Lifestyle Dec 26, 2021
COVID-safe ways to ring in the new year in Japan
by Rebecca Saunders
With infection rates nationwide dwindling, many are thinking of returning to more traditional celebrations as the year winds down to a close.
Travel Dec 28, 2019
Hatsuhinode: Where to see the first sunrise of the decade
by Russell Thomas
There's never a better time to catch sunrise in Japan than at new year. From Tokyo Tower to the coast of Chiba Prefecture, here are 10 of the best places to see the first sunrise of the year near Tokyo.
Our Lives | JAPAN LITE Dec 30, 2018
Celebrating New Year's the island way
by Amy Chavez
On the small island where I live in the middle of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, new year celebrations are stalwart traditional. Preparations start a week before when the holiday spirit wafts in on sea breezes tinted with chilling temperatures. The island holds a community ...
National Jan 1, 2018
Japan was in a festive mood Monday to celebrate the new year as 2018 was greeted with sunrise viewing parties and crowd control.
Travel Dec 29, 2017
Here comes the sun: Recommended hatsuhinode spots
by Katherine Whatley
The first sunrise of the new year represents a chance for a new beginning and so it's hardly surprising that some once viewed the first rays of the sun on Jan. 1 with special reverence. It was believed to be the moment that Toshigami, ...
Lifestyle Dec 29, 2016
First sunrise of the year brings luck
by Yuki Yamauchi
The sight of a sunrise is familiar to early risers. On New Year's Day the experience takes on a more special meaning — legend has it the sun goddess Amaterasu created this country after all. So Jan. 1 is the one day that people who ...