Starting in the very first minutes of the New Year and continuing through the first days of the year, the Japanese tradition of Hatsumōde draws a huge number of people to the famous Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.

Hatsumōde 「初詣」 is the year’s first visit to the shrine (or temple), when prayers are made for good fortune, health and safety to the new year.

At the most important shrines and temples, long queues are formed. One of the most crowded is the Meiji Jingu Shrine, visited in the first 3 days of the year by over 3 million people. Today I went with them:

Hatsumode Crowd, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese New Year Decorations Shop