Ring in 2027 at a Yokohama Shrine Before the City Wakes
You step off the train at Kannai just before midnight on December 31, 2026, and the streets are already moving. Families in coats, couples with paper cups of hot amazake, the low murmur of a crowd heading the same direction. Somewhere ahead, a temple bell is waiting to be rung — 108 times, one for each of the earthly desires that Shogatsu is meant to purify. This is joya no kane, the New Year's Eve bell-ringing ritual, and at temples across Japan visitors queue to take their turn at the rope. Yokohama's own shrines and temples follow the same custom, and the atmosphere — quiet, purposeful, cold enough to see your breath — is the real reason to be here rather than in a club.
New Year's Day itself, January 1, is the only official public holiday of the Shogatsu period, though the functional shutdown runs roughly December 29 through January 4. Plan your visit around what the city reliably does each year rather than chasing a single dated event.
Hatsumode: The First Shrine Visit of the Year
The most important thing you will do on January 1 is hatsumode — the first shrine or temple visit of the new year. It is busiest on New Year's Day itself, and the etiquette is simple: two bows, two claps, one bow. Arrive early if you want space to breathe; arrive at midday if you want the full crush of the crowd, the food stalls, and the sense that the whole city has turned out.
- Go early for hatsuhinode. The first sunrise of the year is a centuries-old ritual, and any high point or waterfront vantage in Yokohama gives you the horizon. The custom is to watch the sun come up, then walk to a shrine for hatsumode while the streets are still quiet.
- Expect crowds at every major shrine. Hatsumode queues at popular sites can extend for blocks. Wear warm layers, bring cash for offerings and stall food, and accept that you will move at the pace of the person in front of you.
- Shrines and temples stay open. They are among the few places guaranteed to be operating through the Shogatsu shutdown, which is precisely why they anchor the day.
What Is Actually Open on January 1 — and What Is Not
This is the single most useful thing to know before you book anything: January 1 is quiet by design. Most museums close, many independent restaurants close, banks and post offices close for several days, and food markets shut. What remains open is what you should build your day around.
- Open: temples and shrines; convenience stores (food and ATMs); most hotel restaurants; many chain restaurants; many aquariums and observation decks — though reservations are advised.
- Closed: most museums on January 1 (many reopen January 2); many independent restaurants; banks and post offices for several days; some smaller shops; food markets.
- Fresh-seafood restaurants may run reduced menus for several days after the holiday — do not count on a full sushi counter on January 1.
- Withdraw cash before December 29. Bank and post-office ATMs are unavailable for days, and shrine stalls and small vendors deal in coins.
If you want a major sushi dinner, move it to January 3 or 4, when restaurants are mostly back and the fish markets have restarted.
January 2: Lucky Bags, First Sales, and a Rare Palace Opening
The second of January is when the city shifts gears. Department stores open for hatsuuri — the first sales of the year — and the queues form for fukubukuro, the sealed lucky bags whose contents you do not see until you pay. It is a genuinely Japanese spectacle: orderly lines, staff in uniform, the collective anticipation of not knowing what you have bought.
- Department stores open on January 2 for hatsuuri and fukubukuro. Go early; the best bags sell out within hours.
- Museums begin reopening from January 2, so this is the day to slot in an indoor attraction if the weather turns.
- The Imperial Palace inner grounds open to the public on January 2 — one of only two days per year. If you are willing to travel to Tokyo for the day, this is a rare chance to walk inside.
New Year's Eve: Soba, Bells, and Where Not to Go
Your December 31 has a rhythm. Eat toshikoshi soba — buckwheat noodles, traditionally for longevity — between 6 and 8 PM. Then head to a temple for the midnight bell. What you should not do is assume there will be fireworks: year-end fireworks are uncommon in Japan, and Shibuya actively discourages the midnight Scramble Crossing crowd with fencing and extra security. Ticketed club and hotel countdowns are the alternative if you want a party rather than a bell.
- Toshikoshi soba is widely available on December 31, but many independent restaurants close from January 1. Eat your soba on the 31st, not the 1st.
- Bell-ringing temples are the traditional midnight destination; visitors can queue to ring the bell at many temples.
- Skip the expectation of fireworks. Plan around bells, shrines, and hotel or club countdowns instead.
- Kohaku Uta Gassen, the televised music show, airs on New Year's Eve — a fixture in hotel bars and family living rooms alike.
Getting There, Staying There, and the Days After
Yokohama sits within easy reach of Tokyo, which matters because the travel calendar is unforgiving. Peak travel days are December 29–31 (people leaving the cities) and January 2–4 (people returning, especially January 3). Shinkansen seats sell out weeks ahead for those dates, so reserve the moment bookings open — typically about one month prior. Book hotels three to six months ahead, and choose one with breakfast: hotel restaurants are among the most reliable dining options during the shutdown.
- Reserve Shinkansen seats early for December 30–31 and January 2–3, the days that sell out first.
- Book a hotel with breakfast so you are not hunting for an open restaurant on January 1.
- From January 4, normal service resumes and day trips become viable — Kamakura, Nikko, and Hakone are all within range.
- January and February are the coldest but clearest, least crowded, and cheapest months, with winter illuminations continuing and January marking peak powder month for skiing.
Start with the train. Lock in your Shinkansen seats and your hotel before autumn ends, decide whether your January 1 begins with a sunrise or a shrine queue, and let the quiet of the day do the rest. Yokohama in Shogatsu is not a city performing for tourists — it is a city keeping its own calendar, and you are welcome to keep it alongside them.