In one of his essays, poet Mokichi Saito (1882-1953) recalled his childhood experience of the Japanese New Year's rite of "hatsumode," the year's first visit to a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple ...
Hatsumode (the first shrine visit of the year ... Some of the most popular shrines to visit in Japan are Meiji Jingu (Tokyo), Ise Jingu (Mie), Itsukushima Jinja (Hiroshima) and Sumiyoshi Taisha ...