at night, and you may wait outdoors for one or two hours, so wear warm layers and comfortable shoes.
What New Year's Eve in Japan costs
The core Japanese New Year is cheap. Watching the temple bells and making the first shrine visit are free, and the traditional dinner is a bowl of soba. The costs are trains, rooms and ticketed events.
Japan New Year's Eve spending
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Watching joya no kane | Free | Ringing at Zōjō-ji needs a paid ticket |
| Hatsumōde at Meiji Jingū | Free | Offering coins and omikuji in cash |
| Odaiba countdown | To be announced | Programme due in late November |
| Universal Studios Japan countdown | From ¥16,900 | Party Pass, tax included |
| Hotel New Year activities (Cerulean Tower) | Free to ¥3,500 | Cheaper or free for guests |
| Hotel, 31 December | Holiday-week rate | Japanese travellers fill rooms and trains |
Meals can cost more if you end up relying on hotel restaurants. Keep a supply of small coins for shrines and stalls.
Budget for local accommodation taxes on top of the room rate. Kyoto raised its tax on 1 March 2026 and now charges per person per night: ¥200 for rooms under ¥6,000, ¥400 from ¥6,000 to ¥19,999, ¥1,000 from ¥20,000 to ¥49,999, ¥4,000 from ¥50,000 to ¥99,999 and ¥10,000 at ¥100,000 or more. A couple in a ¥25,000-per-person ryokan for three New Year nights therefore pays ¥6,000 in tax alone.
Hotel New Year events
Large Tokyo hotels run New Year programmes that are open to non-guests as well as residents. Most take place on 1 and 2 January rather than on the night itself, and they lean towards traditional performing arts and games.
The Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel's 2027 line-up is a typical example: a lion dance and a short kabuki dance in the lobby, Noh (¥3,500, or ¥1,000 for guests and restaurant customers) and rakugo comic storytelling in its basement Noh theatre, and rickshaw rides. Many hotels also sell New Year stay packages with special meals, which are published in the autumn and sell out early.
Where to stay in Japan for New Year's Eve
Base yourself near the temple or shrine you want for midnight, and near a JR line if you plan to move after it.
Bases by experience
| City | Area | Walk or ride to |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Hamamatsuchō and Shiba | Zōjō-ji, beneath Tokyo Tower |
| Tokyo | Asakusa | Sensō-ji and Nakamise street |
| Tokyo | Harajuku and Shibuya | Meiji Jingū for midnight hatsumōde |
| Tokyo | Odaiba | The Odaiba Marine Park countdown |
| Kyoto | Gion and Higashiyama | Chion-in and the Higashiyama shrines on foot |
Kyoto's central hotels fill early for the New Year, and so do ryokan offering a traditional New Year meal. Book months ahead and check whether breakfast is served on 1 January, as some kitchens close.
Getting home after midnight
JR East had not announced its overnight service for 2026/27 by early November; it usually does so in its winter timetable release, posted on the JR East site. For the turn to 2026, it ran trains through the night on six Tokyo-area lines, including the Yamanote loop roughly every 10 to 25 minutes between about 1:00 and 5:00.
Tokyo Metro and Toei subways did not run all night in recent years, and neither had published 2026/27 plans by early November. If you are at Zōjō-ji or in Asakusa, plan to walk to a JR station afterwards. A hotel near a Yamanote station such as Harajuku, Hamamatsuchō or Shibuya is the safest bet.
Tips for New Year's Eve in Japan
Book rooms early. Japanese families travel home over the New Year, and hotels and long-distance trains fill well in advance.
Eat soba early. Soba restaurants are packed on the evening of 31 December. Go before the rush, or pick up a bowl from a convenience store.
Follow shrine etiquette. Bow at the gate, rinse your hands at the water basin, then bow twice, clap twice and bow once at the hall.
Coming back in spring? Our guide to cherry blossom season has the forecast dates. For a different take on the same night, read how South Korea celebrates New Year with its own bell and sunrise rituals.
Search fares on our flight search and book early: flights to Tokyo and Osaka in the holiday week fill quickly. If you are thinking about living there, our guide to moving to Japan covers visas and costs.
The customs you will see in Japan are compared with those of other countries in our guide to New Year traditions around the world.
Planning a trip to Japan? Read our Japan travel guide, compare hotels in Japan or search flights.
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