The monks here serve hot medicinal tea to visitors, who then stand on line to ring the bell. Shinyodo Temple: This lovely temple in Sakyo-ku is very popular with Kyoto’s expat community as a place to ring in the New Year. If you get here about an hour before midnight, you’ll have a chance to ring the bell with the locals. Kurodani Temple: Located on a hill above the city, the night view alone here is worth the trip. Nanzen-ji Temple: If you’re willing to stand on line, you can take a turn ringing the bell at the atmospheric bell tower of this fine Zen temple. If you want to see this, you’ll have to go very early and stand in line.
The bell is rung by a team of 17 monks, who fall with all their weight on ropes to swing the massive log-like clanger into the bell. Here are some good spots to participate in or observe joya-no-kane:Ĭhion-in: This vast temple houses Kyoto’s largest temple bell in a special enclosure above the main precinct. Technically, the bells are supposed to be rung 108 times, a number symbolizing the sins to which the flesh is heir, but many temples will allow everyone a chance to ring the bell even if it exceeds this number. Here, people line up to ring the giant temple bells and wish for good fortune in the New Year (and to get rid of bad karma from the old). Joya-no-Kane (Sacred New Year’s Bell Ringing)Īfter feasting on New Year’s Eve, many Kyotoites head to their local temple to perform joya-no-kane, a sacred bell ringing ceremony. A good choice for this would be the Hyatt Regency Kyoto or the Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto. Takashimaya, Daimaru and Isetan department stores are all good places to pick up some o-sechi ryori.Īnother option on New Year’s Eve is to head to a luxury hotel and eat a bang-up meal at one of their on-site restaurants. Unless you’re lucky enough to have friends in Kyoto, it will be tough to join such a feast, but you can sample the special Japanese New Year’s cuisine, known as o-sechi ryori, by stopping by one of the department stores and purchasing a ready-made assortment that you can eat at your lodgings. What To Do on New Year’s in Kyoto New Year’s Feastįor Japanese, the most important part of the New Year’s holiday is gathering with the family to have a special feast or feasts, often held on the evening of December 31st and during the day on January 1st. This makes New Year’s a fantastic time to be in Kyoto, but keep in mind that some places will be closed (see the What’s Open and What’s Closed on New Year’s in Japan? section below). This is the time when families gather to feast and visit their local temples and shrines to pray for good fortune in the coming year. It’s like Christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled into one. New Year’s is the most important festival/holiday of the Japanese year.