Japan’s New Year holiday beginning on January 1 is called Shōgatsu.
Shōgatsu is one of Japan’s most important annual observances. Families may clean their homes before the holiday, display symbolic decorations, send greeting cards, eat special foods, and visit a shrine or temple for hatsumōde, the first religious visit of the year.
The holiday is distinct from Obon, a summer observance associated with honoring ancestral spirits, and from Setsubun, the seasonal festival famous for bean-throwing customs. Japanese New Year celebrations follow the Gregorian calendar today, so Shōgatsu begins on January 1.
The term can refer broadly to the New Year season rather than only a single moment at midnight. That is why a question about Japan’s first New Year holiday calls for Shōgatsu, while Joya no kane names the bell-ringing ceremony held around New Year’s Eve.