Around 89.34 million people are likely to visit major shrines and temples throughout Japan from Jan. 1-3 to wish for a prosperous new year, up 1.2 million from this year, according to a National Police Agency estimate.
The NPA expects greater numbers at the sites because 2001 marks a new century.
For the first three days of the new year, the NPA expects 5.52 million visitors at resorts and holiday spots, up 210,000. The rise is based on the fact that many stayed home this year to avoid potential trouble from the Y2K computer problem.
Thirty-four Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines are expecting at least 500,000 visitors.
As it did this year, Tokyo's Meiji Shrine will likely draw the largest crowd of some 3.3 million, followed by Chiba Prefecture's Shinshoji temple at 3 million and 2.95 million at Kawasaki Daishi, a temple in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Next is Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto Prefecture with 2.55 million, followed by Sumiyoshi Shrine in Osaka Prefecture at 2.5 million.
Six holiday spots are expected to draw at least 100,000 visitors.
They include Tokyo Disneyland in Chiba at 270,000, and Cape Inubosaki, also in Chiba, where 150,000 are expected to journey to see the first sunrise of the year.
From Dec. 29 through Jan. 3, around 27,000 people are expected to ascend major mountains, up 5,000. They include 13,800 climbing in the Tanzawasan area in eastern Japan and 4,330 scaling peaks in the Northern Alps, which lie in the central part of the country.