New Year
This picture of the sunrise comes from page 12 of the Japan Times print newspaper (Saturday, December 30, 2017), a story about good locations to watch the "hatsuhinode" on January 1st, the first sunrise of the New Year. The first sunrise of the new year represents a chance for a new beginning. For that reason the "hatsuhinode" has traditionally been regarded with special reverence.
For similar reasons - to prepare the home to welcome a new beginning - Japanese go crazy for New Year’s house cleaning (“ohsouji”) the way Canadians might do their Spring Cleaning. It’s bothersome to me. On December 31st I want to relax at home, but family members make that impossible as they bang and clatter cleaning the apartment.