Hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the New Year

One of the most beautoful New Year traditions in Japan is hatsumōde, the first visit to a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple. Many people are going during the first hours of the year, following an old Shinto tradition to stay awake in the night between years, in front of the Shinto gods.

In every city there are preferred spots, such as the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine in Kamakura, photographed here in the first day of the year, when orderly crowds are patiently waiting to pray for the New Year.