Hello, this is Kyoto Miyako Distillery.

How did you spend your holiday season?

When it comes to traditional Japanese events of new year, that would be ‘Hatsumōde’ (the new year’s visit to a shrine/temple) which prays for happiness of the new year.

Hatsumōde is believed to have derived from the customs called ‘Toshigomori’ in The Heian Period.

(Direct translation: ‘Staying-Up’

…Headmasters in villages or masters of family houses were said to have stayed up at shrines or temples, and waited for new year morning from the night of new year’s eve.)