New Year’s Eve in Tokyo 2027: Hatsumode, Temples and Where to Stay

New Year’s Eve in Tokyo is about temples, not beaches: the big moment happens at hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year, with Meiji Jingu open all night and the 108 bell strikes at Buddhist temples. Fireworks and countdowns in Shibuya are not guaranteed. You can already book a hotel in Asakusa with free cancellation.

Booking.com partner (advertising): we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What is New Year’s Eve in Tokyo like?

The rollover from December 31, 2026 to January 1, 2027 in Tokyo is more spiritual than festive. Japanese people spend New Year (shōgatsu) with family and, near midnight, head out for hatsumode, the first visit of the year to a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple, where they give thanks, ask for protection and buy new amulets.

At Buddhist temples, midnight is marked by joya no kane: the bell is struck 108 times, one for each worldly desire in Buddhism, starting in the old year and ending in the new one (Time Out Tokyo). Anyone arriving expecting a beach, a concert stage and fireworks will be disappointed; anyone who wants to see the city in a ritual few tourists know about gets one of the most unique New Year’s Eves in the world.

Another detail that confuses Brazilians: Tokyo is 12 hours ahead of Brasília. Midnight in Japan happens at noon on Dec 31 in Brazil, so you can call your family for both New Year’s Eves.

Free New Year’s Eve in Tokyo: hatsumode at Meiji Jingu and Senso-ji

Meiji Jingu is in the west of the center, between Shibuya and Shinjuku; Senso-ji is in the east, in Asakusa, near the Sumida River. They’re about 40 minutes apart by train, so pick just one for midnight. To understand the temple before you go, check out our guide to Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa.

Where to hear (or ring) the New Year bell

Most temples keep the bell for the monks only, but some open it to the public with a numbered ticket or reservation. In the 2025/26 edition, according to Time Out Tokyo’s bell guide:

• Zojoji, at the foot of Tokyo Tower: tickets to ring sold out, but you could watch the ceremony.
• Higashi Honganji, in Asakusa: free for 108 people, with reservations from Dec 20; the bell rang from 11:30 pm to 12:30 am.
• Ikegami Honmonji: free for 600 people, with numbered tickets handed out at 11 pm.
• Tsukiji Hongwanji: anyone could ring a portable bell, and there was free warm milk from 9 pm.
• Azabusan Zenpukuji: free from 11:45 pm, with a line starting at 11 pm.

The Metropolitan Government countdown in Shinjuku

The closest thing to a party is the public countdown Happy New Year Tokyo, in the plaza of the Metropolitan Government headquarters (Tochomae), in Shinjuku. In 2025/26 it was free, from 10 pm to 12:10 am, with projection mapping on the building’s facade, directed by photographer Ninagawa Mika (Time Out Tokyo; Metropolitan Government). The stage area required advance registration, which closed before the event; the projection could be seen from outside. The 2027 edition hasn’t been announced yet.

Paid New Year’s Eve parties in Tokyo: cruises, hotels and bells by reservation

Option and location	Price	What’s included	Best for	Sleep nearby
Symphony countdown cruise 2025/26 editionDec 31, Tokyo BayHinode Pier, Minato	Announced on the official site around December	Live band, menu or buffet and sparkling wine	Couples who want dinner and a bay view	In Ginza and Marunouchi, 10-15 min by train:Marunouchi Hotel9.1Booking ›Hotel GrandBach Tokyo Ginza8.9Booking ›
Zojoji bell 2025/26 editionMidnight Jan 1Shibakoen 4-7-35, Minato	Paid ticket, sold on Dec 1 at 9 am	Ring the bell; very few spots	Those who want the ritual with Tokyo Tower	In Ginza, 10 min by subway:Hotel GrandBach Tokyo Ginza8.9Booking ›
Araiyakushi Baishoin bell 2025/26 edition11:45 pm to 2 amNakano	¥ 1,000 (first 108); then ¥ 500	Bell strike and amulet	Neighborhood ritual, without the tourist crowd	In Shinjuku, one JR stop away:Tokyu Stay Shinjuku8.7Booking ›

2025/26 edition. Sources: Symphony Cruise (press release), Rurubu, Time Out Tokyo and FUN! JAPAN. Prices in yen; ¥ 1,000 is about R$ 35 at the Oct/2026 exchange rate and varies with the quote.

Are there fireworks or a countdown in Shibuya on New Year’s?

Don’t count on fireworks on New Year’s Eve in Tokyo. None of the official 2025/26 programs we checked, from the Metropolitan Government to the city’s event listings, included fireworks at midnight; Happy New Year Tokyo swapped fireworks for projection mapping (FUN! JAPAN, Nov/2025). If the 2027 edition announces fireworks, we’ll update it here.

