A Simple Guide for First-Time Visitors
If you visit Japan around the New Year, you may see many Japanese people walking toward shrines and temples.
This first visit of the year is called Hatsumode, and it is a traditional way to pray for health, safety, and good fortune in the coming year.
You do not need to be Japanese or religious to participate.
What matters most is being respectful and calm.
Below is a simple explanation of how Japanese people usually pray at a Shinto shrine.
Please take a look at this video.
Before You Pray: Purifying Your Hands
Near the entrance of most shrines, you will find a small water pavilion called Temizuya.
This is where visitors symbolically cleanse themselves before praying.
How to do it:
- Take the ladle with your right hand and pour water over your left hand
- Switch hands and rinse your right hand
- Pour a little water onto your left hand and gently touch your lips or wipe around your mouth
(You do not need to put water into your mouth or spit it out) - Finally, rinse the handle of the ladle and return it
This purification is symbolic. A light, respectful gesture is enough.
Offering Money: How Much Should You Give?
At the offering box in front of the shrine, people gently toss coins as a sign of gratitude.
There is no fixed rule about the amount.
Common choices include:
- 5 yen – sounds like “good connection” in Japanese and is considered lucky
- 10 or 100 yen – very common and perfectly acceptable
- 1,000 yen or more – sometimes given for special prayers or personal reasons
The amount is less important than your intention.
You are not buying luck.
How to Pray: Bowing and Clapping
At most Shinto shrines, the basic prayer style is called:
Two bows, two claps, one bow
Here is the order:
- Bow deeply two times
- Clap your hands two times
- Quietly make your wish or prayer in your heart
- Bow deeply one final time
You do not need to say anything out loud.
What Should You Pray For?
Japanese people often pray for simple and practical things, such as:
- Good health
- Safety for family
- A peaceful year
- Success in work or study
There is no need for dramatic or emotional prayers.
Quiet sincerity is enough.
A Note for Visitors
You may see people performing these actions very carefully, while others are more relaxed.
Both are acceptable.
Japanese shrine visits are not about perfection, but about respect, calmness, and gratitude.
If you follow the flow and act gently, you are already doing it right.
Final Thoughts
Hatsumode is not a performance.
It is a quiet moment to pause at the beginning of the year.
Even if you do not fully understand the customs, simply standing there with respect is more than enough.
We hope your visit to Japan is peaceful and meaningful.
▶︎Why Are Japanese People Walking Around with a “Stick with a Bell” at New Year?
