Why do Japanese people start using a new wallet at the New Year?

Why do so many Japanese people buy a new wallet at the end of the year
and start using it on January 1st?

Is it about money?
Luck?
Or something deeper hidden in the idea of “beginning”?

In Japan, the New Year is not just a change of date.
It is a reset of life itself.

• a new calendar

• a new notebook

• new goals

• and often… a new wallet

A wallet is not seen as a simple accessory.
It is considered a container of flow —
a place where money, effort, and fortune pass through.

Starting the year with an old wallet feels like
carrying last year’s fatigue into a fresh beginning.

Traditionally, money in Japan is closely tied to ideas of:

• circulation

• respect

• cleanliness

• gratitude

A worn-out wallet suggests stagnation.
A new wallet suggests openness.

This is why many people believe:

“If you want good financial flow,
you should give money a clean place to live.”

It’s not superstition alone —
it’s a way of mentally resetting one’s relationship with money.

The New Year marks a symbolic rebirth.

In Japanese culture:

• January 1st is when gods are welcomed into the home

• new wishes are made

• old habits are left behind

Using a new wallet at this moment is like saying:

“I am ready to receive this year properly.”

Some even wait until an auspicious day
(such as Ichiryū Manbai-bi — a day when things grow and multiply)
to start using it.

Visitors often ask:

• “Why replace something that still works?”

• “Isn’t that wasteful?”

• “Is it a money superstition?”

But this tradition is less about money itself
and more about intention.

In Japan, objects absorb time and memory.
Changing the object helps change the mindset.

“People buy a new wallet every year?
That feels unnecessary…”

“Do you clean your room at the start of the year?”

“Of course.”

“Then why not clean the place where your money sleeps?”

“…So the wallet isn’t about wealth?”

“It is about respect.
Money flows better when it is treated gently.”

This habit reflects a broader Japanese mindset:

• renewal over accumulation

• intention over efficiency

• rhythm over permanence

A new wallet is not a guarantee of wealth.
It is a gesture of readiness.

The question is not:

“Will a new wallet make me rich?”

But rather:

“How do I welcome the year I am about to live?”