Taga Taisha Shrine in Taga-cho, Shiga Prefecture, attracts the most visitors for "Hatsumode," or New Year's visit to a shrine, in the Lake Biwa area, and on January 2, it was lively with a huge turnout of people. The clear weather was in complete contrast to the New Year's Day cold, and families prayed for good fortune in the new year by putting their hands together in accordance with Shinto rites.

Worshippers lined up at the front shrine. Clapping their hands to call the attention of the gods, they offered prayers for health and safety, success in business and safe childbirth, and many requested "O-Mamori" talismans and "Hamaya" sacred arrows.

Masami Nakao, a company worker visiting with his family of six from Kamiteru-cho, Nagahama City, also received a blessing from a Shinto priest. "I wish with all my heart that my family will be happy," he said.

According to Hikone Local Meteorological Observatory, the temperature for January 2 in Hikone City was within the normal range at 7.2 degrees Celsius, a rise of 3.3 from the 3.9 degrees of New Year's Day. Taga Taisha Shrine reports that there were 160,000 New Year's Day visitors, 10,000 fewer than last year. January 2 had 15,000 visitors, 10,000 more than on that day last year.