Casual — to friend
Cultural · Religion
初詣に行ってきました。今年もみなさんにとって良い年になりますように。 — I went to the New Year shrine visit. I prayed that this year will be a good one for everyone. (Cultural · Religion, Casual — to friend, JLPT N4)
You
初詣に行ってきました。今年もみなさんにとって良い年になりますように。
はつもうでにいってきました。ことしもみなさんにとっていいとしになりますように。
I went to the New Year shrine visit. I prayed that this year will be a good one for everyone.
Romaji: Hatsumoude ni itte kimashita. Kotoshi mo minasan ni totte yoi toshi ni narimasu you ni. / Reply Romaji: Ii desu ne! Doko no jinja ni ittano?
Reply
いいですね！どこの神社に行ったの？
いいですね！どこのじんじゃにいったの？
That's nice! Which shrine did you go to?
Gesture & etiquette
Share this news with a warm, peaceful expression — hatsumoude has a reflective, hopeful quality. If asked which shrine you visited, be ready to share a detail or two about it. The phrase 'narimashou ni' (may it become / I pray it will be) is a gentle prayer form suitable for casual sharing — less formal than the full prayer wording at the shrine itself.
Hatsumoude (first shrine or temple visit of the New Year, typically January 1-3) is Japan's most practiced religious tradition — over 90 million people participate annually. After praying, buying a new omamori (protective charm) for the year and returning the old one to the shrine is standard practice. Sharing where you went for hatsumoude is a common New Year conversation topic.