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Syabu-yo Shibuya Eki Mae Store (Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki) is open until 4pm on New Years Eve and then 11am-9pm Jan 1-5. I have lots of information and directions on how to find this restaurant in my Shibuya with kids blog post. Locations will be open until 8 p.m. on December 31, and from 12 to 9 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Japanese famiresu (family restaurants) are always there for you when you need them most, like when you’re roaming the empty streets on New Year’s Day looking for something to eat. If you are in Japan during New Year, you can join the crowds doing hatsumode, the year's first visit to a shrine or temple. Hatsumode festivities are held at practically every shrine and temple across Japan during the first few days of the year, especially on January 1. What’s Open and What’s Closed on New Year’s in Japan? Warning: It can be inconvenient to travel in Japan over the New Year’s holiday. While most attractions stay open, some attractions and many shops and restaurants will be closed. New Year in Japan: What’s Open From January 1 to 3? A special type of holidays you might watch out for though is the New Year holidays from January 1 to 3. A lot of small shops and restaurants will be closed, even in big cities. Fortunately, convenience stores will be open. To make it easier for you, here's a list of restaurants, bistros and cafés that are open over the New Year's holidays, albeit some with reduced hours. RECOMMENDED: Things to do on New Tokyo Midtown’s annual New Year’s celebration features a number of fun events to start 2024. As you gear up to welcome the new year, we have curated a list of Tokyo's best spots for experiencing New Year's customs, indulging in celebrations, and getting in some last-minute shopping! (This page may contain promotions.) 1. Zojo-ji Temple New Year’s Countdown: Celebrating under Tokyo Tower. 2. But you have to be careful as well: open hours change during the Japanese New Year! Around the New Year, many places have special opening and closing times, often with earlier closures. Here, we've compiled the 2025 New Year's opening hours for major malls and shops all across Japan. Foreign visitors to Japan during the New Year period can find it a unique time to witness some traditional events, but it is worth planning ahead and understanding how transport, shrines and opening hours to regular attractions may be disrupted. What’s Open and What’s Closed on New Year’s in Japan? Be warned that it can be inconvenient to travel in Japan over the New Year’s holidays. While most attractions stay open, some attractions and many shops and restaurants will be closed. Here’s a list of what stays open and what closes over the New Year’s holidays. Open Jan 1-3 10am-6pm. Places to eat out in Osaka with kids over the New Years Period *Best to ask your hotel to make a reservation asap” Cosme Kitchen Adaptation Jan 1: Completely closed Jan 2: 11am-7:30pm Jan 3: 11am-8:30pm. Chibo Okonomiyaki in Sennichimae or Dotombori Jan 1-3: Open 11am-11pm Bills Japan, Osaka (Australian restaurant) If you haven’t already done so, check out find if these sites for info/ideas on traveling in Japan over New Years. Traveling in Japan Over New Years (see closures at end of this page) Japanese New Year’s 2023. How to Spend New Year’s Holiday in Japan. Alternative Guide to Hatsumode in Tokyo New years Eve: go to a Buddhist temple for Joya no kane. If you’re lucky you can find a temple where you can participate by helping ring the bell. Watch New Year’s Kohaku uta gassen (a singing contest) on tv. New years Day: go to a Shinto shrine for hatsumode, the first visit of the year. Pray, get a fortune, buy omamori, etc. Day 6 - TOKYO - NEW YEARS DAY - We may need to adjust based on what’s open New Years Day, which I'm nervous about. Travel early in the morning to Tokyo. If we choose the train, we would stop off and see Mount Fuji on the way to Tokyo, but may fly back to save time. 3 New Year’s food; 4 Where to spend New Year’s Eve. 4.1 Zojo-ji Temple New Year’s Countdown (Tokyo) 4.2 Port of Yokohama Countdown & Fireworks (Yokohama) 4.3 Countdown Parties of Roppongi (Tokyo) 5 New Year decorations. 5.1 Kadomatsu; 5.2 Kagami mochi; 6 Emperor’s New Year Greeting; 7 Travel information; 8 New Year’s Closures I'll be in Tokyo the last week of December and the only day we have available are either New Years Eve or New year's Day. Is it absoutely insane during the New year's to the point of not worth going or is it manageable? 1/1 is a Sunday and 12/31 is Saturday for reference. Any help appreciated, thanks! In Japan, even places that stay open all year take a break on New Year's Day. Most big malls and department stores are closed on January 1st and start up again on the 2nd. If you're in Tokyo, heading to Tokyo Station might be a good idea. It's a station, but it's like this huge shopping place with all kinds of stores. It depends on what you’re looking for. Are you looking for a somber temple experience, or a champagne-and-kiss-at-midnight experience? I don’t actually have a recommendation for either (I’m boring and usually spent New Year’s at home when I lived there), but New Year’s is generally a pretty sedate experience in Japan, so other posters might find it helpful to know what you’re The busiest time is around midnight on New Year's Day, but it is relatively quiet when the gates open early in the morning from 6:40 a.m. on January 2 or in the evening until 7 p.m., so plan your visit around these times.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.