The Shiba Park Hotel in Tokyo announced on December 5 that it will hold an event on December 31, 2017, to celebrate the coming of the New Year, and visit Zojoji Temple. The event is designed to allow guests from overseas to experience and enjoy celebrating the New Year in Japanese style.

(Photo: http://prw.kyodonews.jp/opn/release/201711298454/?images)

On December 31, guests will eat “toshikoshi-soba” (noodles eaten on New Year’s Eve), and join the countdown to the New Year at the Japanese Culture Salon SAKURA. Hotel staff will escort guests to Zojoji for “hatsumode” (year’s first visit to temple) to participate in a traditional bell-ringing ceremony and observe other ceremonies. Guests at the Shiba Park Hotel are welcome to join the event by paying a JPY3,000 participation fee.

Shiba Park Hotel President Rentaro Yanase said:

“This event will focus on introducing attendees to the most prominent of Japan's many New Year traditions: “toshikoshi-soba,” “bell-ringing” and “hatsumode.” We invite you to usher in a wonderful New Year by experiencing Japan's unique New Year's cultural events firsthand.”

The Shiba Park Hotel hopes that all guests will enjoy experiencing the traditional Japanese New Year celebrations and that their experience will last as an unforgettable memory of the Shiba Park Hotel.

About Shiba Park Hotel (Tokyo, Japan)

The Shiba Park Hotel is a city hotel established in 1948 as a hotel for foreign trade delegations. Since then, the hotel has welcomed many guests from overseas. There are 269 guest rooms of various types, Japanese restaurant Hanasanshou, Chinese restaurant Peking, steak restaurant Old City Grill House, bar Fifteen’s and Japanese Culture Salon SAKURA. Conveniently located in central Tokyo, the Shiba Park Hotel is easily accessible to and from both Haneda and Narita airports by the Airport Limousine Bus. There are four train and subway stations within a walking distance, offering great access to Tokyo’s major sightseeing spots and business districts. The Shiba Park Hotel continues to welcome guests from around the world with the hope for guests to “feel relaxed as they are at home, even in the midst of a trip.”

Website: http://en.shibaparkhotel.com/