The Shibuya Crossing, famous in videos from years past, canceled its countdown for the sixth time for the 2025/26 rollover. The ward government banned street drinking from 6 pm to 5 am, asked convenience stores to suspend alcohol sales and fenced off the Hachiko statue from 6 am on Dec 31 to 1 am on Jan 1 (Time Out Tokyo, 12/03/2025). There are people on the street, but there’s no organized party; for 2027 there’s no announcement.

How to get back after midnight: the late-night trains

Getting back is the part that needs the most planning. For the 2025/26 rollover, JR East ran the Yamanote loop line from 1 am to 5 am, with trains every 10 to 25 minutes, plus sections of the Chuo-Sobu, Chuo Rapid and Keihin-Tohoku lines (JR East). The Yamanote passes through Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno and Hamamatsucho, so it serves Meiji Jingu and Zojoji.

The subway is the problem: Tokyo Metro and Toei had no overnight service for the 2025/26 rollover, and Asakusa station, near Senso-ji, is a subway station. Among the private lines, Keio ran all night between Shinjuku and Takaosanguchi and Keisei between Keisei-Ueno and Narita; Tokyu had an extra train leaving Shibuya (FUN! JAPAN, Dec/2025). 2027 schedules come out between October and December.

Taxis exist, but the line outside the temples is long and night rides have a surcharge. The safest plan is to sleep within walking distance of your chosen temple (Asakusa for Senso-ji) or near a Yamanote station (Shinjuku, Harajuku or Shibuya for Meiji Jingu).

How much does New Year’s Eve in Tokyo cost?

Hatsumode and the bell are free; the expense comes from the flight, which is the biggest cost of the trip, and the hotel. With three nights from Dec 30 to Jan 2 for a couple, lodging in Tokyo runs between R$ 1,922 and R$ 4,369 on Booking (Oct/2026).

The scenarios below show the hotel for two adults, with taxes, plus the private Haneda transfer where it makes sense. The flight and insurance appear as links, because the price depends on your departure city and booking date; the paid party is under paid parties.

New Year’s Eve pitfalls in Tokyo: what nobody tells you

• The subway doesn’t run all night: in 2025/26, only JR and a few private lines had trains after midnight.
• Lines of over an hour at the hatsumode of popular temples are common, according to japan-guide; use the bathroom before joining the line.
• Street drinking in Shibuya was banned from 6 pm to 5 am in 2025/26.
• ATMs and banks close for one or more days between Dec 29 and Jan 4: bring yen beforehand.
• Advance registration: the Metropolitan Government countdown stage and the Zojoji bell tickets sold out before the rollover.
• Ticket and lodging scams are the most common of the season; see the 6 most common New Year’s Eve scams.

Weather: is it cold in Tokyo on New Year’s?

Yes. December is winter in Tokyo: the average low is 3.8 °C and the average high is 12 °C, and January is even colder, with an average low of 1.2 °C, according to the 1991-2020 normals from the Japan Meteorological Agency. It rains little, 57.9 mm in December, and the sky tends to stay clear.

For the midnight line, wear a winter coat, hat, gloves and closed shoes: you’ll be standing outdoors for an hour or more. Thermal patches (kairo), sold at any convenience store, help. If it rains, plan B is a countdown at a hotel or on a cruise with a covered area; clothing color has its own guide in New Year’s Eve 2027 color.

January 1st in Tokyo: what’s open and tours

January 1st is the most closed holiday in Japan. Shrines and temples don’t close, but most stores do, many restaurants stop (fast food chains, hotel restaurants and modern mall restaurants usually open) and museums close for several days (japan-guide). On Jan 2, the Imperial Palace opens its grounds for the emperor’s appearances, around 10:10 am, 11 am, 11:50 am, 1:30 pm and 2:20 pm in the 2026 edition.

January 1st calls for rest and a light outing; days 2 and 3 are for extending the trip. Day trips to Mount Fuji and Nikko are the most popular; before you go, read our guide to day trips to Mount Fuji and confirm whether the tour operates on the holiday.

Partner · Civitatissee all tours in Tokyo ›

Rating 8.8589 reviews

Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi and Kamakura tour

A full day with Fuji, Lake Ashi in Hakone and the Great Buddha of Kamakura, departing from Tokyo. Good for January 2 or 3.

fromR$ 444per person

See availability ›

• Nikko tour

  Rating 9623 reviews

  Nikko’s Unesco-listed shrines, north of Tokyo
  fromR$ 380per person
  See ›
• Full Tokyo tour + boat ride

  Rating 8.2161 reviews

  Asakusa, Meiji Jingu and a boat ride on the Sumida River
  fromR$ 641per person
  See ›
• Tokyo Skytree observation deck ticket

  Rating 8.6105 reviews

  City view from 350 m up, in Sumida, next to Asakusa
  fromR$ 117per person
  See ›

Civitatis prices, per person, quoted on 10/10/2026. Confirm whether the tour operates on Jan 1 before booking.

