How to Decorate for the New Year Like Japan
While you may be familiar with the fried chicken tradition of Christmas in Japan, you may not be aware that some people in Japan have been prepping for the New Year’s holiday almost two weeks before Christmas takes place.
The New Year’s preparation is serious business, and you can read more about it here. In addition to the big clean, there are lots of New Year’s decorations, called oshougatsu-kazari, to put in place so you can maximize the luck your home receives when the clock strikes midnight on January 1. Let’s dive into the symbolism and history of the pieces that appear in Japanese homes from December 13th onward.
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When to Decorate
Since ancient times, December 13th has served as the day people in Japan begin preparing for the new year. It is known as kotohajime, “beginning of preparations,” or as kishukunichi, which roughly translates to “day of the ghost.” December 13th is considered an extremely auspicious day, thus the perfect time to start preparations for a lot of luck the following year.
In modern times, the celebration of Christmas has become more commonplace, and as a result the New Year’s decorations tend to go up on December 26th. So you can start putting items in place anytime after the 13th—but don’t wait too long. There are two days that are believed to bring bad luck to your decorations, canceling out all your efforts. These days are the 29th, which is said to bring twice the suffering, and the 31st, because decorations up for only one night aren’t auspicious at all.
Then after the New Year has been properly rung in, the celebrations are generally maintained for seven days afterwards. This is a period called matsunouchi. Keep your decorations up through this period, then take them down on January 7th (or January 15th if you want to follow Kansai style.)
Make sure to plan your decorating schedule carefully to bring the most luck, then you can begin picking out your favorite of the traditional decorations.
Shimekazari, New Year’s Wreath
There’s more history to be found about shimekazari in this post showing how to make your own, but essentially, shimekazari are wreaths made with shimenawa, a thick braided rope. Shimenawa are seen at shrines to delineate the space between sacred spaces and the outside world. You’ll often see it hanging from the gate at the front of the shrine—another boundary marker denoting that you are entering a space for the gods.
Along those same lines, shimekazari denotes your home as a sacred space, so you’ll want to hang it on your front door to let unlucky spirits know they’re not welcome. Often decorated with other lucky charms, including a citrus fruit called daidai that signifies prosperity and longevity, they’re a stylish addition to your home, perfectly taking the place of your holiday wreath after those celebrations are finished.
Kadomatsu, Bamboo and Pine Decoration
If you've had the chance to visit Japan around the holiday season, you’ve likely seen these hanging out in front of businesses and restaurants. But they can also bring luck to a household, so placing one on your front porch is sure to elevate the auspicious feeling. Made of pine and/or bamboo sprigs, they are said to serve as temporary dwellings for the gods, due to the Shinto belief that divine spirits live in trees. The name, kadomatsu, is the combination of “gate” and “pine”, and these pieces symbolize strength in difficult times.
The arrangement of a kadomatsu varies throughout Japan, but one thing remains fairly consistent: the center of the kadomatsu. It’s formed with three large bamboo shoots at different heights, representing heaven, humanity, and earth, in descending order.
Kagami Mochi, Mirror Rice Cake
Kagami mochi is a common sight in Japanese households as December 31st approaches. It is said that the shape of the stacked mochi resembles a bronze mirror, which was a highly valuable household item in ancient Japan, hence the name kagami, or mirror.
Traditionally, kagami mochi is made with two rice cakes (or mochi) symbolizing the past year and the new year, and topped with a daidai, mentioned above. This good luck charm is placed at the family’s Shinto altar, in the kitchen, living room, or near the front door. On January 11th, once the New Year is properly rung in, the now dried-out rice cakes are broken with a hammer and made into a variety of dishes, including ozoni, a New Year’s soup made with the pieces of mochi.
If you don’t have rice cakes to make your own kagami mochi, this Kutani ware version, made of porcelain, can be set out year after year.
Hebi Zodiac Figurines, Year of the Snake
The Japanese zodiac, called juunishi, is similar to the western zodiac in that it has 12 symbols that change based on a specified amount of time. But unlike the western zodiac, the Japanese zodiac changes just once a year. 2025 is the year of the snake, called hebi in Japanese. As a result, many homes in Japan will be decorated with snake-themed works to celebrate. People born in the year of the snake are said to be enigmatic, intelligent, and wise—so placing snake emblems throughout your household will invite wisdom and knowledge as well as luck for your new year.
We have some snake figurines perfect to celebrate the New Year’s journey. See our full collection here.
As you can see, the New Year preparations in Japan don’t revolve around party planning, instead they’re meant to ready the whole home for welcoming the gods that will bring luck. Even if you don’t follow the Shinto belief system, the sense of ceremony makes these preparations all the more special. Setting out these auspicious decorations every year can put you in the right mindset to face the New Year feeling like luck is on your side. And sometimes that’s all you really need.
Happy New Year!
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