New Years in Tokyo

Hi,

I've seen old threads about this so I don't know if things have changed.


I am planning on visiting tokyo on NYE and stay for ten days. Is everything closed Jan 1st??! Even restaurants? Will shops be open on Jan 2nd?

We were thinking of going to Disneyland but I've heard it's busy all year round. Can it be worse during New year?!

I'm flying in From Canada into Haneda. There isn't a flight for me to get into Osaka but wondering if I should just get a JR pass to get to Osaka-Tokyo (round trip). It's going to cost me $359 witha JR pass, but I don't think flying there or taking a bus is any better.

Any advice is appreciated

1. Several things will be closed, yes. I'd advise looking up individual attractions/shops/restaurants to check. Temples and shrines will be open, and they make a fun New Year's experience unique to Japan.

2. Yes, it will be packed. Students are off school and adults are off work - there will be a lot more people there than usual. Avoid it until after around the 3rd of January, and even then only go on a weekday. It will still be busy!

3. An overnight bus between Tokyo and Osaka will be far cheaper. A 7-day JR Pass will come close to paying off with a round-trip between Tokyo and Osaka, but you'll want to add a day or airport trip in there to make it really worthwhile.

Many department stores and most shopping malls in Tokyo are open on January 1. Those that aren't, are generally open from January 2. Smaller shops and restaurants might reopen on January 4 or 5.

Generally speaking, there's much more open in Tokyo than in provincial cities like Osaka.

Was kind of wondering the same thing. I'm thinking about escaping the holidays and since Christmas isn't really a thing in the east, Japan is an option. However when there I would like to visit some museums and stuff so it would be a bummer if most are closed. The Tokyo National museum for instance is closed from 24/12 - 4/1. Basically if most museums and other tourist attractions are closed during the holiday season it might not be worth going. So the question is how bad is it?
I would be staying mainly in the Tokyo area, with maybe a small trip to Fuji as it has a better chance of a clear view in winter.

Dave, it depends on your interests and how you time your trip. I was able to fill seven days of sight-seeing 27/12/2014-3/1/2015. We visited shrines and temples, made a day trip to Kamakura, strolled a garden, and did lots of shopping. Visited the Nature and Science Museum in Ueno on 3/1 but their dates are different this year.

As another poster commented, some small restaurants are closed, particularly on the evening of 31/12 and all day 1/1. Check the websites before you go for best results

There will still be a lot of stuff open, but some attractions will be closed so you would need to check before hand.

More pressing might be getting accommodation for the night of 31/12 - one of the busiest nights of the year.