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初詣 hatsu moude
First shrine visit of the year.
What does hatsu moude mean?
New Year's queue in the cold: toss a coin, bow twice, clap twice, wish for something modest, bow once more. Then buy a paper fortune and pretend not to care what it says.
Example
元日は家族で初詣に行った。
On New Year's Day we went to the shrine as a family.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
The story behind hatsu moude
The first shrine visit of the year feels timeless, and in its current mass form it is surprisingly modern. Before the Meiji era people more often went in the year's lucky direction from home, a much more local errand. Then the railways arrived, companies advertised famous shrines as new year destinations, and a neighbourhood custom turned into a national outing with timetables.
The choreography now runs itself. Queue in the cold, throw a coin, bow twice, clap twice, bow once, ask for something modest. Then buy an omikuji, read your fortune, and if the paper is unkind, tie it to the rack on the way out and leave the bad luck at the shrine. Officially nobody believes in it. The racks are always full.
Get hatsu moude in your pocket
初詣 is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
