How We Spent New Years in Japan

Hi Everyone,

It's been a busy period here in Japan with New Year and trying to get around the rush. We were in Kyoto for at least a week for the new year, avoiding any travel, and wanted to make some good memories for everyone without stressing about moving from one place to another with the local people also traveling themselves. Spending New Year in a foreign country is very different and this time it is a cold one for us. We decided to do what the locals would do and visit the temples and shrines within the first 3 days to make sure we had a good start to the year and we used this opportunity to dress up in traditional Japanese clothing as a family and be part of the crowd. The kids loved the experience and I will share more about that later on.

The other thing we did was visit the factory outlet on the outskirts of Kyoto. The Japanese have a tradition of buying lucky bags and these bags are filled with goods from a particular brand or themed items and you should get a good deal. Due to COVID, many big brands like Sanrio, Pokemon, Mcdonalds, and Starbucks all have a ballot system where people order online prior. If you are lucky enough to get chosen, they send the bag to you or you can nominate to pick it up from a local store. This will eliminate people lining up like pre covid days.

We didn't get any lucky bags at the outlet but we did get some good deals. Although not the best ones we've seen on this trip at other outlets, this one isn't too bad. Also, it was way out of town so it was a good opportunity to check another place out. I do miss home celebrating New Year with friends and family but this is definitely a very different experience.

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All photos & videos are taken by me & co in all my blogs/stories unless quoted.

For the best experience view this post on Liketu