Hatsumode Without the Crush: Calmer New Year Shrines in East Tokyo

Hatsumode is the first shrine or temple visit of the New Year, when people pray for the year ahead, draw a fortune and buy new charms. Sensoji in Asakusa draws around three million people over January 1–3, with police-managed queues that can last hours. If you want hatsumode without the crush, east Tokyo has calmer shrines that feel just as traditional. These include Kameido Tenjin, Kameido Katori Shrine, Tomioka Hachimangu, Ushijima Shrine, Shibamata Taishakuten and Shin-Koiwa Katori Shrine. This guide compares them and covers etiquette and the best times to go for New Year 2027.

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Updated October 2026 — reviewed by Sunny Pham Sensei (Lệ Nhật Sensei), Japan National Acupuncture License No. 196186 (鍼師) / 195591 (灸師). Written by the Fuji Wellness team, based locally in Edogawa City, east Tokyo.

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Why Sensoji is so crowded at New Year

Sensoji is Tokyo’s oldest temple and one of the most visited hatsumode sites in Japan. Media estimates put attendance at around 3 million or more over the first three days (tabi-mag ranking). The approach from Kaminarimon Gate along Nakamise becomes a slow, one-way queue under police control. Typical peaks are from just after midnight to about 3:00 on January 1, and late morning to mid-afternoon on January 1–3. Early mornings (around 6:00–8:00) are much easier.

There is also a common misunderstanding about New Year’s Eve. Sensoji’s midnight bell (joya no kane) is rung by temple priests and members of a registered association, not by the public. You can listen from the grounds, but don’t plan on ringing it yourself.

If you have only one New Year in Tokyo, Sensoji at dawn is still worth seeing. For a calmer, more local prayer, try the shrines below.

Calmer New Year shrines in east Tokyo at a glance

Place	Area	Known for	Nearest station	Crowd level (our estimate)
Kameido Tenjin Shrine	Kameido, Koto	Learning and exams, drum bridges, Skytree view	Kameido or Kinshicho, about 15 min walk	Busy at midnight and on Jan 1, calmer after
Kameido Katori Shrine	Kameido, Koto	Victory and sports luck	Kameido, about 10 min walk	Moderate
Tomioka Hachimangu	Monzen-Nakacho, Koto	Big Edo-period Hachiman shrine	Monzen-Nakacho, a few minutes’ walk	Busy at peak times, manageable otherwise
Ushijima Shrine	Mukojima, Sumida	Three-sided torii, “stroking cow” statue	Tokyo Skytree Station or Honjo-Azumabashi	Quiet to moderate
Shibamata Taishakuten	Shibamata, Katsushika	Wood carvings, retro approach street	Keisei Shibamata, about 3 min walk	Busy Jan 1–3 daytime
Shin-Koiwa Yakuyoke Katori Shrine	Shinkoiwa, Edogawa	Protection from bad luck (yakuyoke)	JR Shinkoiwa	Local and relaxed

Crowd levels are our impression as locals, not official figures.

Kameido Tenjin and Kameido Katori: two shrines, one walk

Kameido Tenjin Shrine honours Sugawara no Michizane, the patron of learning. At New Year it fills with students praying for entrance exams, and with families. Its red drum bridges, pond and view of Skytree make it one of the most photogenic hatsumode spots in the city. It is busiest around midnight and on January 1. From January 2 the pace becomes gentle, especially in the morning. Read our full Kameido Tenjin Shrine guide for the layout and nearby food.

Kameido Katori Shrine is about 10 minutes’ walk from Kameido Station. It is said to date back to 665 and is dedicated to Futsunushi-no-kami, a warrior deity. Today it is popular with athletes and anyone wanting shoun, luck for winning. It is approached along the small Katori Shrine Kachiun shopping street. The two shrines are about 20 minutes apart on foot, so they make an easy New Year double visit with a stop for kuzumochi or gyoza in between.

Tomioka Hachimangu (Monzen-Nakacho)

Tomioka Hachimangu, home of the summer Fukagawa Hachiman Festival, is lively but well organised at New Year. Fukagawa Fudodo temple is next door.

In recent years the shrine has been open from 23:00 on December 31 until 20:00 on January 1, then 9:00–18:00 from January 2. Peak crowds are from about 23:00 on the 31st to 1:00 on January 1, from 11:00 to 17:00 on January 1, and from 11:00 to 16:00 on January 2–3 (Rurubu hatsumode page). Come in the morning of January 2 or 3 for a calmer visit, then walk around the old-fashioned shopping streets of Monzen-Nakacho.

Ushijima, Shibamata Taishakuten and Shin-Koiwa Katori

Ushijima Shrine stands in Sumida Park, a short walk from Tokyo Skytree. It is known for its rare three-sided torii gate (mitsu-torii) and its nade-ushi, a stone cow that visitors stroke at the spot matching the part of their own body they are praying for. It is small and peaceful, and fits easily into a Skytree or Asakusa day.

