Tokyo  - Millions of Japanese flock to the country's temples in the night of December 31 to ask the gods for their blessings for the New Year.

At midnight temple bells chime 108 times to drive away people's 108 kinds of covetousness or the 108 evils of the old year. With the final bell toll, the Year of the Ox begins.

Tokyo's Meiji Shrine at Yoyogi park, which honours Japan's modernizing Meiji emperor (1852-1912) is a popular destination for the ritual. Hours before midnight, thousands of revelers queue at the grounds to pray and give money offerings.

Traditional celebrations at temples and shrines are complemented by Western-style countdown parties at entertainment parks and ports, complete with fireworks, music and light shows.

At the temple grounds in front of the brightly lit Tokyo Tower, one of the major landmarks in the Japanese capital, 3,000 ballons will float to the sky in the first night of the new year. (dpa)