On the morning of New Year’s Day, the wide approach to Tosho-gu Shrine was full of people paying their first visit of the year to the shrine. Rinno-ji Temple, Tosho-gu Shrine, and Futarasan Shrine are the three biggest places for worship in Nikko. The total number of visitors during the first three days of the year is estimated at over 150,000. There are some stalls selling amazake (sweetened hot sake) for people to drink and warm up after worshiping. Other stalls sell lucky charms or talismans. Most of the visitors at this time are locals. The percentage of tourists on that day is the lowest of the year.
The main building of Rinno-ji Temple is now under construction (in 2015). It is repaired once every 50 years. A huge enclosure covers the temple building, and the visitors can take a tour of the construction site. At Tosho-gu Shrine, some of the important buildings, including the famous Yomei-mon Gate, are being repaired and repainted. That will continue until 2024.
