The first shrine or temple visit of the year in Japan is called hatsumōde.
During hatsumōde, people visit a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple to pray for health, safety and good fortune in the new year. Many visits occur during the first days of January, and major sites can become exceptionally crowded. Visitors may buy protective charms, draw written fortunes and make offerings.
The word combines “hatsu,” meaning first, with “mōde,” meaning a pilgrimage or visit. The practice is part of Shōgatsu, Japan's New Year season, but hatsumōde specifically identifies the first religious visit rather than the entire holiday.
Joya no kane is another Japanese New Year's tradition, but it means the ringing of Buddhist temple bells, traditionally 108 times on New Year's Eve. Obon is a different Japanese observance held in summer and associated with remembering ancestors.