Shibamata Taishakuten (Daikyoji) is a Buddhist temple, but locals visit it for hatsumode too. It is famous for its detailed wood carvings and the old-style approach street of dango and senbei shops. It typically sees around 200,000–250,000 visitors over the New Year, with peaks around midnight and from 9:00 to 16:00 on January 1–3, and visits end at 18:00 on those days (Rurubu). Go early on January 2 or 3. Our Shibamata day-trip guide has more.

Shin-Koiwa Yakuyoke Katori Shrine is an old village guardian shrine in Edogawa City, known for yakuyoke (protection against bad luck), so people in an unlucky age year come for blessings. Its keyaki-wood main hall dates from the 1830s, and a local story says Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune named the leafy green komatsuna here in 1719. At New Year it is a neighbourhood scene of families and short queues. It is roughly 11 minutes’ walk from Fuji Wellness, so it is an easy stop if you are staying near Shinkoiwa or Kinshicho.

Hatsumode etiquette: prayer, omikuji, omamori and old charms

At a shrine:

Bow lightly before passing through the torii gate, and walk to the side of the central path if you can.
At the chozuya (water basin), rinse your left hand, then your right, then pour a little water into your cupped left hand to rinse your mouth (do not drink from the ladle).
At the main hall, drop a coin into the offering box, ring the bell if there is one, then bow twice, clap twice, pray and bow once more.

At a temple such as Sensoji or Shibamata Taishakuten, put your hands together quietly and do not clap.

Omikuji (fortunes). You pay a small fee, usually a few hundred yen, and draw a paper fortune. Results range from daikichi (great blessing) to kyo (bad luck). Many people tie a bad fortune to the rack provided at the shrine to leave the bad luck behind, and keep good ones in their wallet. Some shrines have English fortunes.

Omamori (charms) and ofuda (talismans). New Year is when people buy new charms for health, safe travel, study or business. They are usually kept for about a year and make thoughtful souvenirs.

Returning old charms. Look for the kosatsu-osamesho or furufuda-osamesho, a box or hut where last year’s charms, ofuda and New Year decorations are returned to be burned respectfully. Ideally return them where you got them, and don’t add plastic or non-shrine items.

Best times for a calmer hatsumode

Early morning on January 1 (roughly 6:00–8:00): calm, cold and atmospheric, with the first sunrise around 6:50.
January 2 or 3, before 10:00: a good balance of festive stalls and shorter queues.
January 4–7: in the Tokyo area, the New Year decorations traditionally stay up until January 7 (matsu-no-uchi), so a visit then still counts as hatsumode, with far fewer people.
Avoid: 23:00–2:00 on New Year’s Eve and the middle of the day on January 1, unless you enjoy the crowds.

In 2027, January 1 falls on a Friday, so January 2 and 3 are a Saturday and Sunday and will be busier than usual.

Later in January: Kameido Tenjin holds its Usokae bullfinch-exchange ritual each year on January 24–25 (Sunday and Monday in 2027). People swap carved wooden bullfinches to turn last year’s bad luck into a “lie”. Handouts begin at 8:30 and run until stock runs out (Go Tokyo).

Combining hatsumode with a visit to Fuji Wellness

New Year means long queues and cold mornings, and some visitors book a session to rest. Fuji Wellness is an English- and Vietnamese-speaking acupuncture clinic in Matsushima, Edogawa City. Toei buses 錦25, 錦27 and 亀26 run from Kameido to the Komatsugawa-keisatsusho-mae stop in about 10 minutes, and the clinic is a 3-minute walk from there. Our regular weekend hours are 8:00–12:00, so a morning session followed by an afternoon at Kameido Tenjin fits well. Over the New Year period, please check our News page or message us for year-end hours before planning. Directions are in how to get to Fuji Wellness from Kinshicho, Kameido and Shinkoiwa, and bookings are by appointment through our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the least crowded time for hatsumode in Tokyo?

Early mornings are the calmest, roughly 6:00–8:00 on January 1, or before 10:00 on January 2 and 3. The busiest times are around midnight on New Year’s Eve and the middle of the day on January 1. Visiting between January 4 and 7 still counts as hatsumode in the Tokyo area and is much quieter.

Which shrines near Asakusa and Skytree are less crowded than Sensoji?

Ushijima Shrine in Sumida Park, a short walk from Tokyo Skytree, is a quiet option. Kameido Tenjin Shrine and Kameido Katori Shrine are about 15–25 minutes from Skytree and much calmer than Sensoji after January 1. Tomioka Hachimangu in Monzen-Nakacho is lively but manageable outside peak hours.

Do I clap at a temple or a shrine?

You clap at Shinto shrines: bow twice, clap twice, pray, then bow once. At Buddhist temples such as Sensoji or Shibamata Taishakuten you do not clap. Simply put your hands together and pray quietly.

What should I do with a bad omikuji fortune?

Many people tie a bad fortune to the rack or line provided at the shrine, which is said to leave the bad luck there. Good fortunes are often kept in a wallet for the year. Either way is acceptable, and nobody will mind if you keep a fortune as a souvenir.

When is Usokae at Kameido Tenjin in 2027?

The Usokae bullfinch exchange is held each year on January 24 and 25. In 2027 that is Sunday and Monday. Wooden bullfinch charms are handed out from 8:30 until they run out, so arrive early on the Sunday.