To all of our wonderful guests and MACHIYA INNS & HOTELS fans,

Thank you to each and every one of you for your continued support over the last year! All of us at MACHIYA INNS & HOTELS are delighted to have been able to welcome so many of you back to Japan this year. Whether you had a chance to stay with us, shared an Instagram post, told your friends about our traditional Japanese accommodations and more, we appreciate every single one of you!

We’re back again this year with our annual digital ‘nengajo’ greeting cards (Japanese New Year greeting cards) as a way to say thank you from all of us at MACHIYA INNS & HOTELS to you.

Send our original MACHIYA INNS & HOTELS ‘nengajo’ to your family, friends, or colleagues, and dream about your future trip to Japan! We look forward to welcoming everyone to our machiya accommodations in 2024.

Similar to the Western practice of sending holiday greeting cards, in Japan, “nengajo” are special postcards sent out to friends, family, and coworkers. They are timed to arrive on New Year’s day, as the first greeting of the new year, and convey ‘thank you’ for their support over the last year, and hopes for continued support in the new year!

While there are unique customs in different prefectures throughout Japan, there is one thing that we all say: “Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu” (Happy New Year)! Other customs include “hatsumode” (the first shrine visit of the year to pray for health and happiness), eating ‘osechi’ (a special New Years meal), and giving ‘otoshidama’ (money gift) to children. No matter how you celebrate the new year in your culture, we wish you health, happiness, and good fortune in the new year!