Ring out the New Year's Eve bell and eat soba noodles—6 things Japanese people must do to welcome the New Year

Text & photos / Excerpted from "Illustrated Japanese Customs" supervised by Shoji Niiya, published by Hoorudoh

Mochi pounding — Mochitsuki
A sacred custom to welcome the New Year
As the year comes to an end, the sound of pounding mochi can often be heard in the courtyards of Japanese households. When making mochi, the steamer or mortar is bound with a shimenawa (sacred straw rope), and beneath it is laid dried grass purified with salt. It is important not to prepare mochi in a last-minute rush before the end of the year—since ancient times, it has been customary to finish making it by December 28. Making it on the 29th is called “bitter mochi,” and doing it on the 31st is referred to as “one-night mochi,” both of which are considered bad luck according to tradition. As for the finished mochi, besides being used to make kagami mochi for worshipping the Toshigami (New Year deity), the rest is made into New Year’s mochi for eating. In the Kanto region, it is mainly made into square shapes, while in the Kansai area, it is made round.

[Mid-December to New Year’s Eve]

New Year’s Market — Toshi no Ichi
Go to the New Year’s market to shop for new goods
As the year-end atmosphere becomes hectic, street-side New Year’s markets open up, bustling with people shopping for festive items. Known in Japan as “Toshi no Ichi” (Year Markets), they are also called “Kure Ichi” (End-of-Year Markets) or “Setsuji Ichi” (Seasonal Markets), operating from mid-December until New Year’s Eve. These markets reflect the year’s economic climate. Alongside essential New Year decorations such as shimenawa and white-leaf paper, toys like sugoroku and hagoita, and ingredients for traditional New Year dishes, you’ll also find everyday household items. This is because it’s customary to replace old items with new ones during the New Year period.

At the entrances of temples and shrines across the country, “Temple Gate Markets” pop up, among which Tokyo’s Senso-ji Temple “Oo-Ichi” (Big Market) is the most famous, hailed as the #1 market of the Edo period. This large market also gave rise to the “Hagoita Market.” Nowadays, when the Oo-Ichi opens, it sells only hagoita (battledores), yet it still draws massive crowds, adding liveliness to Japan’s year-end atmosphere and serving as a unique seasonal tradition. At the hagoita market shops, when a large hagoita is sold, the staff and customer clap hands in celebration—a custom passed down since ancient times.

In addition, the “Setagaya Flea Market” held at the entrance of the former Daikan residence in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward is also a well-known market. As the name suggests, it specializes in second-hand household goods, clothing, antiques, and more, attracting large crowds every year. It is said that this market has a long history, dating back over 400 years to the Warring States period when Hojo Ujitsuna, the lord of Odawara Castle, agreed not to tax the market. Whenever the market is open, numerous stalls line the narrow alleys, bringing vibrant energy to the year-end season.

Year-End Party — Toshikoshi (Year-Forget)
The origin of the year-end party lies in celebrating the safe passage of the year
At the end of the year, family and friends gather to celebrate the safe conclusion of the year and to let go of daily worries and enjoy themselves. Such gatherings in Japan are called “Toshikoshi,” a custom that dates back to the Muromachi period. In the past, in addition to drinking and feasting, people would also hold “Renga parties” (linked-verse poetry gatherings) for entertainment.

Since ancient times, Japanese people believed that the spirits of the deceased would return to the world of the living on New Year’s Eve, so in addition to banquets, ancestral worship was also practiced.

Originally a custom among the nobility, it became widespread among commoners during the Edo period. Today, Japanese companies hold year-end parties (similar to holiday office parties) to reward employees for their hard work throughout the year. The term “Toshikoshi” (year-end party) literally derives from the older custom of “Toshikoshi,” though the form has slightly changed.

[December 31]

New Year’s Eve — Toshikoshi
Stay up to welcome the Toshigami (New Year deity)
The period from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day is called “Toshikoshi,” meaning “crossing over the year.” Since it marks the transition from the old year to the new, it is also known as “Joya” (Night of the Year), symbolizing “driving away the misfortunes of the old year.” The Japanese also use the lunar calendar, where a day is considered to begin after sunset. Therefore, Joya is already considered the start of the new year, a sacred night for welcoming the Toshigami.

Traditionally, all preparations for the New Year must be completed by this night. Then, people purify their bodies and minds and stay up all night to greet the deity. Going to bed early on this night is considered disrespectful to the gods, as no one will be there to welcome them—and it’s even said to result in premature white hair and wrinkles. Perhaps for this reason, many Japanese now visit shrines and temples on New Year’s Eve and wait to sleep only after hearing the Joya no Kane (New Year’s Eve bell). In some areas, bonfires are lit or people even jump naked into the sea, believed to cleanse the year’s impurities. In short, there are various local customs for celebrating the New Year.

New Year’s Eve Soba — Toshikoshi Soba
Eating soba noodles symbolizes “long life and longevity”
The custom of eating soba noodles on New Year’s Eve in Japan is said to have originated in the mid-Edo period, when Edo merchants had a tradition of eating “misoka soba” (last-day-of-the-month soba) on the final day of each month. Because soba noodles are long and thin, they symbolize enduring good fortune and longevity for both family and life, making them an auspicious food.

Do people in Kagawa eat “Sanuki udon” for New Year’s?
Kagawa Prefecture is the home of Sanuki udon. There, instead of eating “Toshikoshi soba,” people eat “Toshikoshi udon”—yes, it sounds like a joke, but it’s true. Kagawa has a warm climate, making it easier to grow wheat than buckwheat, so many families have traditionally “prepared both soba and udon” for the New Year. Even today, in addition to Toshikoshi soba, convenience stores in Kagawa also display udon during the New Year. When it comes to Sanuki udon, you can’t miss “Kamatama udon,” topped with raw egg and raw soy sauce—but besides that, “Table udon” eaten on New Year’s Eve is also very popular. This dish features taro and yuba (tofu skin) cooked in soy sauce and served over hot udon.

New Year’s Eve Bell — Joya no Kane
Ring out all worries to welcome the New Year
Around midnight on December 31, Japanese temples begin ringing the Joya no Kane (New Year’s Eve bell). It is said that humans have 108 worldly desires, so the bell is rung 108 times. According to Buddhism, there are 108 types of human suffering and earthly attachments, so the bell is rung to dispel the sins of the past year, sever ego, and welcome the new year.

The tradition of striking the New Year's Eve bell actually originated in China during the Song Dynasty, when bells were rung in the palace on the night before the Winter Solstice to drive away evil spirits. In Japan, it is said that the practice of ringing bells began after the Kamakura period in Zen temples. At that time, one hundred and eight strikes were made both in the morning and evening, but later this was simplified to only striking the New Year's Eve bell on New Year’s Eve, with just eighteen strikes at other times. The bell used is a Buddhist temple bell introduced from India, whose resonant sound can carry far and has an exceptionally long lingering tone, creating a unique state of mind in those who hear it.

Many Japanese people likely spend New Year’s Eve with their families, eating soba noodles and quietly listening to the tolling of the New Year’s bell. Many temples are open to the public for bell-ringing, and nowadays TV stations also broadcast the sounds of famous temple bells across Japan.