About 84.91 million people visited Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples across Japan during the first three days of the year, down 3.84 million from last year, the National Police Agency said Monday.
The number of people visiting sightseeing and leisure spots also fell, peaking at 4.46 million, down by an estimated 1.39 million, the agency said.
The agency attributed the low turnout to bad weather, such as heavy snowfall in the Tokai region, and a decline in the number of New Year's events, noting that last year marked the beginning of a new millennium.