A coloring page of hatsuhinode, the first sunrise of the year, with the sun coming up behind Mount Fuji. It is free to use, drawn with seniors and care settings in mind, and an easy sheet to open a New Year activity hour with. Download and print the PDF; no registration is needed. Most of this page is open sky, which makes it a good one for practising a gradient: work outward from the sun, pale yellow into orange, and keep the stylised cloud bars and the plum blossoms light so the mountain still reads as the tallest thing on the paper.
🗣 Conversation Starters — for care activities and family time
Tell us about a first sunrise you remember.
Is there a food or a decoration you connect with New Year morning?
Has the way people mark this occasion changed since you were a child?
What do you enjoy most at this time of year?
What is hatsuhinode, the first sunrise?
Hatsuhinode is the sunrise on January 1, and going out to watch it is one of the most widely kept Japanese New Year customs. The related word goraiko is used for the same sunrise seen from a mountain top, and it comes from the idea of climbing to meet the light. People head for a beach, a hilltop or an east-facing window before dawn, and the wish attached to it is simply for a good year ahead. Mount Fuji, drawn here, is the most photographed place to see it, although the summit itself is closed in winter and most people watch from the lakes and towns below.
Can this coloring page be used for care-home activities?
Yes. A first-sunrise coloring page makes an easy conversation starter in reminiscence-style sessions. Ask whether anyone ever got up in the dark on January 1 to watch the sun come up, and from where. Sharing memories while coloring keeps the conversation going.
Any tips for a neat, polished result?
Work from the largest areas first and save the fine details for last. If you go over a line, a white correction pen can tidy it up. With colored pencils, layering lets you control how light or deep each shade looks.
