January (new calendar); New Year's period (Gregorian)
Refers to the New Year season according to the Gregorian calendar, as opposed to the traditional lunar New Year (旧正月). Often used in contexts contrasting old and new calendar observances.
Many people go for hatsumōde (first shrine visit) during the new-calendar New Year.
More regions celebrate the new-calendar New Year rather than the lunar New Year.
Compound of 新 (new) and 正月 (New Year), referring to the New Year according to the modern Gregorian calendar.