Twelve men dressed only in traditional loincloths took part in a New Year pilgrimage in the biting cold of Nemuro, eastern Hokkaido, as temperatures plunged to minus 6 degrees Celsius. (News On Japan)

The annual New Year “Karuta Hajime” ceremony was held on January 3rd at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward, where women known as “karuta-hime,” dressed in elegant Heian-period court robes, performed the opening match of the Hyakunin Isshu classical poetry card game. (News On Japan)

Liveliness returned to Japan’s top tuna landing port as the first tuna auction of the year was held in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, where prayers were offered for a safe and abundant fishing season. (News On Japan)

The way people pay respects at family graves in Japan is undergoing rapid change, driven in part by shifting lifestyles and difficult realities surrounding grave maintenance. (News On Japan)

Japan’s professional baseball business continues to evolve, with teams increasingly adopting aggressive strategies to expand revenue beyond the game itself. (News On Japan)

Around 130 worshippers were unable to return home on the night of January 2nd after icy road conditions caused by heavy snowfall led to road closures around Mitsumine Shrine in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. (News On Japan)

An elderly woman died in Tokyo after choking on mochi during the first three days of the New Year, according to the Tokyo Fire Department. (News On Japan)

Snow fell across the Kinki region from January 2nd to January 3rd, particularly in northern areas, with Kyoto’s Kinkakuji Temple donning its first snow cover of the winter. (News On Japan)

The year 2026 is seen as a turning point when a decline in the number of university-bound students will begin to affect university management across Japan. (News On Japan)