The national holiday extends through the first 3 days of the new year in Japan.
When I initially worked for a U.S. company in New York City, I discovered that this was not an international standard. Thanks to my intuition to confirm, I asked the company on the last working day of the year when I should begin working for the the new year, to my biggest surprise, I found out that I had to be in on the 2nd! Otherwise, I would have taken 3 days off without giving it a thought.
If you are planning to travel to Japan, maybe you should avoid the new year time as many places are closed for the holiday. But if it's in a big city like Tokyo, you can still find a lot of places open.
The energy is very peaceful and quiet during the holiday. You will probably find how people's mind affect in our environment. So if you want to experience quiet meditative mind in Japan, the first 3 days of the new year is the best time.
Traditionally Japanese people eat "Osechi" and "Ozoni"
How they cook it is different depending on the prefecture and the family.
This is my mother's Osechi and Ozoni.
Japanese people usually visit shrine to make wishes for the year.
Even in a small local shrine, you will find a long line formed for making the first visit of the year.
But it doesn't mean Japanese people are religious or spiritual. They are mostly superstitious.
You can read my blog post
Why Japanese don't know about Reiki even though it's originated in Japan?for more information about spirituality in Japan.
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