New Year’s Eve in Tokyo with kids and accessibility

With kids, the best move is to plan ahead. Tsukiji Hongwanji let anyone ring a portable bell and served free warm milk from 9 pm at the 2025/26 edition, and Gohyaku Rakan-ji scheduled its bell ringing between 7 pm and 8:30 pm (Time Out Tokyo). That way the family does the ritual and gets back before the small hours.

At Meiji Jingu and Senso-ji, midnight means crowds and an outdoor queue in the cold for more than an hour; for small children, hatsumode on the morning of January 1 tends to be calmer and the ritual is the same. Agree on a meeting point and save the hotel name in Japanese on the phone of whoever is with the child.

For wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility, the challenge is the density of people and the long standing queues. Senso-ji and Zojoji have no parking (Rurubu), so access is by train or taxi to nearby; Harajuku Station is a 1-minute walk from the Meiji Jingu gate. A hotel a few steps from the temple, as in Asakusa, cuts down on travel in the small hours; confirm the accessible room with the hotel.

How to get to Tokyo and what documents to bring

Tokyo has two airports: Haneda (HND), closer to the center, and Narita (NRT), to the east, in Chiba. From Brazil, the trip involves a connection. Since 09/30/2026, Brazilians remain exempt from tourist visas for up to 90 days, until 09/29/2029, as long as they have a passport with a chip (Panrotas, 07/31/2026).

To plan the rest of your trip, from the JR Pass to the neighborhoods, see our complete Tokyo guide.

Where to stay for New Year’s Eve in Tokyo 2027: Asakusa, Shinjuku or Ginza?

For Senso-ji and the Asakusa bell, the best neighborhood is Asakusa: you walk there and back without depending on the subway. For Meiji Jingu and the Metropolitan Government countdown, Shinjuku is the base, next to the JR Yamanote, which ran through the night in 2025/26. Ginza and Marunouchi are in the center, near Tokyo Station and the cruise pier.

The hotels below have more than a thousand reviews on Booking. For New Year’s, go for a rate with free cancellation: December prices rise as the date gets closer.

Beyond the list, Tosei Hotel Cocone Asakusa Kuramae, rated 8.7, came to R$ 2,232 for the couple’s three nights, and in Shinjuku, Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku, rated 8.6 with more than 13,000 reviews, was R$ 3,435 (Booking, Oct/2026).

Other dates or another neighborhood? Search here:

The checklist below puts bookings in the order they usually sell out: first the flight and hotel, then the bell with a reservation and the day-2 tour.

Frequently asked questions about New Year’s Eve in Tokyo

Are there fireworks in Tokyo on New Year’s?

None of the official 2025/26 New Year’s Eve programs in Tokyo that we checked included fireworks. Japanese New Year is celebrated with hatsumode, the year’s first temple visit, and with the 108-strike bell. The Metropolitan Government countdown in Shinjuku used projection mapping instead of fireworks.

Is Meiji Jingu open on the night of December 31?

Yes. According to the Go Tokyo portal, run by the Metropolitan Government, Meiji Jingu stays open all night on 12/31 for hatsumode, and millions of people visit between 12/31 and 1/3. Harajuku Station, on the JR Yamanote, is a 1-minute walk from the shrine.

Does the Tokyo subway run overnight on New Year’s Eve?

For the 2025/26 New Year’s, Tokyo Metro and Toei had no overnight service. JR East ran the Yamanote line from 1 am to 5 am, with trains every 10 to 25 minutes, and the Keio and Keisei lines ran all night on some sections. The 2027 schedules come out close to the date.

What’s open on January 1 in Japan?

Temples and shrines are open on January 1. Most shops close, many restaurants shut, except for fast food, hotels and modern shopping malls, and museums close for several days. Banks and ATMs close on one or more days between 12/29 and 1/4.

Do Brazilians need a visa to spend New Year’s Eve in Japan?

Not for tourism of up to 90 days. The visa exemption between Brazil and Japan was extended from 09/30/2026 to 09/29/2029 and applies to those with a regular passport with an electronic chip. Without a chipped passport, you must apply for a visa before the trip.

Other New Year’s Eve celebrations in Asia

If you’re comparing destinations, the general New Year’s Eve 2027 guide brings together Brazil, abroad and cruises. In Asia, New Year’s Eve in Seoul has the Bosingak bell, a cousin of joya no kane; New Year’s Eve in Taipei has the Taipei 101 fireworks; and New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong has the fireworks over Victoria Harbour.

Is it worth spending New Year’s Eve in Tokyo?

It’s worth it for anyone who wants a different, quiet New Year’s full of ritual: hatsumode at Meiji Jingu or Senso-ji and the 108-strike bell. It’s not worth it for those who want beach, shows and fireworks. What to do now: secure the flight to arrive by the 30th and book a hotel with free cancellation within walking distance of your chosen temple, because the subway doesn’t run all night. The 2027 program comes out close to December; join the WhatsApp group to get the heads-up.