It's because of the calendar change, all the traditions got moved up to January. In Japan the year of the Rabbit started on January 1st. You can see that they did use it celebrate the Lunar New Year with Setsubun still being in February and traditions like eating Ehoumaki. I was planning on going to DisneySea next year Feb 10 but when I was checking I noticed that it's the same day as Chinese New Year. Should I be worried about big crowds? I've heard I should avoid popular tourist destinations during their holidays though I'm not sure Japanese people celebrate Chinese New Year. That said, Japan does still follow the 12 year Chinese animal zodiac for years. They simply start celebrating the new animal around January 1 instead of on a lunar cycle date in mid-winter. They simply start celebrating the new animal around January 1 instead of on a lunar cycle date in mid-winter. 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! So, why is it that Japan does not celebrate Lunar New Year? Let’s find out. 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. Japan Used to Celebrate the Lunar New Year (A visit to a local temple on New Year’s Day. Image: taka1022/Shutterstock.) The Chinese lunisolar calendar was introduced to Japan in the sixth century CE, and it was the principal method of timekeeping in Japan until 1873. Prior to that, Japan shared its New Year’s Day with China, Korea, and The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year is usually celebrated between late January and February, during the first new moon. This year, it will be on Wednesday, January 2025. But if you’re in Japan, you may be wondering, “Does Japan celebrate Chinese New Year?” Here’s what you should know. Does Japan Celebrate Chinese New Year? Modern-day Japan does not celebrate Lunar New Year the same way its neighbors do, but several shōgatsu traditions are similar due to their shared history. Both traditions emphasize cleaning the home before the first day of the new year to sweep away the problems of last year (called ōsōji 大掃除, or “big cleaning”). However, in towns like Okinawa and on some southern islands in Japan, people put flags out and eat the traditional soba for New Year. How Japanese Celebrate The New Year. In the Japanese language, New Year’s Eve is best known as 大晦日 (Ōmisoka). 晦 (miso) was originally written as 三十 (meaning 30). And the dating system of 30/31 day months, 12 months, 365 days a month, a leap year in February of 366 days a year every 4 years was implemented. Also the western 24 hour would be implemented and the 12 daily marks traditionally used in Japan abolished as well. And the government boasted the new calendar is only off by one day every 7000 years To be fair, I have not experienced Lunar New Year in Asia for a long time - so thing might have changed. Prob try Thailand/Cambodia? While their Chinese community do celebrate Lunar NY, but not to the same scale like Vietnam or China, plenty of things to do and places to go. Otherwise Japan is always a safe bet. Be aware that you may find many things closed at that time. Museums, small restaurants and shops may be closed the week of the Chinese New Year holiday. You'll also have to deal with people going back to work when the holiday ends. You don't have to wait for months after Chinese New Year. Even 10 days afterward would probably be okay. Are There Places In Japan Where You Can Celebrate The Lunar New Year? However, there are some areas in Japan where people still celebrate the lunar New Year. For example, in Chinese quarters or towns with a large Chinese population, such as in Nagasaki, you can see the annual lantern festival. The eve of the Lunar New Year is more like Thanksgiving in the USA. It's more about family gathering rather than celebrating in the public. The first day is when people start to celebrate with firecrackers and visit friends and relatives. The second day is for wives going back to their parents' home. Yeah grew up knowing it's Chinese New year and everywhere the short form is CNY. Also well known in Singapore each ethnicity gets 2 days of public holidays. Chinese New Year is not really related to the change in the actual year. Since the 20th century, Chinese people also celebrate the new year in December, they just have chinese new year in addition. Before the 20th century, they didn't use the same calendar as westerners but now they do. Almost everybody in the world observes Dec 31/Jan 1 as the I am Chinese American. I celebrate Chinese New Year. I say happy Chinese new year because I am Chinese and I celebrate Chinese New Year. Chinese goes with Chinese. I don’t care what you celebrate. You could be white black brown asian I don’t care. I say happy Chinese New Year because I’m Chinese and that’s that. It’s what feels right Occasionally it coincides with the Mongolian and/or Chinese new year. It's on February 21 this year like how some people are saying the Mongolian New Year is on too. I heard there were some new astrology calendars made during the Manju Qing Empire, and since that empire shattered there have been some attempts by both commie and non-commie Not really. Many non-chinese call it Lunar New Year. Maybe it's your circle of people who called it Chinese New Year. It has nothing to do with Chinese sentiment. It has everything to do with the moon and the rotation of the moon marking the days. It's Lunar New Year based on the moon, not Chinese people. Thailand celebrates EVERY new year. Julian New Year, Lunar New Year (AKA: Chinese), Seasonal New Year (Songkran in April). Other than Songkran and January 1, I haven't seen any "businesses" close. Retail is always open. Thai's love them some holidays!
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