Category - Tokyo

Tokyo

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New Year’s Eve in Tokyo (video)
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Setsubun Spring Festival in Japan
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New Year’s in Tokyo
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Best Places to Celebrate New Year’s

New Year’s Eve in Tokyo (video)

If you’re looking for a unique way to spend New Year’s this year, Japan might be the place. Read more about New Year’s in Tokyo and what to expect.

Setsubun Spring Festival in Japan

Setsubun, literally translated as “seasonal division,” is a unique celebration in Japan in which people honor the changing season with the special ritual of mamemaki, or bean throwing. This festival is held every year on February 3rd, on the eve of spring in Japan. The changing of the season is very important in Japan, similar to the New Year, as it is thought to be a time of cleansing and welcoming good spirits for the coming year.

This celebration is honored with bean-throwing festivals all over the country. The night of Setsubun, people solidify their luck by eating a traditional makizushi roll called ehōmaki.

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New Year’s in Tokyo

If you’re looking for a unique way to spend New Year’s this year, Tokyo might be the place.

Shogatsu, the New Year, is considered to be the most important holiday in Japan. Most businesses shut down from December 31st – January 3rd while people spend time at home with their family and loved ones. Several noteworthy customs take place over these few days, including the ritual of hatsumode, or the first temple visit of the year.

We decided to skip the party and fireworks this year, and participate in a traditional Japanese New Year.

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Best Places to Celebrate New Year’s

I love the universality of New Year’s. Regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity, almost everyone in the world joins in celebration of a new year.

In Spain, they eat grapes with each chime of the clock during the 10-second countdown to midnight. In Greece, people hang an onion on their door to symbolize rebirth for the New Year. In Denmark, it is custom to throw dishes on a neighbor’s doorstep as a message of friendship and prosperity.

And in a great many countries, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with beautiful displays of fireworks, extravagant parties, music, and dancing. These are 10 of the most fantastic New Year’s celebrations from around the world.

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