Do you deep clean your house once a year? If so, when do you clean? It is popular in the West to clean during the spring, known as “spring cleaning”. But in Japan, most families, companies and schools do a deep clean at the end of the year in a tradition called osouji.

So why clean towards the end of the year?

New Year’s Cleaning in Japan? Why New Year

Although many Japanese people do not know this, it is deeply related to religion. Outside of religion, though, many people in Japan do not want to welcome New Year’s in a dirty home. It can make them uncomfortable, and many often feel remorse for not participating in this end-of-year tradition.

People in Japan and Reasons for New Years Cleaning

The tradition of cleaning at the end of the year in Japan has deep connections to Shinto beliefs. In Japanese culture, both the Buddha and Shinto gods are highly respected, and it is believed that a dirty home would not be an appropriate place to welcome them into the new year. Therefore, people clean their homes before the new year arrives to ensure the gods feel comfortable and are able to bless them with good fortune.

This custom is thought to have begun during the Heian period (794–1185 or 1192), meaning it has been practiced for over 1,200 years. In addition to cleaning, another tradition in Japan is buying new underwear for the new year, which is then worn on New Year’s Day as part of welcoming the year ahead with fresh energy.

In Japan, there are still people who uphold this tradition. As demonstrated by the customs mentioned above, Japanese people prefer to avoid bringing anything negative or unclean into the New Year, aiming instead for a fresh and clean start. This mindset is also reflected in a year-end gathering known as a Bonen-kai. The term Bonen means “to forget the year,” and kai refers to a party.

The purpose of the Bonen-kai is to leave behind any bad memories or unpleasant experiences from the past year. These parties are typically celebrated among friends, family, and colleagues. If you are part of a group or workplace in Japan, you may be invited to join, and it can be a wonderful experience to take part in.

As these customs show, the New Year is a significant occasion in Japan, and preparations begin long before the calendar turns. It is a time for renewal, letting go of the old, and starting afresh—both in a physical and spiritual sense. People want to begin the year with a clean slate, in harmony with the gods, and with hopes for happiness and good fortune.

Differences Between the New Years Cleaning and Spring Cleaning

In the West, house cleaning is typically done in the spring, not at the end of the year. This practice is known as “spring cleaning.”

Why is house cleaning done in the spring rather than at the end of the year?

Many Americans find spring cleaning to be more practical after the winter snow has melted. The warmer weather makes it easier and more comfortable to clean, and it marks a natural time for renewal. Additionally, after using the heating system during the winter, spring is seen as an opportunity to clean and check appliances like air conditioners. It’s also a good time to inspect the roof or chimney for any issues that may have arisen during the colder months.

Initially, it is believed that people in the U.S. started to do house cleaning in spring because many homes back in the days had fireplaces that used original firewood. Because they used it all the time in winter, they needed to clean away, and it is said that the custom of spring cleaning has started for cleaning their fireplaces.

It is near impossible to clean the chimney during the winter when it snows. So the Spring cleaning custom spread across the U.S. Compared to this, there were very few houses where fireplaces can be found in Japan. As a result, cleaning in the spring never really became a part of the Japanese culture.

In addition to that, Christmas is more important for people in the U.S. than the new year. Usually, all family and their relatives gather at their home on Christmas day.

Japanese Year End Cleaning at The Office

In Japan, people clean up their house and the place where they work or an organizational gathering area that they belong to at the end of the year.

The office is also one of them, and there are many companies where all workers need to participate in cleaning the company building in Japan. Usually, a date is decided, and almost all workers stop their jobs and start to clean up on that day at such companies. It depends on each company where they need to clean up, but they need to clean their desk. It is also seen as more polite and helpful to help others clean or clean more than your own space. If you belong to a Japanese company, particularly one in Japan, you may be surprised to see all staff stop their jobs and participate in the cleaning at some companies.

It may be impolite if you do not participate in it, so I recommend confirming the cleaning day’s schedule in advance.

Japanese Year End Cleaning at School

Year-end cleaning is done at schools as well, and usually, all student bodies participate in it.

But students are always cleaning up at school every day in Japan!

This type of practice is usually a surprise to people overseas because there are many countries where students do not do this in the world. There are usually cleaning staff in these countries, and students do not need to clean their classrooms. The different ways of thinking has caused this to happen. For example, in Japan, it is said they started this custom because of Buddhism. In Buddhism, it is essential to clean up to keep minds clear and pure. Therefore, students are educated to clean their classrooms every day at school.

On the contrary, it is believed that students need to focus on study, and they should not take time for cleaning in the USA. Some people see this concept as a problem because they often dirty the classroom with chewing gums under the desks.

They believe that the lack of sanitary training among students allows them to exhibit this behavior. In Japan, the cleaning is usually done after lunchtime or after a particular class, and it is expected at almost all schools. Due to this everyday cleaning practice, the end-of-year cleaning customs are not so unique among school students.

However, it is done at a much more comprehensive range than usual, and they clean where they cannot clean up every day usually.

New Years Cleaning As a Unique Culture in Japan

I hope you can better understand why people in Japan deep clean their homes at the end of the year. It is very different from spring cleaning done in the U.S., and the purpose of cleaning is also different. Whereas people in Japan think new year’s day is special, people in the U.S. think Christmas is much more special and essential than the new year.

In addition to that, the style of houses is also different between Japan and the USA.

Although there were very few houses that have fireplaces and chimneys in Japan, the situation was different in the U.S., and people needed to clean them up after the melting of the snow in the spring. Therefore, it was very natural for people in the U.S. to do house cleaning in spring, and the custom of spring cleaning has spread there.

Compared to that, it was more suitable for people in Japan to clean their house up to welcome the gods with a clean house at the end of the year. They believe that the gods will bring them a fortune, and they think doing house cleaning is one way to show their respect toward the gods. As you can see from this article, cleaning is very different in each country, and I believe it is essential to understand and converse on these differences. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and let’s enjoy the year-end cleaning in Japan so that you can welcome the new year with fresh feelings!

Aika Kaise 

Japan