The closest shrine to my home

In general, it is customary for Hatsumode—the first shrine visit of the New Year—to go to the Shinto shrine closest to where you live. This is because the ujigami, the guardian deity of your area including your home, is enshrined there, so it is considered best to visit the nearest shrine first. Hatsumode is known as a traditional event to celebrate the New Year while praying for things like household safety and good health.

The New Year deity’s gift, the soul

Otoshidama, New Year’s gifts imbued with the meaning of the spirit and blessings bestowed by the Toshigami deity. As we welcome the Toshigami who arrives for the New Year, it is said that the deity’s spirit dwells in the kagamimochi offered in worship. The origin lies in reading this kagamimochi as “otoshidama,” and it was believed that breaking the kagamimochi would bring good fortune.

Welcome and celebrate the New Year deity (Toshigami-sama).

The reason January is called “Shōgatsu” (New Year) is that the character for “shō” contains the meaning of the beginning of the year and renewing the year. The New Year is a traditional event in which families and relatives welcome the Toshigami deity and offer hospitality, praying for the household’s happiness and prosperity. Its origins lie in Japanese customs and ceremonies of offering prayers to the gods.

From the 'pocchi' in 'kore pocchi' (meaning 'this tiny bit').

It’s said that the “pochi” in pochi-bukuro comes from words meaning “just a little,” such as the Kansai dialect bochi-bochi or the Kanto expression koreppocchi. The small envelopes used to give children New Year’s money are often called pochi-bukuro. Unlike formal gift envelopes or those with mizuhiki cords, the name reflects the thoughtfulness of giving someone just a small token.

To be able to work diligently

Black soybeans, a staple ingredient in osechi (traditional New Year’s dishes), are foods imbued with the wish for vitality and a healthy life. They also carry the meanings of working diligently and living diligently, suggesting that being able to work industriously was considered especially important.

Cleaning

It is believed that cleaning during the New Year will sweep away the good fortune brought by the Toshigami, the deity of the year welcomed by family and relatives. It’s best to avoid not only cleaning but also water-related chores like doing laundry and tasks that use fire. This custom conveys the importance of spending the New Year quietly and at ease.

January 7 or 15

Generally, it’s considered best to go during the period when New Year’s decorations are displayed. This period varies by region: until January 7 in the Kanto region and until January 15 in the Kansai region. It’s helpful to remember that hatsumode is meant to be done during the “Matsu-no-uchi” period, when the Toshigami (New Year deity) is believed to be present.

From the night of January 1 to January 2

The first dream you have after welcoming the New Year is called hatsuyume. Generally, it refers to the dream you see on the night of January 1st into the morning of January 2nd, and it’s said to be related to the custom of staying up through New Year’s Eve until the morning of January 1st. It’s considered auspicious to dream of “ichi Fuji, ni taka, san nasu” — first Mount Fuji, second a hawk, and third an eggplant.

dragonfly

The winged shuttlecock motif represents a dragonfly. Dragonflies are beneficial insects that eat pests like mosquitoes, which carry various diseases. It’s said that the custom of playing hanetsuki during the New Year began because the sight of the shuttlecock flying was likened to a dragonfly.

New Year’s spiced sake (otoso)

The correct answer is otoso, a drink consumed at New Year’s to pray for health and longevity. The character 屠 (also read hofuru) means to drive away evil, and 蘇 carries the sense of awakening the soul; together they are said to signify repelling evil and reviving vitality. It is a type of medicinal herb wine made from sake, mirin, and medicinal herbs.