Hatsumode 2027 — Your First Shrine Visit of the Japanese New Year
Hatsumode is Japan's first shrine or temple visit of the New Year, done January 1–3, 2027. Here's what it means, when to go, and exactly how to pray — including the crucial shrine-vs-temple difference.
Across JapanFree to visit and pray. Bring small coins for the offering box (a 5-yen coin is the lucky choice); omikuji fortunes, ema plaques, hamaya arrows and omamori amulets typically cost a few hundred yen each (as of 2026 — confirm at each site).