Speciality Chinese New Year Food. Photo credit: Canva. Chinese cakes are not the only desserts enjoyed in Japan during the Lunar New Year. Japanese wagashi-ya (sweet shops) also help welcome the new year with wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) shaped into the year’s Chinese zodiac animal. Japanese bakeries also often bake small Western Wondering if Japan joins in on the Chinese New Year festivities? The short answer is no—Japan doesn’t officially celebrate Chinese New Year. Instead, the country follows the Gregorian calendar for its own New Year traditions, called shōgatsu, which kicks off on January 1st. That said, Lunar New Year isn’t entirely absent in Japan! Upcoming Chinese New Year + Zodiac animals. 2023 Year of the Rabbit 2024 Year of the Dragon 2025 Year of Snake 2026 Year of Horse . Chinese New Year in Japan. Back in time, Japan also used the same traditional lunar calendar as China, hence the country historically celebrated New Year’s at the same period of time. For the celebration of the new year, the festivities begin in Kobe in the morning usually with a Chinese acrobatic dance show. Nagasaki Chukagai. This is the oldest Chinatown in Japan. Focused in an area of 200 m², the area was the residence of many sailors and Chinese merchants between the 15th and 19th century who traded with Japan. If you want to celebrate the year of the snake in Japan, there are few better places to visit than Yokohama Chinatown, which has observed Chinese Spring Festival traditions since 1986. Chinese visitors, as well as visitors from any other country, can celebrate the Lunar New Year in Japan by partaking in any of the customs mentioned above, by joining a special public event, or by eating special wagashi (Japanese sweets) and Chinese cakes. Chinese New Year Events in Japan. Yokohama Chukagai (Chinatown) is one of the best places Just like Lunar New Year itself, the Chinese zodiac has influences in Japan’s New Year celebrations. In Japanese, this is referred to as jūnishi (十二支, twelve branches) or eto (干支, sexagenary cycle) and is also used in fortune telling. However, the animals also play a central role in the New Year celebrations of any given year. TOKYO, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- From red lanterns to dancing dragons, from savoring Chinese delicacies to dragon year tales, vibrant celebrations for the Chinese Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, have been held across multiple cities in Japan, allowing more people to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere and experience the joy and charm of China's rich traditional culture. The Chinese Zodiac is still a part of Japan’s New Year celebrations to this day. Despite changing to the Gregorian calendar, Japan celebrates the changing of the zodiac on January 1, welcoming any of the 12 animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Has Japan Ever Celebrated The Lunar New Year? There was a time when Japan did celebrate the Lunar New Year. In the sixth century CE, the Chinese lunisolar calendar became the main way of timekeeping within Japan. This lasted until the year 1873. Before this came about, Japan actually celebrated New Year’s Day along with Vietnam, Korea and China. Shoji Ikegami, a Japanese translator and author of the book "The World of Dragons," held a lecture at the center the day before the Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve, introducing various forms of The Chinese lunar New Year started on February 10. Yokohama Chinatown in the city of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, is bustling with activity. This year is the Year of the Dragon. Why don’t the Japanese celebrate Lunar New Year like the rest of Asia? Unlike the Chinese (and the rest of Asia), Japan does not celebrate the lunar new year. Japan’s new year holiday is every January 1st in alignment with western calendars. In fact, Chinese New Year is known as 旧正月, or “old/former new year.” Chinese New Year originates from the legend of "Nian", a ferocious monster who attacked people every New Year's Eve. The people learned to keep Nian away by setting off firecrackers,and sticking red paper on their doors, since the monster was known to fear light, loud noises, and the color red. Lunar new year — also known as Chinese New Year or Chinese Lunar New Year — is not only famous across East Asian countries, but also the world. It’s celebrated around late January to early February, which is the start of the new lunar calendar that bases its months on moon phases, meaning that all the countries which follow the lunar calendar join in with their own cultural version of “HIGHLIGHTING Japan” is an official monthly online magazine to promote understanding of Japan for the people around the world, with variety of themes.This month’s Highlighting Japan,we present an interview with a great scholar of folklore on the special meaning that welcoming the New Year has for Japanese people. We introduce kimono, o-sechi ryori cuisine, a New Year's herbal sake Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. It starts from Chinese New Year. The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years. (This is especially useful for To cut short, it seems like the main difference between the Japanese New Year and Chinese New Year for this aspect is that the Japanese start giving Otoshidama to younger relatives when they start a full-time job and the Chinese start giving red packets to younger relatives when they are married. 3. New Year’s Eve Das chinesische Neujahr ist nicht nur ein Tag, sondern erstreckt sich über zwei Wochen mit Festlichkeiten und Aktivitäten. Die Vorbereitungen beginnen eine Woche vor dem chinesischen Neujahrsfest und die Feierlichkeiten dauern bis zum 15. des ersten Monats des Mondkalenders.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |