Hatsu Hinode (the first sunrise of New year) (初日の出)
Hatsu hinode refers to the appearance of the celestial object on January 1 (ganjitsu) (when the sun rises from the horizon or sea horizon). In Japan it is celebrated as the first crack of dawn once a year and lots of people visit to see the hatsu hinode. This custom is said to have flourished after the Meiji period. It originated from shihohai (Prayer to the Four Quarters, Japanese imperial New Year's ceremony), spread across ordinary people as a present form and came to be the custom where people pray to hatsu hinode.
There are the spots for hatsu hinode throughout the whole country. They are the beaches where we can look over the horizon, summits of mountains, observatories and so on. Also at hatsu hinode, many people pray for a wish or a decision of that year.