The Japanese first shrine or temple visit of the New Year is called hatsumōde.
People make hatsumōde during the first days of the year to pray for health, safety, happiness, and prosperity. Visits may be made to a Shinto shrine, a Buddhist temple, or both. Popular sites can attract very large crowds, particularly just after midnight.
Visitors commonly buy protective amulets, draw fortunes, and return old charms according to local customs. New Year's food, family gatherings, and traditional clothing are also associated with the broader Japanese New Year period.
Hatsumōde is different from Joya no Kane, the Buddhist bell-ringing ritual on New Year's Eve. The bell ritual symbolically clears worldly desires; hatsumōde is the subsequent act of visiting a sacred site and making prayers for the year ahead.