New Year is one of Japan's three major travel seasons with intensive domestic and international travel activity. Many shops, restaurants and tourist attractions are closed for at least one day between December 29 and January
The remainder of January is a good time for visiting Japan, as the weather is usually sunny and dry and sightseeing spots are not crowded. Only in northern Japan and along the Sea of Japan coast, there is lots of snowfall, and conditions are good for winter sports. The downside of a visit in winter are the relatively short days (sunset is around 5pm in Tokyo) and the vegetation's barren state.