"Shogatsu," the term for the New Year's holidays in Japanese, is a time when people take the first three days of the New Year off to spend time relaxing with their families and engaging in traditional activities to remind themselves of their heritage.
Japanese children, especially those in rural areas, play some shogatsu-specific games. In urban areas, adults teach them how to play as they are becoming less and less familiar with those traditions.
Below are some examples of these traditional games.