January begins with New Year visits and family gatherings. Temples and shrines draw crowds during the first days of the month.

JNTO’s January guide covers mountain snow sports, winter illuminations in major cities and hot springs.

What To Watch

Plan around New Year visits in the opening week. Check ski conditions for mountain trips and opening hours for winter illuminations and baths.

Hanafuda Lens

January is the pine suit. The four cards are the crane and sun bright card, a poetry ribbon, and two pine chaff cards. The deck begins with ceremony: evergreen pine, a rising sun, and a bird associated with long life.

How We Know

This page uses JNTO for January travel conditions and seasonal anchors, the Cabinet Office for public-holiday context, and Nintendo Museum for the 48-card Hanafuda month structure. Koi-Koi supplies the exact card face used in the hero image.

The Pine Suit

January's Hanafuda suit is Pine: four exact Koi-Koi card faces in the site deck, shown here without redraws or substitution.

January Hanafuda card: Pine, Crane and sun, Bright
Crane and sunBright
January Hanafuda card: Pine, Poetry ribbon, Ribbon
Poetry ribbonRibbon
January Hanafuda card: Pine, Pine chaff, Chaff
Pine chaffChaff
January Hanafuda card: Pine, Pine chaff, Chaff
Pine chaffChaff

Sources

  1. Japan in January, Japan National Tourism Organization. Accessed 2026-09-02. Used for New Year travel framing, winter conditions, snow sports, illuminations, and hot spring context.
  2. National Holidays for 2026 and 2027, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan. Accessed 2026-09-01. Used for Japan's September 2026 public holidays and holiday-law notes.
  3. Try Playing Hanafuda!, Nintendo Museum. Accessed 2026-09-01. Used for the 48-card, 12-month Hanafuda structure and Nintendo Museum workshop context.