We wish all our customers and well-wishers a Very Happy New Year. Hope this new year will bring joy, prosperity and happiness to you. And please don’t forget to enjoy safe driving.
In Japan, New Year (shogatsu) is an important holiday season. Most businesses are closed in the first week of January. Japanese people would typically be with their families to welcome the new year together.
January 1 is considered a very auspicious day in Japan. It is best to start the new year by going to temple or shrine to offer prayers and watching the first sunrise (hatsu-hinode). People clean their houses, shops and offices before the commencement of the new year. The new year day is supposed be full of joy and free of stress and anger and people prefer not to work on this day. However, many young people take this opportunity of a long holiday to visit nearby countries for vacation.
For those who can not visit Japan to welcome the new year in Japanese style, I am posting here a picture of sunrise at the Itsukushima shrine in Miyajima island, near Hiroshima. It is considered as one of the three most scenic places in Japan.