First shrine visit of new-year; “Hatsu-mode”

Happy new year to you! “Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu”. Well, this phrase is a convenient common greeting at the beginning of a new year in Japan, but it’s difficult to translate it into English including the nuance. It implies a kind of hope that the person saying it wants to keep an “adequate” relationship with somebody. 


At the beginning of a new year for celebration, a lot of Japanese people visit shrines (or temples rarely), which are adorned with new-year iconic decorations of celebrating.

This time, let’s go to visit Nishinomiya Shrine in Nishinomiya city, Hyogo Prefecture, which is between Osaka and Kobe. It enshrines Okuni-no-mikoto, who is worshipped as the god of prosperity.

Nishinomiya Shrine



It’s three o’clock in the afternoon of January 1. Many people are already gathering outside of the shrine. As the first shrine visit of a new year, “hatsu-mode”, begins at the stroke of midnight and a lot of people celebrate new year at shrines, so that’s a matter of course. Now, let’s follow the rear of crowding line which many visitors make.


The flavor and the sound of cooking from many stalls, which open along both sides of the visiting people, lure visitors. Needless to say, they stop the children from walking whose tempers are glued, then the parents of these children shall be annoyed whether to go or drop into a stall missing the first temple visit. Those stalls are exhibited when a Japanese festival in held as well, although those sell things like baby-castella or baked-squid, the smell from foods rouse memories of a festival as well as appetites. You may want to eat something, but wait for a while. We should make it the pleasure for later.


Around the path to the shrine many celebration flags raise the minds of people. The large kanji-word written on the flags is “kei-shin”, respect gods, and the small kanji-word is “syobai-hanjo”, prosperity of a business.


Twenty minutes passed for move approximately one hundred meters, finally, we arrived in front of the inside-gate of the shrine. The sanctuary inside the gate is close to us, but the crowd of people almost stay there. The people are calm with a whisper, but some little children are unsettled by the silent big pressure of the visitors and the slowness of moving. Their parents hold and soothe their little children, then, little children got back their smiles. At the moment, the air of familiarity kindly taps our minds.


After about thirty minutes from the inside-gate we could worship the god and make new-year wishes, for example, may my most important dream come true. After praying although it was difficult to get out of the crowd, we somehow or other went out by sidling up though the crowd.

Japanese people put significance on turning points of seasons. The new year is the largest turning point, so Japanese people visit shrines or temples in order to refresh their minds and make new wishes.

After making wish



After making your wish let’s get an“omikuji”; a god-lottery. The omikuji you got shows your destiny of this year from “dai-kichi”; a great luck to “kyo”; a worse luck.


The omikuji I got was a luck one. Even if you get a worse one, it’s no problem, it is better for you to be careful. If you want get a great luck one, it’s possible to get more.


If you want to strengthen your wish, you should get and write your wish on an “ema”; a small wooden board with a propitious drawing. Besides, you have to put your ema with your wish on the ema wall of the shrine.

You can receive a cup of sake from a “miko”; a shrine maid. It shall make your body lighter. After all, all the people visiting this shrine smile and enjoy the first shrine visit.

A luck comes to a smiling person

After the first shrine visit video(Instagram)


“Warau kado niwa fuku kitaru “ is an important saying in Japan. It means that a luck comes to a smiling person or a smiling family. This saying is very simple but the meaning is deep. Generally, people think that people smile when they are happy. Nonetheless, this saying says a smile is first and a luck is second. Nobody in Japan says anything about it, but it is similar to the law of attraction.

Foreigners might be surprised at smiles by servers of cheap shops, then of course, it shows the spirit of hospitality. And about a no-word-thought on the bottom of the Japanese hospitality, if I were to venture a guess, and this is just my personal opinion, it expresses the deep spirit of “Warau kado niwa fuku kitaru “. Moreover, it is one of the nonverbal Japanese worldview, I think.

In that sense, the first temple visit is a magnificent catalyst to smile. Shrines and temples tidied up before a new year are places of great sanctuary. So Visiting shrines or temples make the minds and the hearts of the visiting people lighter. Food stalls to fill people’s stomachs make people satisfied. Sake lead people to enjoyment. Liveliness by beautiful lucky flags pour energy into people’s minds. Omikuji which arouses your recent interest on your path of life vibrates your mind. And beautiful young shrine maidens make people happy. All of those facilities make you smile.


Now, let’s eat something tasty. You can eat anything you like and let’s smile more!

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