What name is given to New Year's Eve celebrations in Japan?

Ōmisoka is the Japanese name for New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Ōmisoka is observed on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian calendar year in Japan. Families commonly make preparations for the New Year, clean their homes, settle obligations, and share a special evening meal. Buddhist temples traditionally ring their bells 108 times in a ritual called joya no kane, symbolizing the purification of the 108 earthly desires in Buddhist thought.

Ōmisoka is distinct from Shōgatsu, the New Year period that begins on January 1. It is also distinct from Setsubun, a seasonal observance associated with bean-throwing, and Obon, a summer Buddhist memorial period. Before Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar for civil use in 1873, New Year’s timing followed a lunisolar calendar, but modern Ōmisoka falls on December 31.