初詣

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 初詣 is read as はつもうで and is a noun for the first visit to a shrine or temple in the new year.
• Basic usage: Going on this visit appears in 初詣に行く, while memories of it appear in 初詣の思い出.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The first shrine or temple visit of the new year
  • 初詣 is not simply a person's first visit to a place; it specifically denotes the first shrine or temple visit made in the new year.
• Difference from 参拝
  • 参拝 broadly means worshipping at a shrine or temple at any time, while 初詣 is limited to the first such visit of the new year.