During the New Year period, millions of people go for the first temple or shrine visit of the year to pray for health and happiness in the new year and buy lucky charms and written oracles (omikuji = strips of paper on which divinations are written). Popular temples and shrines in Japan for hatsumôde are the Meiji Shrine in Tôkyô, the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya and the Heian Shrine in Kyôto.
more new year´s customs
